When it comes to designing your dorm room, getting the best bang for your buck is usually the top priority. However, out of all the DIY projects that our best friend Pinterest offers, not all will prove so friendly. Avoid these four dorm DIY mistakes as you prep for some of the best years of your life.
Photo from Molly Urnek
1. A Headboard: A headboard can definitely add some serious style points to your room. However, if not made properly, they can easily become disastrous. To start, make sure you have the proper measurements for your future bed. Having the wrong measurements, or not measuring at all, can lead to a headboard that’s either way too big and hangs off or is too small and falls into the space.
Second, avoid the tutorials that use cardboard. I made my headboard out of cardboard because it was easier to work with and readily available. Don’t make the same mistake! Your headboard will quickly bend and lose its luster.
Photo from Harper Honey
2. A Curtain for the Closet: In many rooms, the closet is built into the room and not as a separate feature, so it quickly becomes an eyesore. Although hanging a curtain would remedy this, don’t do it. This curtain will fall; get torn down on those hazy Friday nights; collect dust and, overall, do more harm than good. Instead, try keeping your closet organized, color coding your clothes and making good use of those nifty hanging storage units.
Photo from Tumblr
3. Any Bedding: Click out of that bed scarf or bolster pillow tutorial. Your bed will be the area with the highest traffic in your room, and the last thing you want is unreliable bed accessories. If you’re looking to save money on bedding, head to your local outlet store such as Marshalls, Ross or T.J. Maxx.
Photo from Molly Urnek
4. A Bed Skirt/Dust Ruffle: Whatever you want to call it, don’t attempt it. I specifically put this separate from other bedding; this is not because you shouldn’t have one, but because there is an easier hack rather than going through all the steps of actually creating one using a tension rod.
Buy a twin or twin extra long sheet, put half of it under the mattress, and allow the other half to fall to the floor—Bam! It’s the same thing with less hassle. You can choose to anchor it with either zip ties or duct tape (I’m a firm believer in duct tape).
Have you had any dorm room décor disasters? Let me know I’m not the only one in the comments!