Though they can be pretty great and comfortable, dorm rooms aren’t always the best home-away-from-home; especially with all the rules that need to be followed and the knowledge that semesters really aren’t that long. It may seem like a long period but keep in mind, you won’t want to dress up your room to absolute perfection with a ton of stuff like is always shown in ads or store magazines only to have to take all that stuff down, pack it up, move it, and store it once the semester is over and you have to move out. Unless you live nearby your school, it usually doesn’t work out that great.
That said, I’ve noticed that there are a few things I put in my dorm room that seem like they made a huge difference in how the room feels. I’m sure they wouldn’t work for everyone, but here are five things I keep in my dorm room that in my opinion make the place feel way more homey.
Number One: Coasters
Probably the simplest thing on this short list, coasters surprisingly made my dorm room feel way more comfortable. The best reason I can imagine for why they are so great is that they make a room feel more inviting by giving someone a place to put a drink down without asking. If you’ve ever had that feeling when you go to someone else’s home that you can’t put a too hot or cold drink down on a wood table because it might ruin it, even though it might be hurting your hands from the heat of a hot mug or making them wet from the condensation on a cold glass, then you’ll know that coasters on the table surprisingly make a room way more welcoming.
Number Two: A Large picture/ poster / other large piece of wall art
A lot of people probably wouldn’t agree with this one since a lot of dorm rooms are fairly small, but if there’s a big empty wall, like a long wall in a studio type room, it’ll make the room feel homier if you have something to break up that boring empty space. I bought a large canvas picture on clearance at an At Home store and even its own it somehow made one corner of the room look like the comfiest place in the world to curl up and read a book.
Number Three: Fresh flowers
When I say fresh flowers, I mean living flowers that are not part of a fake plant that just collects dust. I know a lot of dorm rooms end up having a plant that doesn’t look too healthy because it got limp and has dusty leaves, I admit my room was one of them for a while. Those seem like they’ll lighten up the place at first since you have something fresh and living in there to take care of, but the worse they look, the worse you’ll feel whenever you look at it. What does make a room feel more inviting is a plant with bright flowers that are always kept under control or a fresh bouquet of flowers. I like to keep a vase of carnations in my dorm room on a table since they’re usually cheaper and last longer. They have a sweet, natural scent and they lighten up the atmosphere.
Number Four: Curtains
I’m not sure how many dorm rooms allow curtains to be hung but if you can, do it. Curtains simply just make a room feel more lived in and cared for. It’s something that takes more effort to hang up than a picture and adds a good amount, but not too much, color or pattern to a room. In my opinion, it’s best when you can roll up the blinds and pretend they’re not there, just using the curtains instead. If you care about how your room looks from the outside, it also makes the window look way better from outside as well.
Number Five: A tray and teacups or mugs
My last favorite item and probably my most favorite one that I keep around is a wood tray with some type of cups on it. This is like something you would see in a magazine picture or model house. Whether or not I’m using it, I keep a small wood tray that I got from Michael’s Craft Store on a table with either a teapot and two cups or just two matching mugs. It’s another little piece of décor that just makes a room look more welcoming and lived in, as if you’re always prepared to sit down and read a book along with a hot cup of tea or something cozy like that.