Dorm rooms are famously boring. No one wants to feel like they are living in an institution, but it can be hard to transform a room that will be temporary into something that feels as relaxing as a permanent home. Here are our ideas to make your dorm room into an awesome space to hang out in.
Don’t overdo it. Dorms are a small space, and it doesn’t take much to make them feel cluttered. Buy what you need and bring things you love, but remember that less is more.
Get some throw pillows or some folding chairs. It’s great to have friends over, and it is also great not to clutter up your valuable floor space with seating when they are not around.
Don’t spend too much money. This is your first place, and if you are anything like most college and university students, you are going to be hard on it. Things will get ruined, and anything that is too flashy might be at risk of sticky fingers from that sketchy guy down the hall’s friends when you have people over. Don’t try to impress others with looking like you have money to burn (even if you do). It might breed resentment when your peers are feeling hard up.
Remember easy set-up and take down. Removable wallpaper is a cool idea, but it is pretty fussy for something you will only spend a few months living in. Hanging a blanket or quilt, or another type of fabric is a great way to create high impact that can easily be taken down and brought with you later. Bonus: fabric on the wall also helps muffle sounds from your neighbors (and stops some of your noise from travelling through the walls).
Frame your posters. Cheap frames are easy to come by, and they transform the vibe of posters. Framing what you put on your walls is the easiest way to elevate the style of the room and make everything feel curated.
Create a focal point. The easiest options here are a bedspread or curtains – something that you love that you can easily take with you and make the next space you dwell in feel like home. A fun rug is another great way to personalize with something you can easily take with you to your next abode. Adding a vintage headboard to your dorm bed is another easy way to add impact. (Make sure you have the right size and type of bed for one beforehand, though – they don’t typically work too well on bunk beds.)Again, don’t spend too much, and don’t get anything too hard to clean unless you will have access to a vacuum.
Have fun with it. Washi tape is fun to play with and easy to remove, and will let you personalize and pull disparate parts of style together. Line the fronts of your boring shelves, create picture frames or divide your part of the room from your roommate’s with a line down the middle by using washi tape. Washi tape is another easy way to personalize small items that might go missing – your phone charging cord, lighters, reusable mugs.
Use lights to create ambiance. Twinkle lights are a dorm room staple, but you don’t need to stop there. There are lots of ways to use lights to create an interesting space. Grab a retro table lamp or floor lamp to create a more individual style. Go for an industrial vibe with some reflective clamp lights. If you’ve got a green thumb, put in a grow light to supplement your plants’ sunlight. If you prefer a romantic vibe, pick up some flameless candles. If you have a bottom bunk, add some fairy lights to make it feel cozy and inviting.
Add some life. Include some plants to make the room seem more alive and less sterile. If you’re worried about killing your plants, consider a cactus or a succulent as they don’t need to be watered often. If you don’t have a lot of sunlight,a snake plants barely need light and are very difficult to kill, while adding high impact to the space and cleaning the air.
Use space creatively. If you are used to a lot of space, styling a small room can be tough. Stick to smaller pieces of furniture if you buy any. Things that can be used in multiple ways will be your friends (i.e. all-in-one bed side table, coffee table and footrest, or a bed tray that can also double as a laptop stand).
Use mirrors to create the illusion of space. Your dorm room might not come with a mirror at all, so be sure to bring at least one light weight mirror that you can hang on the wall.
Have a functional space for your homework. If you don’t have a set place for your books, computer, papers and other course related materials to land, they will end up everywhere. Include either a functional shelf or a desk area (or both) at the very least in your design.
