At first glance, the confined space of a 12-by-19-foot room complete with white walls, beds, desks, dressers and closets may seem a little depressing. But, it isn’t as hard as one may think to make this newfound home livable and pleasing to the eye.

Stores all around the country sell low-price dorm necessities and decorations during the summer and the beginning months of fall.

Some of the most popular dorm hot spots include Target, Kohl’s, Meijer and Wal-Mart, offering everything from extra- long bed sheets to futuristic-looking chairs.

Bringing color into a room can be an easy task, starting with colorful bedding made of either solid colors or appealing patterns. The less padding the comforter has, the cheaper it is, and considering the hot weather at the start of the school year, a thin comforter may be a reasonable choice.

One of Target’s dorm-shopping slogans is, “You pick the price and style to redo your rooms.” With that in mind, simply mix and match different brands of sheets and pillow covers instead of buying a pre-packaged bedding set in order to save money and look unique at the same time.

Placing a multicolored rug in the center of the floor can bring the eye’s attention away from the dorm-floor carpet color, and these can be found almost anywhere. Also, body pillows for the bed and pillows for the futon are yet another way to bring life to a boring room, and merely buying new slipcovers for used pillows are a cheap alternative to making them look as good as new.

When interior design major Amber Conley was a freshman, she used everyday objects and small craft store items to spice up her room. She cut out her and her roommate’s names from foam to put on the door, added dangling beads and rhinestones to the shade of a lamp and put glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.

Interior decorator Coral Nafie stresses that anyone can make their living area beautiful, and imagination and creativity are certainly two important factors when decorating on a budget. She suggests possibly painting an ordinary chair to make it look fresh and appealing, and to purchase moodlites for only $5 each at www.mood-factory.com to create any colorful atmosphere that you please.

An important thing to remember is that even though you may have a roommate, your side of the room will always be your personal space that should be a welcoming area.