Easy Decorating Ideas and DIYs To Improve Your Dorm Room

Back-to-school is right around the corner and I for one, am excited. Maybe not for the classes, but certainly for the fresh start and the excuse to redecorate. Since most people are moving into residence or a new apartment, this week I’m sharing with you some great ways to jazz up your new home.

1. Invest in a plant.

This is a great way to incorporate some nature into my room, especially during the winter. Seeing that pop of green colour is healthy and calming for my mind. There are usually events hosted throughout the year, by college, where you can go and pot a plant, then take it home with you (for free!!!). My roommate brought back one of these plants during first-year, and it freshened up our room. We later discovered that we’d both been watering it while the other was out, but it somehow still survives to this day! I later brought back a couple more plants for our room, because why not?

2. Lighting.

Lighting is everything! Usually dorm rooms have one ceiling light and one desk lamp. I would suggest bringing any sort of lamp that gives off soft light (yellow glow rather than blue/white). I have a salt lamp and its orange glow makes my room super cozy. An affordable and easy option is fairy lights, but there’s a good chance you already own a good warm light. If you do use fairy lights, instead of hanging them in the normal way, you could make them into a shape or a pattern. We had ours in a swirl pattern across the wall, and at Christmas we shaped them like a tree!

3. Timetable art.

Spare time on your hands? Enjoy art? This one’s for you. Last week I had some extra time, so I decided to have some fun recreating my timetable so that it wouldn’t just be a printout. I used watercolour and leftover tea to paint my new schedule, and stuck the courses on with washy tape so that I could reuse the chart next semester. This may seem a bit extra but I had fun making it and it made me excited to start school again. 

4. Textbook covers. 

If you don’t like the look of your textbook this is a simple way to make it a little nicer (and it protects the cover if you’re planning on reselling!). First, find a large piece of paper (newspaper, wallpaper, etc), then fold it over the cover and secure with tape. Easy peasy! Here’s a video if you want more inspo:  On a final note, I would just like to say that university isn’t all about “beautifying” your surroundings, but, there is something very special about making a new space your own. Happy decorating!