My entire life, I’ve always loved decorating my room. After all, it’s the room that I spend the most time in. My journey in room décor started with ripped-out posters from magazines and covering my wall with the taped-up faces of Justin Bieber, Big Time Rush, and One Direction (just to name a few). As I grew older, those heartthrobs’ posters were replaced with carefully crafted collages of pictures from Vogue magazines, concert tickets, and postcards. I was obsessed with how my room looked in high school, and it even went semi-viral on TikTok!
Fast forward to now. As a student living in an apartment off-campus, I wanted to make sure I brought that same energy with me to college. Decorating a space rather than keeping it bland and dull can add so much to your life. It allows you to truly enjoy being in a space that you can call your own. Just because you’re living in a dorm or an apartment doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the decorations!
GALLERY WALL
One of my favorite ways to decorate a space is to make a gallery wall. The great thing about gallery walls is that you can include anything you want: posters of your favorite art, your favorite musicians/albums, your favorite place, your favorite people; the list goes on. It doesn’t have to just be posters either. You could incorporate a mirror, concert tickets, a shelf, or even a plant! I have multiple gallery walls around my apartment filled with posters, art, and postcards that almost all hold a special meaning or memory. You can also add some frames that have a similar vibe or color scheme to tie your gallery wall together.
When you buy posters and art for enjoyment and sentiment rather than just for “aesthetic,” it transforms your space into something much more personal and true to you. Being reminded of those great memories just by looking at your wall can be enough to brighten your day when you truly need it. There are many ways to cheaply print out pictures. In the past, I’ve used FedEx, CVS, and Free Prints, which are all great options. I also recommend sticky tack to hang things up, or Command strips if they’re a little heavier!
Plants
Plants can add so much to a space. Whether you have a small dorm room or a big apartment, there’s always room for a little greenery. I’ve slowly accumulated all my plants throughout the last five or six years, with my first plant ever (a Money Tree) still being alive today! Now, I have around 20 plants scattered throughout my apartment, and they’re such great decorations. When paired with a cute plant pot, it’s a win-win.
A common argument against houseplants is how easy it is to kill them. Personally, I don’t think it’s that easy, but maybe I just have a green thumb. You could always buy a few fake plants! Also, I recommend a pothos plant or a succulent to those just starting their plant journey, as those plants are generally resilient. Just make sure they have some light. If you don’t over-water or under-water them, you’ll be fine!
Trinkets
One of the easiest ways to decorate your space is by using random knick-knacks, souvenirs, or trinkets (especially because you probably already have some)! For example, cute jewelry holders, candles, taper candles, books, colorful vases, and random trinkets or souvenirs can easily spice up your space! I love a colorful glass jar, vase, or taper candle holder, most of which I’ve found at TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby. I love putting them on my windowsill to let the light shine through them.
You can create a little cluster of some of these items to decorate. For example, a taper candle with a cute holder (which adds some height), a plant with a hand-painted pot (which adds some color and shape), and then a little jewelry dish, and boom, your nightstand looks great now! You can also display the items on a shelf or bookshelf, on your coffee table, dresser, dining table, desk; the list goes on!
As I reflect on my room décor journey from the days of 2000s heartthrob posters to the present, I realize that decorating my space has always been more than just “wanting” to have decorations. It’s been a way to express myself, surround myself with memories, and create a space that I can truly call home, even while I’m away at college. I didn’t buy everything all at once but rather accumulated it throughout my life, piece by piece, each item having its own little story to tell. I wish you the best on your home décor journey!
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