I will not sit here and tell you that I was the guru room makeovers in college, but I have seen some pretty amazing ones while here. I think I had the worst room in my first year but after the different ideas I had collected from other rooms and with a little help from my very handy DIY dad, I did make a slight turn around. The reason why am writing this is because back in freshman year, every time I would bring friends back to my room, they could not help but laugh. So to save you from the same experience, I got down to what I do best and came up with some great tips that could overhaul your room on a budget.
A world map.
Before you start casting stones and insults, hear me out for a minute here. Remember all those trips you went out to Africa and all those other places, it is time you let people know about it. It might not be polite to pull out your extensive travelling experience in a conversation but if you put a map on your wall and find a creative way to mark all the places you’ve been to, it is a great conversation starter. Not to mention you dress up that bare wall. Not so bad after all right?
A Headboard.
They can pretty expensive but with some thin wood, some extra fabric, you can make your own headboard. Might I add a very good looking one at that. Just cut out a rectangle and wrap in fabric then use a stencil to cut out a silhouette of your choice with some great designs. Simple right? It also gives your room some elegance and a personal touch to die for. A headboard is also a great way to add an interesting piece to your room without spending too much.
Washi tape.
This is one that you will not get anywhere else. Remember that rule that prohibits you from painting your dorm room? Quite lame right? Well, you don’t have to break that. You could actually make it work for you by using washi tape. It is a colorful and very decorative tape that comes in all types of shapes and patterns. You can add this to the wall to give it sort of a wallpaper effect. The best thing about it is the fact that it does not damage the wall when being removed and has one killer look if you’re creative enough. It will definitely help you make more out of those bare walls and get rid of that confined feeling.
Mason jar planters.
This will not only bring the life back to your dorm room but will allow you and your guests to breathe again. Honestly put, the hallways smell like stale pizza and to make matters worse, you can’t recall the last time you did your laundry. Yeah! We all know that happens. Having some succulent plants will help clean the air and make the room habitable again. They also help to bring some color into the room without spending much. For the planters, simply get mason jars and spray them with the color you would like. I would recommend sea colors but then again, why would you listen to me? Do your own thing! You know what you want to have in the end.
Some other creative ways to eat at those boring walls would be to hang up pictures of your loved ones and dog even though that might earn you a nickname or even hang up the star spangled banner. Just like that you have a great looking dorm room and you did not have to spend so much that you’re actually broke and can’t buy your next bottle of cheap liquor.
Sources:
https://www.pryntcases.com/blog/posts/18-4-tips-to-decorate-your-dorm-room-on-the-cheap
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dorm-room-decorating-ideas-207145
