I pride myself on my ability to make a dorm room feel like a home. Not to brag, but last year I made my incredibly small room feel cozy, homey, and relaxing. While you might get a few looks on move-in day when you bring in a lot of things, it's completely okay because you'll have the best room in the building. Here is how I make a small, cinder block room feel like a home.
find your aesthetic // Yes, I know, aesthetic is the most over used word that is now losing its meaning. But hear me out! Decide what exactly makes you feel at home and at ease. For me its bright colors, patterns, and lots of texture. To achieve this, I had a couple of rugs, many (many) throw pillows, a bright color scheme, and paintings on the walls.
rugs // Unless your one of the lucky ones with hardwood floors in your dorm, you probably are going to end up with a cold hard tile of some horrible color. Rugs are going to cover up the tile, add warmth, and absorbs noise (your neighbors below will thank you). I got the orange polka dot rug at Ikea and another plush gray rug at Target. Any decent rug can be purchased anywhere really; I suggest also looking at Big Lots and Wal-Mart.
headboard // Universities typically offer the wall or a slatted frame as a headboard. One of the best parts of my dorm was my padded headboard. It was comfortable to sit up against and made my bed feel more complete. Mine was purchased from Decor 2 Your Door, but if you're crafty there are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest to DIY.
pouf // This was probably the most popular item in my room. The pouf traveled around my suite so everyone could enjoy it during our Cards Against Humanity nights. For a small room it's the perfect seating because it takes up little to no room and can be moved around. Mine was purchased online from a retailer in India, but they also can be found at Target, on Amazon, and Wayfair.
lamps // Overhead fluorescent lights are the absolute worst things ever. They're unflattering, feel artificial, and are hash. During the day, keep your blinds open and enjoy the natural light. As you see from my photos, my window was quite small and didn't offer much light. To solve this problem is used lamps to light my room. The soft light gave a calmer feeling to my room. All my lamps came from Ikea because I swear to god they are the masters of lighting.
gallery wall // I have several Pinterest boards dedicated to my love for gallery walls. Creating large gallery walls in my dorm room successfully covered up the cinder blocks and added a lot of personality. My gallery walls consist of canvases, prints, a clock, cork boards, pictures, etc.
desk organization // Having a perfectly organized desk makes going there to study a lot more relaxing. A desk full of clutter is added stress. My suggestion is a desk hutch. My dad made mine so I was able to customize it to my taste. The Container Store is a great store that sells desk hutches that fit the generic dorm room desks.
So hit up Pinterest, communicate with your roommate, and get shopping!
xoxo,
Maggie
