As your home away from home, your dorm room becomes one of your favorite places while at college. It’s your own space to personalize, decorate, and showcase who you are to your friends and hall mates. It may be small in size, but when you think outside the box, almost anything you find in your room can become part of your dorm décor! These easy ideas and simple DIYs will guarantee a dorm that is super special and 100% you!
1. Photo collages
Adding pictures is one of the simplest ways to brighten up your blank walls and fill your room with fond memories of family and friends. A great way to turn your photos into a work of art is by creating a photo collage. Easy to create, a fun collage can be made by printing and pasting your favorite Instagram photos to any shape poster board. The collage becomes a great mosaic of memories that is super easy to hang on any dorm wall.
At craft stores such as Michael’s, you can purchase wooden letters that can be decorated with pictures and sealed with decoupage to create cute wall decorations.
If cutting and pasting a collage isn’t your forte, you can find picture frame wall decals like these that are super cute and won’t damage cinderblock walls.
2. Index card quotes
A fun way to add inspiration and record memories to your dorm is as easy as an index card! My freshman year of college, I would jot down encouraging quotes I came across or funny things friends said on the back of index cards. After doodling or using fun colors to brighten them up, I added them to my walls and on blank sides of furniture.
It becomes fun to look back on all the memories and find inspiration among the walls throughout the year. Additionally, they make a great conversation starter whenever you have guests over!
3. Cards from Home
Living away from home, cards you receive from your family and friends become cherished treasures in your dorm. Instead of piling them with your schoolbooks or losing them in a cluttered desk, use these cards as dorm décor. Hang up your favorite cards from mom and dad by a mirror to bring the comforts of home and best wishes to you as you get ready each day. Use funny or artistic cards as mini posters for your walls.
When the holidays draw near, all of the holiday cards you receive become instant holiday decorations, no trip to Target needed!
4. Any Pinterest DIY, especially Canvas Art!
Pinterest is the perfect place to find cute and easy ideas for your dorm room. One of my favorite projects found on Pinterest is canvas art. The ideas for canvas art are absolutely endless, and all can be super easy and inexpensive. Crayon art brightens up a dorm with every color of the rainbow and makes a great activity for a girls’ night in!
Cute painted flowers can be made on canvas using soda bottles as paint stamps, as shown in this Pinterest project.
5. Hang your accessories
Having limited room for storage makes every inch of space matter. Dorm walls are great for storing and displaying accessories. Easy-to-remove hooks are perfect to hang accessories like purses, hats, and jewelry. Scarf organizers look great when they are hung up on a bare wall, adding lots of color while keeping all your scarves neatly in place.
The best way to hang any kind of hanging organizer is with Command Designer Hooks. In Siena dorms, these hooks can be used on the cinderblock walls in buildings like Plassmann Hall and Hennepin Hall. For New Hall residents it is not recommended that you use them on the walls as the paint is easy to chip, but the hooks work great on the sides of your wardrobe and desk!
These easy tips will help you create a dorm that is fun, functional, and full of memories. When it comes to your dorm room, always remember that everything is fair game for decoration!