The Ultimate List Of Dorm Room Decor You Didn’t Know You Needed
With college move-in season approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to decorate your dorm room. A lot of colleges provide basic furniture, but it’s typically up to you to make your space habitable, let alone personal. Your dorm needs to be extra cute and super cozy, especially since it’s where you sleep, hang out with friends, study, and do pretty much everything else. But don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with this list of dorm room decor you didn’t know you needed!
Temporary Wallpaper
Remember using this to decorate your high school locker? Temporary wallpaper is also applicable to your dorm room, since most colleges residence halls have boring white walls. This stick and peel technique makes application easy and a fun DIY bonding activity for you and your roommate! Plus, it’s foolproof and won’t tear up your walls when it comes time to take it down at the end of the school year.
Whether you’re looking for something chic, bold or super colorful, the temporary wallpaper options are endless! It’ll be easy to find something that fits your vibe and matches all your other dorm room decor.
Laundry Hamper
Laundry hampers are literally essentials. Having something to store your dirty clothes in is one of the easiest ways to keep your room tidy, and also makes lugging your clothes back and forth to the washing machine simple! Laundry hampers come in all different styles, so if you prefer an easy-to-lift rope handle to a bulky basin, you’re in luck. It’s also easy to find both monochromatic and patterned laundry baskets, so don’t worry about sacrificing looks for practicality. Hopefully, having a cute hamper will make laundry a little less miserable!
Shaggy Rugs
Learn from my mistake: freshman year, I chose a super thin rug to put on my dorm room’s linoleum floor. Every time I hopped out of my lofted bed, not only did my feet smack on the ground, but I tore up the rug before the first semester even ended! If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to get a plush rug that is fluffier and offers more support (and that would make me want to curl up in a ball on it after a long day of classes… thank god for vacuums).
Shaggy rugs instantly take any dorm room to next level comfy, like this one from Target. They also work on carpet, and contrasting between textures is a pretty chic move!
Decorative Pillows
After a long day of class and college life in general, the first thing you probably want to do is lie down on your bed. Pillows don’t just need to provide support for your head, they should also add some flavor and decoration to your space. Decorative pillows are one of the most common ways to spruce up your place. Not to mention, they also make for a good vehicle for hugs! Pillows come in so many shapes and sizes, so if you’re looking for one purely for the sake of adding a pop of color or pattern, you’re in luck.
Also, if you’re scared to commit to a decorative pillow or want to change it up seasonally, pillow covers are the perfect answer for the indecisive decorator. Just choose the shape you want and find a cover that corresponds with its size! Voila. Your bed or chair is instantly cute AF.
Essential Oil Diffuser
Most on-campus housing facilities won’t let their residents light candles, which is a huge disappointment. So, if you’re someone who needs some good aromatherapy every now and then, essential oil diffusers are a great replacement to open flame candles! Some even light up, giving your dorm room that cozy glow you might be missing from candles.
Essential oil diffusers are definitely an essential dorm room decor choice because they’re super relaxing and can have lots of health benefits!
Hanging Tapestry
If you’re looking for something more edgy than a classic framed print or poster, look no further than to a hanging tapestry! These super trendy wall hangings can take any boring dorm room to the next level, and they also make for a totally Instagram-able backdrop. Tapestries are the perfect addition to your “me” space if you’re into throwing parties. They give off great vibes and set the ideal chill ambiance.
This Urban Outfitters tapestry might seem too basic, so feel free to branch out! While there are tons of patterns out there, experimenting with textures could also be fun!
Jewelry Hooks
If you’re bringing jewelry with you to school, you definitely need something to store it in or on. Keeping tons of boxes and containers around can get cluttered, and if you’re trying to go for minimalist vibes, adding more bulky objects to your already scarce surface area is definitely not the move. Jewelry hooks are both an easy DIY project and low-cost purchase. So, if you’re the crafty type, making a custom piece to hang on your wall might be the way to go! However, if you don’t feel like making your own, jewelry hooks are an easy dorm room decor to find online.
Fairy Lights
Fairy lights have taken college dorms by storm, and for a good reason! They’re one of the cutest and easiest pieces of dorm room decor because of their versatility. Hanging them on the perimeter of your ceiling with thumb tacks is probably the simplest route to take, but you can also wind them around any furniture you have, as long as they don’t get in the way. Headboards are a great place to wrap your fairy lights around, as are the rails on lofted beds!
The options are truly endless. From classic Christmas lights in just about any color to emoji themed bulbs, fairy lights are a fun and simple addition to any dorm room!
