hilltopics Images People Features Friday, August 25, 2000 For comments, contact Clay McCuistion at 864-4924 or e-mail features@kansan.com
10A
Drab rooms spring to life with the addition of four simple items
By Melinda Weaver
Photo illustrations by Selena Jabara and Nick Krug
There is more to August than unbearable heat. Students return to campus (or begin their college careers) after lazy summers at home watching television and find the usual back-to-school chaos. Stores are packed with college students trying to drain every last drop of money out of their parents before finding themselves on their own, selling plasma for alcohol money.
Street, one question fills these despairing students' minds. It has nothing to do with classes or groceries. No, it's much more pressing.
As they drag their parents through SuperTarget or down Massachusetts
"How do I decorate my apartment?" they ask beseechingly. "What are the absolute college essentials that I should buy before beginning a long and torturous school year?"
Well, my friends, I'm here to enlighten you.
Essential item one: the blender
As with most college students, the first thing I think about when stocking my apartment is alcohol. Every good legal-age host should have a few beers to offer a legal-age guest, and every legal-age apartment needs a bottle of tequila or vodka (pick your poison) for when the need arises.
volvia (pick your poison) for what you want.
Therefore it is crucial to have a blender in a college apartment. Every college student should also have a nice minifrigerator to store beer close to the couch, but because those run $84.92 at Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St., a blender seems a little more practical.
After all, think about how popular you'll be when your friends come over and you have a pitcher of nice, cold daquiris waiting for them.
At SuperTarget, 3201 Iowa St., blenders range in price from $19.99 to $59.99, depending on the speeds (seven through 18 speeds are offered) and whether you want a glass or plastic container.
At Wal-Mart,blenders are a bit cheaper,with prices beginning at $14.96. But Mike Ingram,Tulsa,Okla.,sophomore and Wal-Mart employee, said the least expensive might not be the best option.
"I wouldn't buy any blender that was less than $29.99 because they probably won't last that long," Ingram said. "But it is important to have one. Blenders come in very handy for college students."
Essential item two: the lava lamp
Now that we've covered alcohol, let's talk decoration. Have you ever been to a cool party where the host didn't have a lava lamp in his or her living room? I have six in my apartment, and they come in handy in all sorts of situations.
These decorations are fun in any mental condition including sobriety and they add color and fun to the living area. Lava lamps come in every color, from bright red to black, and can be purchased at many Lawrence retailers including 7th Heaven 1000 Massachusetts St., and SuperTarget for about $49.99.
Alice Tippit, 7th Heaven employee and Kansas City Kan., junior, said the appeal of lava lamps wasn't so much the decoration itself as it was the culture that it represented.
"I think people like them for the same reason they like peace signs — because they are like something from the '60s," Tippit said. "It's like something you would see in a crash pad or something."
Essential item three: the storage crate
Because college students often are crimped for space any item that can help conserve space is a real treat. That's where college essential No. 3 comes in: storage crates.
These handy little blocks can be stacked on top of one another, and because of their small size, they fit in just about any closet.
And they are attractive enough that you can use them in your living room as end tables if you lack nice furniture. The best part is that they are cheap. The crates — sometimes sold under the brand name Yaffa blocks— come in packs of four for $12.99 at SuperTarget and $14.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Kansas City, Kan.
Kelvie Crabb, Lawrence graduate student, is no stranger to cramped living spaces. Two years after leaving the residence halls, she found herself in an apartment with a bedroom "not much bigger than a closet," as she likes to tell people.
"Yaffa blocks were great because I didn't have much space to spare," Crabb said. "My bedroom wasn't nearly big enough to hold all my stuff, and I had to find an efficient way to store it all. Yaffa blocks worked perfectly, and you can get them with drawers."
Essential item four: the beanbag chair
Now that you've efficiently stored your stuff, added some color to your place and made a pitcher of margaritas, it's time to find a place for your friends to sit when they come over. Beanbag chairs are the perfect college-apartment furniture because they are light and transportable — yet comfortable.
It doesn't matter if you spill a daquiri on them because it will wipe right off. You don't have to worry about listening to your mom scream when she sees what you've done to the sofa she loaned you.
"They're really popular with college students because they are less expensive than nice chairs, but they are still comfortable," said Ashley Tarman, Lawrence senior. "They are comfortable and light, and they are great for lounging around, watching TV in."
Tarman is an employee at Blue Heron, 921 Massachusetts and she said the furniture store often sold out of beanbag chairs.
Blue Heron has single beanbags and the love-seat variety beginning at $135. 7th Heaven also carries trendy bean ba $199 for the jumbo leopard print but only $79 for regular
ask for the jumbo leopard print but only $15 for Regular. So when your parents come to town to help you settle in remember these four college essentials: a blender, a lava lh storage crates and bean bags. With these fabulous items, y have a start on a great-looking apartment that all of your friends will love.
— Edited by Kelly Clasen
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