Let’s face it, dorms are ugly. Period. We all walk into our first dorm freshman year and say, “Wow, this place needs help”! Behind the beige walls and plain boring furniture you might see your future home for the next nine months but its going to take a little TLC first.
Consider it a blank canvas, on which you can decorate however you like! It sounds a bit daunting at first but if you get that excited to decorate (like I do) it will be a colorful palette reflecting your personality in no time!
After spending the last year bumming around in the dorms and becoming an HGTV addict, I can give you some simple tips on how to make your dorm room your home.
Talk to your roommate.
You may decide you want a certain color scheme but talk first. If you have similar personalities you can decorate together (bring it on roomie bonding!). But if you both could care less what the other does on her side of the room, that gives you the A-OK to do whatever the hell you want.
Match but Don’t Match.
You want to try and theme your room around your bed, so whatever your comforter has on it (colors or decorations) keep that in mind when shopping for everything else. But don’t buy ALL of the same color. Say your bedspread is pink; venture into a color story and colors that compliment your base e.g. purples, white, red. You can make your room super colorful without it being tacky.
About that overhead light…
That standard dorm/industrial light can get really annoying at night when you don’t want it to be as bright as daylight. Look for something like desk lamp that won’t blind you, or add some color and fun with colorful Christmas lights strung around under your loft or along the ceiling!
This exposed closet exposes too much.
If your closet doesn’t have a door, it will make your room look more cluttered and dirty than it is, even if you have it perfectly organized. Buy a cheap shower curtain rod and a cute colorful curtain and your room will look that much better.
Those beige/dingy/dirty walls.
They may not even be dirty but they are 100% not fabulous.
Posters are everyone’s first go to, and while there’s nothing wrong with them, the girl down the hall probably has that same Audrey Hepburn/ Marilyn Monroe classic on their wall too. Try to find something original to YOU that explains who YOU are. If nobody would assume on any given day that you are a major Pink Floyd fan, get a poster of one of their awesome Dark Side of the Moon album covers and when anyone walks into your room, BAM! Instant conversation. Also look for wall decals with a cute quote, or even order a custom decal online! The options are endless, but cover those walls.
Long Nights, Endless Memories.
A must in college, PICTURES! Those really fun drunk nights where you got highlighter all over your face, or when you decided to take a picture with the delivery guy, put those pictures up girl. Now keep it 75% classy, otherwise you have a lot of explaining to do on parents weekend. Put a family picture up and the ‘rents will be very impressed and maybe look past those drunken night ones.
I’m a broke college student.
Keep the decorating budget on the low cost side. If you have money to splurge at Pottery Barn, go ahead, but on the realistic side, we’re young, broke, college students. Try Target, Wal-Mart, Marshalls and other low cost stores because those college textbooks will leave your pockets empty.
Good luck with the decorating ladies and remember to BE ORIGINAL!