When you finally get to college, you’re greeted with a blank canvas of a dorm room. How are you going to decorate it? Did you bring enough posters? Too many? How are you going to express yourself when you (usually) can’t paint the walls or use nails to hang photos? Turns out, there are many ways to decorate your dorm room to match your style. Here are three ideas to get you started on making your dorm room uniquely yours.
Friendly Host or Hostess
You love people. You love having your friends over and entertaining them. Whether you’re watching a movie or playing a boardgame or simply sharing stories, you need a room that is welcoming and comfortable for many people. To do this, make it fun and lively. Use light or bright colors for bedding and small accent pieces. Hang photos of you and your friends on the walls either in a collage or in frames. Use your bed as extra seating, but make sure you have extra oversized pillows so your guests don’t have to lean against the uncomfortable dorm wall. Buy or make your own welcome mat or door sign.
Instead of simply buying a bunch of bean bags or fold-up chairs, use multipurpose furniture. Storage ottomans make great seats or you can put some comfortable cushions on top of a trunk or chest. Having enough seating is important if you have a lot of guests over. Having a mini fridge is a great way to make sure your guests don’t go thirsty and you can decorate with magnets or photos. You can even dedicate a shelf in your bookcase to snacks. If you meet a lot of new people, start a guest book. If you or your guests tend to get a little loud, consider soundproofing panels if your school allows them. Putting down a rug will also help dampen the sound. Your neighbors will appreciate it.
Studious Student
You’re in college to learn and achieve your life goals. If you’re not at class or in the library, you’re working or studying in your room. You want your room to be comfortable and help you stay focused. On your walls, use motivational posters or words. If you have a clear goal of what you want to become, write that or hang a photo of it near your desk. To help keep you focused, decorate with orange around your desk. It’s one of the best colors to increase productivity and concentration. Try to avoid working on your bed and opt for your desk instead. While creative writing might be done best when lying down, many people who try to study in bed end up falling asleep before they can finish.
If you don’t plan on having people over regularly, you can invest in a decent desk chair to keep you comfortable while you spend your free time studying. It might be a good idea to get a second chair in case you need to work with a partner on a project. Keep your desk organized and tidy as this will also help you stay focused. Use utensil organizers in your drawers to separate pens, pencils, paperclips, and erasers. Invest in a good set of noise-cancelling headphones so you won’t be distracted or disturbed by your roommate or neighbor.
Full of Team Spirit
You go to every games. You know the names of all the players. You love showing your team spirit by wearing your favorite jersey and maybe using body paint. The game schedule is your default browser page. For you, decorating in school colors is a must. If you can find bedding with your school logo or mascot, get them. Otherwise, you can try to mix and match different colors of bedding to show your school spirit. Hang flags, banners, or a giant decal of your school’s logo on your walls. Keep your pens in a #1 Fan mug or make your own.
If you can’t make it to an away game, get a big TV to watch the game on. You’ll need plenty of double-duty seating if you plan on inviting friends over. You can also turn your bookcase into a display case that shows off your collection of signed footballs, baseballs, or jerseys. Make use of under-the-bed storage to hold your own sports equipment.
