Your Dorm Decor Style Guide

By Ashley Paskill on October 9, 2019

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Whether you are living in a dorm for the first time or are a pro, you might need some ideas to spruce up your living space and create a room that reflects who you are. While dorms tend to be really small, there are plenty of ideas for decorating your dorm room to fit your style or the season. If you have a roommate, make sure that you keep your décor to your half of the room unless you both agree on a style.

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DIY theme

For those who are creative in terms of making crafts, having a DIY theme in your dorm is a perfect way to showcase who you are and create things based around what you love. From painted mason jars to hold your pens and pencils to creating artwork for your walls, there are endless possibilities for things you can do to add a personal touch to an otherwise boring and redundant space. If you decide to craft your décor, you have the option of making whatever theme you wish, even creating your own unique theme about who you are.

School pride

One obvious way to decorate your dorm room is to showcase your school pride. You may have received a flag or other décor when you first arrived at the school. If not, you can hit up the campus bookstore to see what they have. Many times, they have wall décor, pillows, blankets, and more for you to go all-out with. If you do not want to spend that much money, you can always create your own. Use your school colors in creative ways, such as in your bedding and in your organizers throughout your room.

Sports fan

If you are a huge sports buff, you can decorate your room with your favorite sports or teams. Hang posters of your favorite players or make a collage of your ticket stubs from games that you have been to. If you have a signed ball, display it on a shelf or your desk. You can even get a signed jersey framed and hang it up. Just make sure the hanging follows the rules of your dorm room!

Holiday and seasonal decorating

Even if you keep your typical décor up, decorating for various holidays can be a fun way to celebrate while keeping your room looking different. This will help keep things interesting throughout the semester so that your living and study space does not become too boring while allowing you to celebrate holidays or seasons that are meaningful for you.

While some college students think that Halloween is childish, others love the holiday. Even if you do not plan on dressing up or going to a party, the creepy décor is a major reason why some love the holiday. From skulls to pumpkins, Halloween is definitely the perfect time to decorate your dorm, especially if you love doing crafts and being creative. Find an artificial pumpkin and use fun colors and buttons to make it stand out. You can stick with the traditional black and orange, or add flashes of gold, purple, and other colors to help your décor stand out.

No matter what winter holiday you and/or your roommate celebrate, there are a variety of decorations to help you get in the spirit. From string lights and holly in various forms to snow-themed items and items specifically geared towards your chosen holiday(s), decorating your dorm for the winter holiday season can help make the end of the semester seem a bit more joyful and give you the motivation to finish strong to go home and celebrate with your family. Holiday-scented candles are popular but check with your RA to see if you are allowed to light candles in your dorm.

For the spring, you can bring out more floral patterns, or even display artificial flowers in your dorm. If you celebrate Easter, you can have an egg tree or religious symbols pertaining to the holiday. You can also create a countdown calendar until the end of the semester so you and your roommate have a visual tracker of how long you have until the summer.

Décor based on your major

Typically, your major is an indicator of what you are interested in. If you are stuck on how to decorate your dorm, look no further than what you are interested in. For the journalism major, framed magazines or important newspapers can line the walls. Animal print everything and stuffed animals are perfect for those studying to be vets, zoologists, or any other career involving animals. While this is not a full list of majors and ideas, use your major to figure out what you like and be creative from there.

Whether you are living in a dorm for the first time or are a veteran, figuring out how to decorate can be a challenge. Narrowing down what you like and decorating based on the season can be a huge help in deciding what to do.

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