By Casey Schellberg
August is always my favorite time of the year because it means I get to start planning how I want to decorate my dorm room. This being my third year living on campus, I have quite a few items stocked up. However, this year I moved into a new residence hall and have my own room, so it was the perfect time to change my decorations up! Here is a list of some of the things I ended up purchasing and/or using again this year to decorate my home away from home:
Bedding
Living the RA life has its perks, especially when it comes to having your own room. This means taking both the twin XL beds in the room and creating what I like to call “the mega bed,” or simply just a king sized bed.
- For a comforter, I found this adorable and reversible comforter in the clearance section at Kohl’s. I use the white and pink side on the comforter and the orange side on my shams. I love this comforter so far and the new colors it brings to my room!
- What’s a bed without a fuzzy blanket to go on top? This super soft, made by women blanket I found at Sam’s Club has been a lifesaver this semester. It’s the perfect amount of fluff and weight to keep me warm at night.
- Lastly, I always top off my bed with some decorative pillows! I found two at Kohl’s last year and absolutely loved them; so of course I had to bring them back this year! One, a simple white throw, adds a neutral touch to my bedding, where the other ties all the colors in my room into one pillow.
Wall Decor
With all the bland, white walls consuming your space in the dorm room, wall decor is a must. My favorite ways to cover as much space as possible in the dorm is by putting up posters and tapestries.
- Going along perfectly with my bohemian theme, I purchased this pink and yellow tapestry to put above my bed and absolutely love it. It comes in different colors and sizes so you can tailor it to your room space.
- We all know the lighting in the dorms is not the best, so what is better than fairy lights to add a cute touch to your room while providing another light source? I have these on top of my tapestry and they’re perfect for late night studying.
- I also recently purchased more traditional tapestries that are the perfect length for above my dressers. I’ve seen these in some of my friend’s dorm rooms and absolutely love the way they turned out!
- Being an upstate girl, I could not resist getting these adorable cow posters for my room! From my favorite poster store on Amazon, I got this set of 6 posters for my walls and they accent my room amazingly. I highly recommend this store if you’re looking for some new pieces for your dorm; and they stay up with tape!
Accents
Lastly, to tie my room all together, I have two accents that I believe are essential when living in a dorm.
- First is a rug. Not only does it make my room feel more like home, it also is a great way to tie a theme all together. I have a simple tan rug in my room and love having something soft and warm to step on.
- Second, after living with terrible blinds the past two years, I finally invested in some curtains. I got these cute and simple gray and white curtains and they help cover all the sunlight that the blinds don’t. I am no longer awoken by the bright sun in the morning and can easily take naps during the day!
Decorating your dorm room is a fun and important step to making your room feel more like a home. There are so many directions you can take to make it unique to you and your personal style. I hope some of these links inspire you and your future decorating!