Chances are if you’re a college student, you’ve had to spend at least a year in the dorms. Let’s be honest- being confined to a cinder block, egg wash colored room isn’t that glamorous. You want to make your dorm room look as homey as possible, and there are countless ways to do that. These days, ideas on how to decorate dorm rooms are endless. Every year rooms become more creative and less like a jail cell. If you’re looking for ways to spice up your room, try some of these:
Duck Tape Border: Add flair to your walls with a fun patterned duck tape. Tape it to the walls around your room for a fun border. Duck tape is cheap and comes in crazy colors and patterns. Some patterns available in stores are zebra print, cheetah print, polka dots, tye dye, flames, and an assortment of bright neon colors. Adding a stripe of duck tape can make dull walls pop with color.
Storage Cubes: Naturally, everyone wants their dorm room to be the hangout spot. You’ll need places for people to sit, but futons can be expensive and take up space that you really don’t have. A cute and fun solution is storage cubes. These cubes look like ottomans and come in a variety of colors. What’s the best part? You can store things inside of them. There it is- seating and storage. They don’t take up valuable space and they create space for random items. Add a small end table between them and you have a mini living room. Decorative
Lighting: To add more personality to your dorm room, don’t settle for that single fluorescent light on the ceiling. Instead, opt for decorative table lamps and string lights. Those old Christmas lights your parents have stored in the attic? Bring them to school and string them along the wall or around the window. Depending on the colors or theme of your room, stores carry many varieties of lights. You can get different shapes and colors. Table lamps and string lights are fairly inexpensive and add a lot of personality.
Carpet: Adding an area rug or carpet to your room can really make a difference. Besides covering a cold linoleum floor, you can add color and comfort to your room. Sophomores Marley Brison and Meghan Foss added a neutral colored carpet to their room in Adams Hall. It ties everything together making the room look more like home.
Wall Tapestries: A common decorating trend among college students is wall tapestries. These large, sheet like pieces of fabric come in endless designs and colors. You can find them online as well as a few stores on Court Street. Hang them on a bare wall for color, decoration, or even a background for photos of you and your friends.
Post It Notes: These are something every collegiette has at her desk, and they’re not just used for reminders. I’ve seen many rooms that have entire murals made out of just post it notes. They’re a cheap (and creative) way to decorate your walls. My roommate, Michelle Fehr and I use post its to decorate our room in Bromley Hall as well. We use ‘texts from last night’ that relate to our friendship. Write your favorites on a post it and stick them up around the room.
Hopefully some of these cheap, easy, and creative ideas will find their way to your dorm room. Add your own flair, use fun colors and themes, and make it your own. After all, you have to be content with living in a could-be jail cell for the year . . . .why not make it glamorous?