Ah, a new school year – this often means new classes and new professors, new friends, new clubs to join, and new living space (or you may be staying in the same dorm or apartment). Either way, you are likely thinking about doing something new about the space that you will be calling home for the 2016-2017 school year, and you want it to be representative of who you are at this moment in time and what you are about!
Decorating your room is all about expressing yourself, much like we already tend to do through fashion. But, unless you plan on switching it up every few months, defining your room and how it represents you can be a little tricky. In fashion, we always seem to know what look we are going for; do I want to have a bit of a rocker chic and edgy flair today? Am I looking to present as more feminine or masculine? Or maybe, I don’t have any specific look in mind and I am going to throw on anything that I have on. With our room, we are essentially doing the same thing – except this is a look that will likely be our only look for the entire year, and HerCampus is here to help you out!
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Find Inspiration!
Are you a Tumblr addict? Maybe Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube is more of your speed? There are so many sources of inspiration that you can seek out if you are unsure of how to approach decorating your room. There are even blogs, magazines, and websites that are literally dedicated to interior design so make use of them! You would be surprised of the many different color schemes, furniture pairings, etc. that people are able to come up with and one in particular may speak to you.
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Start Out With A Clean Slate
Your room, much like a painting before it becomes one, is like a blank canvas; it is empty, there are no posters or any other decorations present and – save for furniture and other necessary fixtures for your room- there pretty much isn’t any else to it than that. When there is nothing blocking you from envisioning how your room can be, so much magic can happen!
Don’t Be Afraid to DIY
You’ve seen the videos from various YouTubers: “Watch Me DIY/Give My Room a Tumblr Makeover!” or “From Drab to Fab!” – the options are endless! However, one thing that these videos tend to have in common is these YouTubers will take an old piece of furniture from their home, or one that was thrown away, and make it into something that shows off their personality. Whether it’s creating a mirror dresser or jazzing up the old vase just sitting there in your living room, there is so much that you can create by yourself to help make your room your own! So,get that crazy glue and command strips out and get crafty!
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On your next trip to TJ Maxx or HomeGoods or as you scroll down endless web pages on Amazon, think about what you want your room to say about you. We all have so many different qualities that make up the amazing personality that is unique to us, so don’t be afraid to let that shine through!