I love to decorate. Nothing makes me happier than designing my space and filling my dorm with cozy decor that will make me feel at home. Each year upon arriving on campus, my roommates and I immediately get started setting up the things we have accrued over the last 3 years to make our new place feel like our home. We all love our little piece of Bentley and how much our space reflects our personalities. If you want to make your dorm feel like home, here is a list of some things I would recommend doing.
- Invest in your common spaces.
If you have a common room and you still spend most of your time in your bedroom, you’re doing it wrong. You want your mind to associate your bedroom with sleeping so it’s not great to be hanging out or doing work in there. Your common room can serve as a super comfy place to do work, have a movie night with friends, do crafts, or anything else you may want. Tons of comfortable seating, soft blankets, and cute pillows are a must.
- Art
In freshman year, I spent a ton of time carefully picking out posters and art for my bedroom. Then, once I moved into an apartment sophomore year, I did the same thing picking out prints to put around the common room. I tend to go a bit overboard with the planning and carefully matching the photos to fit a color scheme which is definitely not necessary, but having art around that makes you feel happy is an amazing way to brighten up your space.
- Rugs
If I could, I would have over 5 rugs in my apartment. Having a nice rug that covers the area in front of your couch makes the “living room” area seem so much bigger. And, if you decide to put art up around your space, it can serve as a great way to tie in all of your colors.
- TV
I had originally purchased a little TV to put in my room, but I quickly moved it into the common room. Watching tv is much more fun with friends and it fits the spot across from the couch in all Bentley dorms perfectly.
- Make your bed comfy
It’s an unpopular opinion, but I like my bed at Bentley more than my bed at home. Yes, it’s a tiny twin XL, but with the right bedding you can make your bed feel like a cloud. A high quality mattress topper is 100% worth investing in, as is a nice comforter and fluffy pillows.