Dorm Decorating Basics Every College Student Needs To Know!

Your dorm room is a reflection of yourself, so how you choose to decorate is key! Do you live in beautiful chaos or complete organization? Bright and wild colors or a clean and simple style? We have the basics to help you choose the colors, style and statements for your dorm to help you make it your own!

Organization. This is probably the most important basic you need to know if you want to stay sane in your small dorm room. You’re bringing a whole lotta stuff into a very small space and sharing it all with someone else. Keeping your dorm room organized is crucial, but doesn’t have to be boring! Find storage that’s fun and functional. You can find storage bins and baskets in a bunch of different colors and sizes as well as patterned storage accessories for your desk.

Some quick tips:

Stacking is your friend! If you have things you can stack, do it. Put your microwave on top of your fridge, put your kitchenware on top of your microwave. Get stackable bins to put on your dresser. Storage draws are also awesome because you can put stuff on top of that as well.
“Hide” your stuff. A key to keeping organized and tidy in your dorm room is to make your belongings as invisible as possible.
- Stick your hamper inside your closet or armoire, and get some bed risers so you can store stuff under your bed. Most of the time you can put stuff in plastic tubs and slide them under. Flat under-the-bed storage bins also come in handy for this case! You can even STACK stuff on top of those flat bins
- Use a hanging jewelry holder that you can hang in your closet or wall to make more room on your dresser.
- If you have a lot of scarves, sweaters or jackets that won’t fit in your closet, use an over-the-door hanger to neatly keep them out of the way.

Color. The foundation of a well-styled dorm room certainly starts with color. Since you’re in such a small room, surrounded by dreary white walls, color is what is going to really make your dorm room yours. You can do one color, or a specific theme. Or have no direction whatsoever. It’s all up to you, and that’s that best part. Start with bedding. It’s going to be the first thing that everyone notices when they step into your room. It’s also what sets the vibe of your room, or your side of the room. You can do a plain bedding set, but have your walls FILLED with a bunch of stuff or have a vibrant comforter and subtle accessories on your walls and in your room. Or you can even do both.

Wall decor. With wall décor, the possibilities are endless! The only thing that sets limits is if your school does not allow you to put holes in the walls to hang things up. But, that’s where Command Strips and poster stickers come in handy! From cork boards to wall decals, tapestries to canvas pieces and posters, your walls are going to take your room from a cold, boring spot to a hub for fun and personality.

Posters bring color and character to those drab white dorm room walls and are usually super cheap! Choose posters of your favorite celebs and bands, as well as quotes and inspiration to get you out of bed for that 8 a.m. For those looking for a cohesive look, choose posters with color schemes similar to your bedding as well as black and white ones. Really simplistic art pieces are great, too, for a not-so-busy look .
Fun cork boards are a must to keep things uncluttered and keep your thoughts organized for all your new college student responsibilities.
Wall decals come in plenty of varieties and are easy to remove. They come in all kinds of designs, images, and quotes.
Tapestries are really popular in college, add great color, and cover a lot of space for easy decorating.
Pictures. Everyone knows the one rule to your dorm room wall is to fill it with pictures of people that mean the most to you. Whether you make a design out of it, like a heart, or string them along some rope and clothes pins, there are TONS of ways to keep your friends and family from home, and your new friends, with you at all times. And, they’re super easy to hang up and take down.

A few extras. There’s always those miscellaneous things that you wish you remembered once you’ve moved in. Rugs are a big one! They make the room feel a lot homier. Fun, decorative pillows and body pillows are great for when friends come to hang out. Also, don’t forget another mirror or two to avoid doing makeup in the reflection of your laptop! A lamp is a must since college dorms rarely have good lighting and curtains are a nice way to bring the room together, but certainly not necessary!