10 Dorm Decor Ideas For When Coronavirus is Over

Things may be closing down right now, but before you know it, it’ll be time to get into your college dorms, and you’ll want to be ready for when that time arrives.  These are some dorm decor ideas to help turn that dorm into your little home for the semester.  It’s nice to have your own place, and you should be able to reflect that in your room.  Besides, most dorms will need a little makeover, since most schools just give you the bare essentials.  If you’re looking to make your stay at college more comforting and aesthetic, then these are some dorm decor ideas perfect for you!

1) Lighting

Lighting really makes or breaks a room’s vibe.  In the basic dorm, you’ll probably only have the single ceiling lamp as a light source, and often times those are dingy and dull.  Having multiple lights around the room really brings out the color and literally brightens the place.  You can go for basic room lamps, desk lamps, and other similiar lighting sources for a standard sense of quality visibility.  But you can also experiment, and go for more atmospheric lighting.  You can use fairy string lights or Christmas decorations to spread the light along your walls or furniture.  You could also find lava lamps or other colored lamps, which are not as bright, but definitely give your room its own unique atmosphere.  You could even use black lights, which allow for a fun variety of posters that react to that light.  It might not be a good idea to mix and match a lot of different lighting sources, since that could be a bit of a headache, but go for your favorites and put your own light into making your dorm your own.

2) Plants

Plants are another great decoration to have around your dorm, since add a good sense of color and life to any living space.  They offer a vivid yet natural color to any room, and makes the space feel more lived in.  There are plenty of easy maintanence plants for any dorm, like cacti, air plants, or even some simpler flowers.  But if you really aren’t interested in taking care of a plant, there are always fake wax plants.  Some can be incredibly realistic, so don’t feel bad if you go for this option.  You might designate your window sill for plants, or try to spread them around the room if your dorm gets a lot of natural light.  Adding plants is a great dorm decor idea for any place that feels lifeless and dull.

3) Bed Skirts

If we’re being honest, most dorm beds are functional if anything.  They don’t tend to be the most pleasing aesthetically.  While your personal sheeting, pillows, and blankets can really make your bed appealing, those don’t exactly change a cheaper framing.  But these are exactly what bed skirts are made for.  Whether you have empty space beneath your bed or it’s filled with shelves or framing, bed skirts bring a sense of classiness and visual interest to a bed.  It brings a softness to the entire bed, almost letting one believe that your bed is pure cushion.  You get the function of the framing while still make your bed, the largest furniture in most college dorms, look nice, comfortable, and softer.

4) Curtains

Finding your own curtains allows you to add color of your choice to your room, and offers both function and visual appeal.  You can hang them around your bed or work space, giving you more privacy.  You can match them with your bed to give your room a certain color feeling, or even use darker, duller colors to compliment your bed even more.  You might even want to cover or replace the window curtains with your own, just to further increase the individuality of your room and cover the older, uglier cloth.  If you find yourself with giant blank spaces on your wall, curtains can even be used in fun ways to decorate.  Try getting some spare curtains and patterned cloth, and just experiment to see what works.

5) Geometric Shelves

Throughout college, and life before, you’ve probably accumulated a wide variety of objects, toys, nicknacks, books, or other small things that you’ll want to keep with you.  When your desk gets too cluttered for these random assortment of objects, geometric shelves are an aethetic and functional solution.  They’re just like normal shelves, but they are designed like simple geometric shapes, and using multiple of these gives your room a repeating pattern.  They’re great for storing the things you don’t need too often and keeping your desk clean for schoolwork or other things.  Pick your favorite shapes, and line the walls with these interesting shelves.

6) Leaning Mirror

Another object of our dorm decor ideas that serves both function and aesthetics, the leaning mirror can really round out any room and make it feel complete.  It’s a simple piece of furniture, simply a mirror that leans on your wall, but if you find certain models, they’ll include a few additional parts.  These can serve a variety of functions, like places to hang your clothes, or hooks for other accessories.  This useful mirror is a must have for any living space. 

7) Wall Art

Simple but an easy and customizable choice.  Cover your blank walls with posters of your favorite movies or bands, photos of friends and family, or just your favorite works of art.  If you’re tight on space, you can cramp a bunch of images close together to give them a collage feel.  You could even dedicate specific walls for specific things, like a photo wall, an art wall, etc.  For a good visual interest, it’s good to try mixing up their sizes and colors, so your eye is drawn all around.  This also allows your room to feel more natural and personal.

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8) Themes

One dorm decor ideas is to find a theme and try to stick to it.  Themes can be just about anything you want, but some popular examples are travel, seasons, tropical, or colors.  Adhering to a central theme for your room gives it a sense of unity, and makes a room feel less chaotic.  Just as a small example, if you went for a more nature-themed room, a blacklight might not be the best idea.  But going for colors commonly found in the wild, like greens, blues, or browns, and having plants would really making the natural theme apparent.  Of course, since themes are so vague, you could go for just about any combination you want!

9) Multi Function Furniture

Since dorms are often restricted in terms of space, multi function furniture is a great way to decorate your room while using your space effeciently.  It could be as simple as a reclining chair, or as much as couches that double as storage space.  This dorm decor ideas is really up to you.  Search around and see what you can find, or try coming up with ideas for how standard furniture could be used effectively in your smaller spaces.

10) Art Boards

For our final dorm decor ideas, we’re talking about whiteboards or chalkboards.  These are another idea that serves both function and flare.  You can use it write your To-Do-List, shopping list, or whatever reminders you need.  Or, if you’re more artistically inclined, it allows you to add your own self-made, personal customization to your room.  It’s a fun and easy way to bring a personal touch to any room.

These have been our dorm decor ideas!  Are you ready to get back into college after all this time sheltering in?  Let us know your own dorm decor tips in the comments!