How to Decorate a Dorm Room
Add pictures or posters to your dorm walls., Hang pictures of friends and family members., Paint your dorm room walls, if permitted., Coordinate wall space with your roommate., Place a couple of potted plants in your dorm., Add a small lamp for...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Add pictures or posters to your dorm walls.
Posters or other forms of wall art are a fun and popular way to decorate your dorm room.
Add some of your favorite band posters, or posters with images of landscapes, art print reproductions, or appealing abstract designs.Most large universities will have a week-long poster sale near the beginning of the fall semester.
You can easily find popular dorm-room posters at this sale. -
Step 2: Hang pictures of friends and family members.
If you have pictures of people who are important to you (including friends, family, and a significant other), you can frame these and hang them around your dorm room.
It’s common for students to frame several pictures (between 5 and 10) and hang them together on the same section of wall as a photograph montage.
Students also often hang unframed photographs along a hung strand of Christmas lights.If you’re worried about being homesick at college, pictures of loved ones are a good way to feel connected.
You can find picture frames at any nearby craft or hobby store. , If you’re unhappy with the color of your dorm room walls, ask your RA or university housing manager if you are permitted to paint the walls.
Although most schools will not allow this, some may give you permission.
This will give you an opportunity to brighten up the color of your dorm room, and set it apart from the unpainted rooms of most university housing. , If you’re sharing your bedroom with another individual, you’ll need to find a way to share decorations and wall space.
Your roommate will doubtlessly have their own decoration ideas, and you need to give them their own space to decorate.
For example, if your beds are on different sides of the room, each of you could decorate the half of the dorm that contains your own bed.
Communication is key: if you cover the entire dormitory in posters and pictures and leave no room for your roommate’s decorations, they’ll likely object to the arrangement. , Small potted plants will add a natural look to your dorm room.
They take up little space, and are simple to care for.If you anticipate having little time to care for and water plants, look into purchasing succulents (including cacti).
These plants are easy to care for, require little water, and can thrive in most kinds of light.
Look for small potted plants at a local plant nursery or gardening center. , This is a practical decoration as well as an aesthetic one.
If you plan to do much homework in your room, you’ll need a lamp to help you see by.
Add a small lamp on your desk, or invest in a larger floor-lamp to provide light for the whole dorm room.Lamps come in many different styles and shapes.
Look for lamps to purchase at a nearby furniture store, office-supply store, or general retail store like Target or WalMart. , If you’re short on space in your dorm but would still like to have seating to entertain friends, consider adding a beanbag chair.
You can also find large-sized floor cushions, which take up less room than the beanbag chairs but still provide seating space.You may be able to find floor cushions or beanbag chairs at your university bookstore.
If you have a cohesive color theme to your dorm, colored beanbag chairs or floor cushions can help reinforce the colors. , In order to make your dorm room feel more like a small home and less like a large closet, you can lay a rug down.
Place the rug either in front of your door or else in the middle of the dorm floor.
A large, colorful rug will draw the eye of any visitors.
You can also complement the room’s overall color scheme with this rug.If you’re planning to decorate your dorm room frugally, you can find online instructions for various ways to make your own rug. , Pick up bedding supplies in a color or pattern that will complement the general color theme of your dorm room.
In order to be well prepared for a year in a dorm, plan to purchase: one or two quilts or comforters, one or two comfortable sleeping pillows, a handful of decorative pillows (if desired), a sheet set (containing pillow cases, a top sheet, and a fitted sheet), and a zippered mattress protector.Before you begin shopping for dorm bedding, make sure that you confirm the bed size and length with the housing department.
Most dorm beds are twin sized, and either standard or extra long. , In addition to taking up floor space and serving as a practical decoration, as desk will give you room to study and provide space to put your books and other personal possessions.
You can purchase a desk and bring it with you to your university.
Alternately, your university may provide you with a standard wooden desk.
This is another opportunity to communicate and cooperate with your roommate: you’ll both need to decide whose desk will be placed where. , Storage space can be tight in a dorm, and added shelving will give you space to store small items like textbooks, school supplies, and candles.
You’ll also be able to display small decorations on shelves: plants, standing framed pictures, decorative lamps, and other personal effects.
If you’d rather add storage space in a less invasive way, shop for a hanging shoe holder (which will fit neatly in a closet) and a hanging basket to hold your shower and bathroom supplies. -
Step 3: Paint your dorm room walls
-
Step 4: if permitted.
-
Step 5: Coordinate wall space with your roommate.
-
Step 6: Place a couple of potted plants in your dorm.
-
Step 7: Add a small lamp for light and style.
-
Step 8: Purchase a couple of floor cushions or beanbag chairs.
-
Step 9: Place a colorful rug on your dorm floor.
-
Step 10: Buy plenty of dorm room bedding.
-
Step 11: Add a small desk to the room.
-
Step 12: Put up a little shelving.
Detailed Guide
Posters or other forms of wall art are a fun and popular way to decorate your dorm room.
Add some of your favorite band posters, or posters with images of landscapes, art print reproductions, or appealing abstract designs.Most large universities will have a week-long poster sale near the beginning of the fall semester.
You can easily find popular dorm-room posters at this sale.
If you have pictures of people who are important to you (including friends, family, and a significant other), you can frame these and hang them around your dorm room.
It’s common for students to frame several pictures (between 5 and 10) and hang them together on the same section of wall as a photograph montage.
Students also often hang unframed photographs along a hung strand of Christmas lights.If you’re worried about being homesick at college, pictures of loved ones are a good way to feel connected.
You can find picture frames at any nearby craft or hobby store. , If you’re unhappy with the color of your dorm room walls, ask your RA or university housing manager if you are permitted to paint the walls.
Although most schools will not allow this, some may give you permission.
This will give you an opportunity to brighten up the color of your dorm room, and set it apart from the unpainted rooms of most university housing. , If you’re sharing your bedroom with another individual, you’ll need to find a way to share decorations and wall space.
Your roommate will doubtlessly have their own decoration ideas, and you need to give them their own space to decorate.
For example, if your beds are on different sides of the room, each of you could decorate the half of the dorm that contains your own bed.
Communication is key: if you cover the entire dormitory in posters and pictures and leave no room for your roommate’s decorations, they’ll likely object to the arrangement. , Small potted plants will add a natural look to your dorm room.
They take up little space, and are simple to care for.If you anticipate having little time to care for and water plants, look into purchasing succulents (including cacti).
These plants are easy to care for, require little water, and can thrive in most kinds of light.
Look for small potted plants at a local plant nursery or gardening center. , This is a practical decoration as well as an aesthetic one.
If you plan to do much homework in your room, you’ll need a lamp to help you see by.
Add a small lamp on your desk, or invest in a larger floor-lamp to provide light for the whole dorm room.Lamps come in many different styles and shapes.
Look for lamps to purchase at a nearby furniture store, office-supply store, or general retail store like Target or WalMart. , If you’re short on space in your dorm but would still like to have seating to entertain friends, consider adding a beanbag chair.
You can also find large-sized floor cushions, which take up less room than the beanbag chairs but still provide seating space.You may be able to find floor cushions or beanbag chairs at your university bookstore.
If you have a cohesive color theme to your dorm, colored beanbag chairs or floor cushions can help reinforce the colors. , In order to make your dorm room feel more like a small home and less like a large closet, you can lay a rug down.
Place the rug either in front of your door or else in the middle of the dorm floor.
A large, colorful rug will draw the eye of any visitors.
You can also complement the room’s overall color scheme with this rug.If you’re planning to decorate your dorm room frugally, you can find online instructions for various ways to make your own rug. , Pick up bedding supplies in a color or pattern that will complement the general color theme of your dorm room.
In order to be well prepared for a year in a dorm, plan to purchase: one or two quilts or comforters, one or two comfortable sleeping pillows, a handful of decorative pillows (if desired), a sheet set (containing pillow cases, a top sheet, and a fitted sheet), and a zippered mattress protector.Before you begin shopping for dorm bedding, make sure that you confirm the bed size and length with the housing department.
Most dorm beds are twin sized, and either standard or extra long. , In addition to taking up floor space and serving as a practical decoration, as desk will give you room to study and provide space to put your books and other personal possessions.
You can purchase a desk and bring it with you to your university.
Alternately, your university may provide you with a standard wooden desk.
This is another opportunity to communicate and cooperate with your roommate: you’ll both need to decide whose desk will be placed where. , Storage space can be tight in a dorm, and added shelving will give you space to store small items like textbooks, school supplies, and candles.
You’ll also be able to display small decorations on shelves: plants, standing framed pictures, decorative lamps, and other personal effects.
If you’d rather add storage space in a less invasive way, shop for a hanging shoe holder (which will fit neatly in a closet) and a hanging basket to hold your shower and bathroom supplies.
About the Author
Kimberly Hughes
Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: