How to Decorate Your Dorm Room

Are you one of the thousands of students preparing to start university this year? Finding the right student accommodation will be the top priority of many new students, but after all the hard work, don’t forget the more fun aspect of getting your own private space – decorate your dorm room!

Ready to make your student accommodation feel like home? Here’s how to decorate your dorm room:

1. Bring home with you: Photos, photos and more photos!

No dorm room would be complete without photos on the wall. It's a quintessential factor in what makes your room more homely, warm and familiar, especially if you've got a small case of jitters moving into a new place for the first time. If you're an international student, it is a good idea to bring some photos of your hometown, pets or loved ones for moments of homesickness. Having pictures of your family or best friends in a wall collage will definitely add a great touch to any student room. 

2. Light up your student accommodation: Fairy lights 

Lights are my personal favorite item of decoration, not just because they're beautiful, but also because having something glowing or lighted brightens up my mood instantly. Go for fairy lights if you want something versatile and unique: the long length of wire is perfect for stringing up against the wall or around your photos, and the different colored LED bulbs will be sure to make any dorm room look instantly more creative. 

3. Declutter your study space: Foldable hanging closet

One problem you might face after a while in your dorm room is that you'll find yourself with more and more clothing. Trust me, when I first studied abroad, what started off as one luggage of clothing turned into three full boxes at the end of my first year! Investing in a foldable hanging closet will save you precious space and keep things organized, a must for small dorm rooms with little moving space – especially if this is also your study space. 

4. Unleash your creativity: Inexpensive art

Why not decorate your dorm room with your own DIY masterpiece – simply gather or buy cheap postcards, images or posters and frame them up in your local store. Or you can put together a collage of interesting, eye-catching postcards on the wall beside your bed or desk. Anything can be made use of, as long as it’s colorful, bold and stands out. 

5. Make your dorm room unique: Shop around

You can also decorate your dorm room with little pieces of furniture or antiques, or literally any item you think will look good and represent yourself. My final tip is to do a little treasure hunting in your local online classified ads and on sites like Craigslist – you never know what goods you might find for a bargain price! Many students who are just about to graduate sell things online, and many of these may be new or in great condition. 

Finally, sometimes less really is more, so keeping things clean and simple will do more good than having an unkempt, cluttered dorm room. So don’t get too carried away – keep it simple and decorate your dorm room in moderation!