My name is Kyra and I love home decor. At least once a week, my parents receive a phone call from me where I tell them I’m dropping out of school to become a full-time home flipper- Fixer Upper style. This isn’t a new thing… Growing up, I looked forward to weekly airings of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Trading Spaces. In my free time, I was always drawing houses and designing rooms. Now, I binge-watch HGTV and scroll through Zillow to avoid doing anything productive. I have a recurring dream that I’m flipping a cottage on a beach somewhere.
I’ve always had a strong connection to my house. Despite loving to travel, I’m a homebody. My parents worked hard to make our cozy house a home, and practically flipped the entire thing themselves. That’s definitely where my appreciation of renovation and home decor came from. Coming to college, I was really afraid of getting homesick, knowing that I would never feel the same way in my dorm as I did in my house. Despite this, I tried my best to make a standard dorm room feel like home (on a college budget).
Here are some little things that will make your dorm or apartment a home away from home.
The power of texture in a space is really underrated! I’ve discovered that a neutral color palette supplemented by lots of different textures keeps my space looking and feeling clean while still being cozy. In my current apartment, I’m sticking to a grey and white color palette with little accents of yellow and teal. I have lots of wood accents (like the DIY Pottery Barn-style furniture that I flipped from a yard sale), a bamboo mirror, a fuzzy storage ottoman and a sherpa full-length pillow. There’s a ton of pillows and a boho-style throw blanket at the end of my bed. Plants in cute pots add a pop of color while bringing life into the room. After a long day of work and class, my room is the perfect place to unwind.
The standard LED lights that come equipped in dorm halls and college apartments are the opposite of cozy and vibey. In my opinion, string lights are one of the best purchased you can make for college! I have my lights connected to an Echo Dot, so they turn on and off automaticallly based on a timer. I also have a himalayan salt lamp which creates a nice, warm glow and supposedly has a ton of other benefits (read about them here)!
3. Keep it smelling fresh (or like home)
Dorm halls don’t typically allow candles, but thankfully there are so many other ways to keep your room smelling nice. There are wall plug-ins, essential oil diffusers, reed incense sticks, scented beads, room sprays and more. I found that keeping my space spelling like my house really helped with my homesickness, especially freshman year. My house always smells like one of four things – Sun and Sand, Cranberry Chutney, Sicilian Lemon, or garlic (we’re Italian). I used Bath & Body Works wall plug-ins in Tiki Beach or Limoncello scents to remind me of how home smells. Some of my other all-time favorites are Mahogany Teakwood, Eucalyptus Mint, and Gingham. Having a familiar smell is a good way to remind you that your space is yours!
It wasn’t until I moved into a windowless bedroom that I realized how important air quality is. I bought a mini air purifier that plugs into any outlet to keep the air in my room crisp and clean. The purifier filters out bacteria and allergens, and I’ve seen a huge improvment in my allergies since I bought it. A small humidifier is my savior during cold season! It’s seriously a game-changer to help me sleep and breathe comfortably during dry New Hampshire winters.
For me, this was the bedspread that I have in my apartment. I spent a little bit more on this, knowing I’d use it for the two years living in my apartment and continue to use it when I move back home (I really do love it that much!). I bought this piece before anything else, and it became the inspiration for the vibe of my room. I collected eclectic, “boho” decor to fit with the bedspread, and a lot of pieces came from my room at home. This helped the room feel more like me and also helped keep the budget in line!
6. Hang some curtains
Something that you don’t see in a lot of dorm rooms are curtains! I bought really cheap sheer curtains and tension rods from Walmart to mask the gorgeous standard dorm blinds while still letting in the natural light. In total, the curtains and tension rods only cost me about $10.
I found that my dorm felt a lot more “homey” having a set aside space for food, rather than just shoving snacks into my closet. My roommate and I had a mini fridge with a microwave on top, next to a cube organizer where we kept a Keurig, a personal blender, snacks, plates, and utensils. This was a great set up for when we needed a quick breakfast and cup of coffe or a late-night snack. While on the subject, cube organizers are a dorm essential!
8. Turn the walls into an art gallery of your life
Adding personal touches on the walls of your dorm or apartment is an awesome way to make a transient space more personal. Tapestries are a great way to bring some personality into your room. I love Society6 for wall decor! This year, I bought a really cool black-and-white wave tapestry and a canvas wall hanging for my windowless bedroom. I love painting and music, so I combined those two things and painted vinyl records with my favorite song quotes to hang on my walls. Photo walls are also a cool idea to include some memories and familiar faces into your space. I love looking at Pinterest for photo wall inspiration!
