Tips for Decorating your Dorm Room

Going away to school is a huge step in your life. You are finally leaving your parents, your house and your ever so annoying siblings. You are finally reaching the freedom of adulthood. Except for the fact that you are often shoved into a tiny little room that you cannot change too much.
Many times when you get to your dorm room, the 4 blank brick walls can be extremely intimidating. Definitely not my idea of cozy and home-y. When you are in your dorm room majority of time, you want it to be as comfortable as possible.
So here are some of our ideas to make your dorm room feel like a real home and personalized to you!

Bring some pieces of home:
Yes, it is extremely exciting to start fresh and get all new stuff for your room. However, this can sometimes lead to a dorm room that doesn't truly feel like yours. It is important to bring some items from home, whether that be your table lamp or your favourite stuffed animals. During the tough transition of being at home to being by yourself, these items can give you that home comfort. Not to mention saving you some cash from having to repurchase everything.

Never underestimate the power of a dollar:
The dollar store will be your best friend. You can buy everything there whether you need shampoo, pasta, or a dust pan. Why go to the shopping mall and spend tons of money on dorm room decor when you can spend only a couple of bucks at the dollar store! You would be surprised with what you can get at a dollar store. Especially during any holiday. You need Christmas decorations? Bam, dollar store. Easter? Dollar store! Always the dollar store. We have found lots of nice decorations such as garlands and glitter tape. Even cute door decorations! No matter what you need, the dollar store will have it.

Wall covering are key:
Sadly, you cannot paint the walls of your dorm room or really alter them in anyway. Unless you are looking for a very large fine at the end of the year. But we suggest trying to stay away from destroying the walls at all. The best alternative? Cover them. You can use flags, print pictures off the internet, or our personal favourite, printing off lots of pictures from home or your camera. You can create some killer collages. If you want a large wall covering, tapestries also work great. Urban Outfitters sells lots of cool tapestries that can easily spice up your dorm room. If you want to really personalize your walls, you can also try the removable wall stickers. There are tons of different varieties on the market such as quotes and images. And since they are removable, there is no worry of being charged for ruining the walls.

Plan out your room ahead of time:
As fun as it might be to buy a bunch of items in the spur of the moment, it is important to think about how you would like the final outcome of your room to look. Try to choose a colour scheme before you go out and start to purchase items. This will not only narrow down your search, but also make your room more cohesive. Instead of just choosing a colour scheme, you can also go for a theme. Some theme ideas span from beach to bohemian to space. Also try and do some online research. Looking up other peoples dorm rooms on google can give you lots of inspiration.

These are just a few of our tips and ideas. Happy decorating!
-Katelyn and Kiara

a couple little room-y photos for ya