Categories: Dorm Room Love

How To Decorate A Small Dorm Room & Make It Feel Homey

When it comes to decorating your dorm room whether it’s your freshman year or even your senior year, the first thing you need to do is pick out what style you resonate with the most. Are you more boho, simple, trendy, and so on. Along with style, picking out your colors is important so everything will match and come together! These two tips will be a key factor in making your dorm space feel like home. Here are some of the extra things you can do to decorate a small dorm room and add a homey feel to your small space!

Pillows

Pillows are an absolute must for your bed at school! Trust me, you will be so excited to come back to your room after a long class and jump right into a bed full of pillows! Also, if you’re like me you do your homework while sitting in bed and having something to rest against makes me comfortable and productive. After a long week at school and wanting to watch Netflix it is best to snuggle up amongst the pillow pile! Since my comforter is white, I prefer pillows that have a little bit of color throughout them to give my room a little extra style. This is the perfect way to decorate a small dorm room because it will make your bed feel bigger than it is!

Blankets

Going along with the bedding trend, a comfy blanket is more than a must. It is so nice being able to take a nap or curl up with something super cozy. I highly recommend the sherpa blankets that you can find at Target or Walmart for a low price! At night and during the chillier months, it is nice to have an extra layer while you sleep. You can choose either a neutral color or a bright color depending on your personal preference. To decorate a small dorm room you need to be super in touch with your cozy side!

Lighting

The lighting that the school gives you is so bright it makes you feel like you’re in a doctor’s office. I think I have turned my overhead light on once this whole year. Trust me, you should buy a soft white light lamp to give cozy lighting off throughout your room. Lamps make the space homier and give it more decoration. Another tip is to have a lighting combo of a lamp and fairy lights in order to give off the perfect aesthetic and will make you feel less homesick. My last tip about lighting is to pull your shades up during the day to get natural light running through the entire space! To decorate a small dorm room and make it feel cozy, it is the little accessories like lighting that will make all the difference!

Succulents

Succulents or fake plants have been super trendy recently and I can see why! I personally have two fake plants in my room and they give the space a little more life and personality. These are the perfect decorations to put on your desk to give your room some added charm! Decorate a small dorm with these cute accessories and it will for sure feel like home!

Tapestry

Tapestries and flags are seen in most dorm rooms, but you can still be unique and find one that relates to your style. If you have a darker room, you should be shopping for bright colored tapestries or even white! If you have a dark room or just prefer darker shades than black and white could be a good move for you! Tapestries are a very simple way to cover an entire wall without being too overpowering.

Rugs

The floor and rug that the school gives you have a dark and ugly look to it. You can never go wrong with bringing in some light through a small area rug! Not only will it brighten up the space, but it is another way to show off your personal style. Target has really nice dorm rugs for a low price! You can match the carpet to your tapestries or even with your bedding to tie in the color or theme you are going for!

Extra Chairs

Throughout your year living in a dorm, you are going to have so many different people coming in and out of your room and trust me you don’t want random people sitting on your bed. So, it’s nice to have a place for them to sit or even for your friends down the hall to come and chat! Having a comfy chair other than the wooden desk chairs makes your room a lot more inviting! If you’re looking to brighten up the space then definitely get a light color and vice versa! 

See Also

Pictures

Pictures are one of the best things to make your dorm room feel super cozy. Obviously, you will miss your family, friends, and your pets so it is nice to have pictures of them! You can have framed pictures for your desk, you can do a wall of pictures, or simply find something to hang them with! This will really tie your room together and make it feel like home!

Storage

Making sure you are organized is crucial for maintaining a cozy and homey dorm room. You should buy bed risers so you can take advantage of the under bed storage! This is a good place to keep snacks, water, and clothes that don’t fit in your closet! A cute and decorative way to make your under bed storage look cute is by buying big baskets that you can find at HomeGoods or Target instead of using the clear and plastic bins!

Curtains

Curtains are an easy and inexpensive way to bring more character to your room. The windows look super bare without them too! This is a really great way to make your dorm room feel super homey! You can match the curtains to the rug or your bedding. It adds an extra layer of decoration that is super cute! Trust me, so many people will comment on them saying they should have thought about doing that! You’ll be an instant hit with your friends and hallmates!

Posters

Like tapestries, posters are a really good way of adding your own unique touch to your room and to decorate a small dorm room. You can find a poster that says just about anything you want! You can hang multiple or even just one to make it super simplistic! If you need inspo for posters check out VSCO!

How do you plan to decorate your dorm room? Let me know in the comments below!

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Eliza Whitty

I am currently a Marketing Student at Quinnipiac University. I am super passionate about fashion!

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