10 Off-Campus Apartment Essentials — And a Giveaway!
Prize: Dining table and four matching chairs, sleeper sofa/futon, bed frame and mattress, side table, coffee table
Value: $1,500
From: DHP
With the school year just around the corner, many bright-eyed undergraduates are about to get a crash course in living off-campus and on their own. (Lesson 1: Pizza boxes cannot double as coffee tables.) Moving from the dorm to the apartment complex can be scary — meal plan, we hardly knew ye! — but a few versatile essentials will go a long way.
To really smoothen that transition, DHP, known for unique and affordable designs, is giving away a suite — that’s 10 pieces! — of modern, versatile, space-efficient furniture with functionality as its star to one lucky AT reader. Combine those with some other easy-to-overlook must-haves, and your first apartment will be home in no time:
1. A good bed frame and mattress. Our dorm mattress was thin, hard and covered in plastic — not exactly cozy. Celebrate domestic serenity with a bed that’s actually comfortable while making smart use of all your space with something like this sleek number, the Cambridge Upholstered Bed with Storage. (It’s rolling out in stores August 1!)
2. A/C or a fan. Chances are good you’re moving in during the dog days of summer. Reward yourself with cold air.
3. Dining table and chairs. As a place to study — or to keep you from balancing Chinese takeout boxes on your knees — a space-friendly dining set-up will make your place feel legit.
4. Kitchen basics. You don’t need much to throw together a great dinner. We recommend at least a pot, pan, cutting board and chef’s knife.
5. Sleeper sofa or futon. A stylish futon makes a great couch and does double duty as a guest bed. But double duty is for beginners: the Union Linen Futon does triple duty with arms that flap open and swivel to become laptop trays — equipped with both an electrical plug outlet and a USB port in each arm.
5. Bathroom organizer. No, we don’t mean the edge of your sink. Get a cubby, shelf or storage unit that suits your space and keep your razor where it belongs: out of sight.
6. Side tables. “But I have a coffee table. Isn’t that enough?” No. Place a small table by your front door to catch keys and mail, or by a chair in the living room to keep drinks and snacks in easy reach.
7. Vacuum. You already cleaned your room well at home (right?), so you know that a clean floor makes everything else look cleaner too.
8. Towels. Celebrate your freedom from dorm showers with a fresh set. Wash them often.
9. Laundry essentials. Now that you have your own place, dragging dirty laundry back to the ‘rents feels like cheating. Stock up on detergent, stain treatment, and dryer sheets.
10. Coffee table. More real-house cred: A coffee table comes in handy a million different ways and elevates your space from dorm status.
To be honest, we’re a little (a lot) jealous that undergrad living has gotten so much smarter and stylish since we were matriculated. But we want to hear from those in the trenches: If you’re making the dorm-room upgrade this fall, what’s your strategy both for style and functionality? Let us know in the comments below!
And if your strategy has room for the sweet suite DHP is offering, enter to win it with this form here:
How to Enter
To enter to win a Dining table and four matching chairs, sleeper sofa/futon, bed frame and mattress, side table, and coffee table from DHP, fill out the form below. The giveaway begins July 15 24, 2016 at 10:15 am ET and ends July 25, 2016 at 11:59 pm ET. One winner will be chosen at random. Check out the official rules here.
This post is sponsored by DHP.
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