I don’t know about you, but I struggle to come up with creative ways to decorate my dorm room that make it feel personal and homey. Having a welcoming and calming living space is of utmost importance to me. Not only does it help me cope with homesickness, having a fun and inspiring environment helps me maintain a positive mindset in general. Although my dorm room is far from Pinterest-worthy, and I am by no means an interior designer, I have come up with a few unique-ish (emphasis on ish) ways to spruce up a small living space.
- Postcard/Art Print Wall
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This year I had the, in my opinion, genius idea to decorate a blank wall in my room with a conglomerate of art prints. I thought it would be a cute way to display some of my many interests in a fun, eye-catching collage. Redbubble has a ton of amazing artwork from independent artists. I purchased ten postcards that had an inspirational quote I loved, displayed one of my favorite idols (aka RBG), shouted out a TV show/movie I was a fan of, or was simply a piece of art I enjoyed looking at. The great thing about Redbubble is that the more items you buy, the bigger the discount they give you. I shared this idea with some friends and we all went in on an order of postcards together, giving us 20% off of our order. It was so fun to arrange the postcards in an aesthetically pleasing way, and I am already planning on placing another order soon to expand my wall of art prints.
- Cork Board Collages
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Maybe I am the only one who does this, but I tend to collect random pins and stickers, and then I never do anything with them. The pins and stickers lay discarded and forgotten in a desk drawer and are subsequently a sign of wasted potential and wasted money. The summer before my first year of college, I pulled out all of these pins and stickers and decided that I wanted to display them in my dorm room, but I wasn’t sure how. I eventually came up with the idea to get a 4-pack of circular cork boards from Amazon. I stuck the pins directly into the corkboard and then used thumbtacks to attach the stickers and other random cards/art to the boards. The cork boards turned out looking amazing, and it was a great way to make a fun collage with somewhat random things I had collected throughout the years. Command Strips worked perfectly in attaching the cork boards to my dorm wall, and there are a lot of different ways to arrange them on a wall. I highly recommend experimenting with cork boards as dorm decorations!
- T-Shirt Blanket
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This may not be a very creative idea, but I have not seen many people with t-shirt blankets in their dorms. My mom got me a t-shirt blanket as a graduation present, and I absolutely love it. I had so many t-shirts that were either too small or that I just never wore anymore, and making them into a blanket is a great way to give those shirts another use. Making a t-shirt blanket can be a fun DIY project for you, or you can do what my mom did and send the shirts to an Etsy shop that specializes in making these blankets. My t-shirt blanket is so soft, and I use it all the time, but if you don’t need another blanket, another use for it is for it to be hung as a tapestry. A t-shirt blanket would take up a lot of space on a blank wall and would add a personal touch to your dorm.
- Salt Lamp/Diffuser
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There have been many times throughout my experience at college where I have been extremely stressed and overwhelmed in my dorm room. Having a few relaxing decorations that give off zen vibes can be super helpful during those stressful times. I have a small salt lamp on my desk and a diffuser on my dresser which both help to keep me sane when I am struggling. My particular salt lamp has a multicolor light so it creates a very calming atmosphere with the switching colors. I also love having a diffuser, especially since candles are not permitted, because it keeps my room smelling fresh and keeps me relaxed. Peppermint and lavender are my favorite essential oils to diffuse when I am particularly anxious or if I am struggling to fall asleep at night. Whether it is a salt lamp, an essential oil diffuser, or something else entirely, I highly recommend getting some decorations for your room that help ease stress and anxiety.
- Magnets for your Fridge
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This year, I decided to get a few magnets for my fridge and, although it is a small change, it really has made my room feel more homey and personalized. In the past, I have felt that my fridge was the eyesore of my room. The shiny silver finish always stuck out like a sore thumb against my otherwise bright and colorful space. The few magnets that I put on my fridge this year have truly made a big difference in making my fridge more aesthetically pleasing and fun to look at. Sometimes it really is the smallest changes that make the biggest difference!