Okay, so, decorating your frat house might not be absolutely at the top of your list of things to do, but have a nicely put-together place can make everyone more comfortable, and it can even make parties more fun. We’re not going to go all Martha Stewart on you. These ideas will be quick, cheap, and easy, and they’ll add some character to that lifeless place that is probably now full of dust and bachelor grossness.
1. Clean up. Dirty socks and beer cans do not count as decoration. You don’t have to actually set rules about this or anything, but just make sure everyone does his part to keep things picked up around your frat house. And once a week or so, you should actually clean the kitchen, dust, and clean the bathrooms so that girls aren’t totally grossed out every time you host a party.
2. Throw on some paint. Painting is one of the cheapest, simplest ways to make a room look better. Your furniture doesn’t all have to match, and you don’t have to have nice curtains. Just buy a can of paint in an interesting color, and go to town. You can do an entire room in a bright – but not neon – color, or you can use a bold, deep color on a few accent walls.
3. Add a few – a very few – decorative pieces. Nothing makes for a more interesting conversation piece than an original piece of artwork. Head over to your school’s art department to see if anyone is willing to make a custom painting or sculpture for your frat house. Don’t go with anything too fragile or girly. You can get some really cool impressionistic or modernist pieces now, and buying a piece from a fellow student will save tons of cash.
Instead of using lots of small pieces on different walls, try a simple look with just one huge painting on the main wall of your living area. This makes everything more streamlined, and it gives you less stuff to dust, too. The same thing goes for other pieces of decoration. Just get a few big, sturdy, interesting pieces instead of a whole bunch of little, breakable, dust-gathering pieces.
4. Don’t use a theme, but pick out a few colors to stick to. Obviously, you don’t really want to worry too much about everyone’s bedrooms, since that would be overboard. When it comes to living areas and kitchens and such, though, you can go a long way just by choosing a few colors to stick to. Use complementary colors like blues and oranges, or go with colors that are similar, like two different shades of green.
Can’t decide? Head to your local hardware store and pick up a bunch of paint chips. You don’t necessarily have to sort through every single little variation in shade, but you can take a quick majority vote to see which colors you’ll use throughout your frat house.
It’s going to take a bit of effort to make your frat house look decent, but it’ll be well worth it. It will feel more like a house than a den, and it will also keep your girlfriends, girl friends, and potential girlfriends happier when they come over to visit.
