Living in a dorm is exciting as it comes with a whole new version of independence. You get to pick your own furniture and decorate your own place or corner in the dorm. However, as you get busy with schoolwork and your money spent on more urgent matters, there may be times when pulling an interior design game in your room can be tricky.
But who doesn’t want to have a cozy dorm where you can rest after a long day? Surely the last thing you want to go home to is a messy dorm where you can barely tell your clean clothes and laundry apart. Fortunately, there are plenty of DIY projects you can do to breathe life into your college dorm.
Whether you’re living alone or with a roommate, here are five inexpensive decorating ideas you can do to make your dorm look great.
1. Glam up your vases and containers
No matter what season it is, you can always add a hint of spring in your dorm. If you like keeping flowers in your room, you can transform an ordinary vase into a beautiful mosaic project. One way to do this is by breaking clean eggshells into small pieces and painting over them with watercolor or acrylic paint. Use glue to attach the eggshells and apply the color once it dries. The fun part is you can make your own design, but you can also look for creative mosaic vase designs online for inspiration.
2.Get creative with your bulletin boards
If you like putting up photos or notes but are getting tired of the conventional bulletin board, it’s time you give your wall a facelift. Ditch the conventional bulletin board and cut up corks in smaller circles. When the pieces are ready, you can arrange them on your wall any way you want, and then pin on them memos, pictures, or trinkets you want to display. You can also add color to your mini pin boards by sticking them first on decorative cardboard or used coasters before you put them up.
3.Line your shelves with wallpaper
Shelves are imperative especially if you have space constraints, but this doesn’t mean that they should be plain. If you already have shelves where you’re living, you can line its walls with wallpaper or printed fabric. You can also use washi tape to decorate the edges. All you have to do is cut the paper according to the measurements of the shelf and stick the pieces using glue. When it’s dry, you can start stacking your books inside or arrange trinkets you want to display.
4.Create a photo wall
Art is definitely a nice touch to any room, but you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to exhibit your aesthetic references. If you have a blank wall or white space you’d like to fill, create a montage of photos and let this serve as your wallpaper. Work around a theme. For instance, a section would be dedicated to black and white pictures, while a different wall would only display abstract subjects. If sticking the photos against the wall isn’t possible, you can still put up a display using hooks, strings, and clothespins.
5.Put up a snazzy headboard
Not all dormitory beds have headboards, and if you happen to be one of those, you’d be happy to know that there is a way to create a headboard of your own. You will need:
– a piece of plywood whose width is the same size of your bed
– quilt batting
– printed fabric of your choice
– a staple gun.
Cover one side of the plywood with quilt batting and secure the sides using a staple gun. Cover it next with the printed fabric and staple the edges to the back of the plywood. When you’re done, simply wedge the headboard between your mattress and the bedframe and make sure that it fits snugly.
Having a warm and lovely dorm room is possible even without having to shell out a lot of cash. As long as you let your creativity and resourcefulness take charge, you can have a dorm that you’ll look forward coming home to after an entire day in school. If you have any more ideas and tips on how to spruce up a dorm via DYI, share it with us in the comments below.
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