5 Unique Ways to Style your Dorm Door
Decorating your college dorm room has can be somewhat of a challenge for some people – especially for those who are new to the whole “moving away from home” idea. It can be stressful trying to make a home out of a place your more than unfamiliar with, but thankfully not impossible.
Unfortunately, not all college dorms meet the standards students think they will, from their simple and colorless wallpaper to the kitchen you could have sworn looked much bigger on the website. However, there are ways you can make the most out of it! Not only giving the place a little more personality, but also adding your own unique touch to it! Here are 5 amazing ideas you can use to do just that!
1. Lighting
I think we’ve all seen the hundreds of stalk photos of amazing dorm rooms that consists of string lighting. While that might not be the most original feature to add, there are a few other ways to use them besides simply putting them on for display. Some ideas, for example, can be to wrap the lights around a large mirror, or perhaps you can use them for wall art, such as shaping them into a nice tree or attaching your favorite photo’s to them while they hang in the corner.
Another unique lighting idea for you may want to include are light boxes, which, depending on the one you get, you can rearrange the letters however you see fit to make whatever message you want on display! Other light boxes can be purchased in the form of letters and shapes that might also suite your tastes.
2. A Little Greenery
There is absolutely nothing wrong wanting a little more green to your life. Of course, there is the possibility you might not be the most attentive when it comes to keeping up with plants. However, what some college students might not know is that there are plants that hardly need the attention, like Aloe plants, snake plants and even spider plants to name a few! All you would need is plenty of light, a little water, and a whole lot of love! Then again, you could also go for plastic plant life, to which I can say with certainty will stay with you for the rest of your college dorm room days without any complaints – which might say a lot depending on the roommate your stuck with!
3. Personal Art
Filling your dorm room with creative decor is another unique way to stylize it. While you can do the usual and put up a few paintings and/or drawings along the wall, or perhaps find a place on your desk for few family photographs, there are other fun and quirky ways for you to make yourself feel more at home.
That old quilt you have that was hand made by a late relative? You can take that and make it the main centerpiece to your room! Pin it up on the wall above the bed or by the entry way, not only would it be eye catching to your visitors, but you would also have a basis for the type of look you want to give your room over all. For a more DIY approach, you can make something as simple as foil shaped circles or stars and plaster them along the wall as stickers, you can also make little origami pieces to sprinkle around the room; maybe place a few on the shelves, your desk – and to show off, some by the windowsill for others to see. Get creative with it! Your tastes might not be like everybody else’s, but that’s what makes your choices so unique!
4. Decorative Dorm Door
Let’s face it: much like the rooms themselves, college dorm doors are dull and uninteresting, but that doesn’t mean yours has to be! To stand out among your other dorm mates, doll up that boring plank of wood by officially making it your own! For example, why not put up a plaque representing the first initial to your name, or if your feeling a little bolder put up a white board so that others can leave comments on your door. If your looking for a rather more subtle way of decorating, you could use colorful duct tape to create your own patterns and/or make small cut outs to stick around the center piece of your choosing.
Much like college campus itself, it would be almost impossible to remember which class is where if they weren’t labeled, so why not decorate it using the first letter of your name on it. Similar to how you decorate the inside of your room you can also do the same outside, so long as it’s your own door of course!
5. Personal Reading Nook
There’s nothing more relaxing then having a good place to sit down and just stop after a long and eventful day. Having a big, comfy chair to lounge in is an amazing perk to have while hunkering down your own room. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your place to cram for that upcoming test, or a temporary spot to have your five minute nap while the coffee brews, but it can simply just be there for you when you really need it.
Ideally, reading nooks would be located in a corner of the room for a more secluded and personal atmosphere, however, at the end of the day it’s up to you entirely where you would like to set up your little sanctuary. Some features you would need for your nook include, of course, a comfortable chair of your choosing, some good lighting if available, and a book or magazine if desired; more optional features can be a nice throw rug to go under your chair, a small table stand, and maybe a lamp for those long nights.
Stylizing your dorm rooms will take some time and energy, but I promise you the dedication you put into it will pay off once your finally able to put together a place you can call home. Again, you particular taste might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but as long as you can create a comfortable spot for you and you alone, your college days will carry more joy to them then you’ll realize.
