Is your wall color darker than that of your inspiration room? If so, you will definitely want to lighten up the dark things in the room, such as darker carpet, dark wood, dark walls. Of course you can do that with a rug over the carpet in a lighter shade. Big matching lamps in a lighter color with lighter shades. I love how the insp room has the shades and the curtains. I would also use lighter colored bedding and lighter colored art mixed with darker of course. I like your insp. light! If you keep going back to it then get it! Good luck and keep us posted!!

Thanks folks. Lamp decision is made, for now. I’ve also moved the tables back so the smaller bedside table is on the window side. I may post tomorrow, or Friday, about other, nonessential furniture for that room, and its placement. I’ll start a new post for that.

Hi, this is Kim, not Jim. I think it is a very cute room. I love the window seat that you guys created. Some ideas, according to small budget and your list. 1. Purge any and all clothing that you don't really wear. If he can't part with it...put in storage somewhere if possible--shed, garage, attic, or under the bed. Then remove the clothes rack and ladder. ( or just put what is rarely used on the rack and ladder and move them to the attic, etc) You could then move the dresser to the wall where the clothes rack was and have better flow into the room. And put up some other artwork on that far wall--you guys hopefully have some pieces that you have done that you can hang up--or now you have a new project! 2. I, too, like the color of the room, but the 2 wardrobes look a little yellow--while the trim is white. Perhaps paint the wardrobes a crisp white, similar to the trim in the room. But of course if you really dislike the blue then pick a color that you do like--a bit lighter and perhaps a shade warmer would make you feel less gloomy. Put the new lighting in BEFORE you pick your paint color, because just doing that may change your feeling about the color. 3. I don't think that the new bed will fit comfortably in that room. Save your money and instead buy a door for the bathroom! THIS should probably be #1 on the list! 4. I think the gray curtains and throw don't add to the room. Changing one or both may help. (of course according to what you can afford--but if you aren't going to purchase that new bed, then a new colorful throw and some pillow covers/cases might be in the budget.) If you can get away with having only the white sheers, (i.e. your window doesn't face the street so your neighbors will see you naked) then just remove the heavy gray curtain. That would be great for the budget. If not, then perhaps add a printed curtain that coordinates well with the color from the wall/bed may be pretty. 5. I think how you light a room can be key to your enjoyment of it. Decoenthusiest had great suggestions for the lighting. I think changing out the pendant light and not hanging it so low would go a long way to changing how you feel about this room. 6. I agree that rug on rug doesn't make a lot of sense. That one is an easy fix--separate them--put the Persian rug somewhere else in the house. The other seems to fit better in the space and is very neutral with your flooring. Hope this helps give you some ideas--most of us don't have extensive budgets for decorating. Good luck! I think it's a cute space! Make fun art for the other walls!!!!

May Lee, I would put less weight on the opinions of the people here, and more into research on what off campus college rentals are like in your area. How large are the units, how large are the bedrooms, what are the rents per square foot being charged? Are rentals more commonly by the bedroom or for the entire unit? What is expected in kitchens and common areas? What sort of students choose to live in your neighborhoods? I would aim at attracting graduate students, as they are more likely to be focused on their studies, be quieter, cause less disturbances, and have a greater level of maturity, especially if the schools near you have programs in areas such as medical, law, or architecture. From my experience in being a college student at an urban campus within the last 10 years: 1. Almost all graduate students in most of the US choose to live off campus, unless they are international. Many undergraduate students if allowed would rather live off campus too, because on campus living often either means sharing a bedroom and a bathroom and very little privacy, or you or your parents have to spring for the overpriced on-campus apartment style units. Living off campus is almost always cheaper. 2. As a college student I would never rent a unit without appliances. Unless it's expected that I have my own mini-fridge, and then there has to be a place to put it. Honestly as an adult I would never rent a unit without appliances, but maybe that is a regional thing. In fact, don't allow a tenant to have a hot plate, or space heaters, or anything else that could be an electrical hazard. 3. Most college students that I knew, unless they were really tall had a twin bed or full size bed. Queen beds or larger are a pain to move around, which college students frequently do. I've also had many roughly 10x10 bedrooms and they have worked just fine. Sure, the bed either has to be in the corner or closer to the wall than usual, but only one person will be sleeping in there (another note, your lease should have limits on the number of nights that your tenants can have visitors). 4. That said, the bedrooms should absolutely be designed so that each can comfortably fit a desk in addition to a bed. If your closets are setup well enough, these rooms don't need to fit anything else large. A student might have a small bookshelf or dresser, but they likely won't come with too many clothes.Or if they do, they will need to find themselves a larger more expensive apartment (back to what I said above about knowing your local market). 5. If I am a student and I am on a budget, I will absolutely compromise for a smaller unit if that means that I can get it for less. I have lived in my share of studios and tiny bedrooms. If your space is actually a little smaller than the typical in your neighborhood, and you charge a little less for it, that may work to your advantage. 6. Your common area doesn't have to be huge. If it fits a table for 2 a sofa and a TV, you are all set. My experience with common areas and students is that they actually don't get used a ton. And making them larger just invites large gatherings, which may be disruptive to you upstairs. 7. Is the washer and dryer available to the renters to use as well. Having done it once, I would never again rent a unit without laundry in the building. No one wants to cart their clothes a few blocks to the local laundromat in the rain because that was the only day available to get it done. 8. A dishwasher is really nice to have, but I have rented many apartments both during and after college without them. This is another case where I would see what rentals in the neighborhood have. A couple thoughts on your latest plan: 1. The closet in bedroom 2 being 3' deep is just wasting space. I would make it a more standard 25-26" deep and give that space back to one of the bedrooms. 2. I would mirror the bathroom/closet design of bedroom 1 so that the closet is away from the door and can have a full width bifold door. That will make it more useful. 3. Rethink the shelf in bedroom #2. This should either be a small closet or cabinet facing out into the hall, or delete the stub wall next to it and make this a full height wider cabinet next to the vanity. 4. I second that the furnace as located in the garage is just asking to be hit and banged into, since it hangs out into the garage door. If you have a small car, are likely to always have a small car, and the average buyer in your city also has a small car I would make a dedicated utility closet at the end of one of the stalls, leaving the other side longer for larger vehicles. 5. Most importantly, I think the common area needs another revision. The kitchen is wasting space in the corner, and there isn't a great way to layout furniture in the rest of the space. Maybe there is a way to get the kitchen back on the wall by the stairs, except the refrigerator? I would do a 24" electric stove and 24" refrigerator/freezer combo with a 24"-30" lower cabinet for storage and workspace. If you don't have a dishwasher I would try to fit in a small double basin sink. Upper cabinets should be generous and extend to the ceiling if possible. Try to then get two opposite walls across from each other that are clear to place a sofa and TV.