Tips To Turn Your Dorm From A Bland Wasteland Into Home

So you’ve just moved into your new dorm room. Maybe this is your third semester, or maybe you’re entering college for the first time this year. Either way, with these blank walls staring back at you like the abyss, it’s probably for the best that you consider some fun renovation. With these simple tips, you can begin your journey as a college student with a charming and cozy home base up your sleeve.

1. Get pillows

You might not use them all that much, but there’s nothing more satisfying than coming back from a long day to collapse on a pile you’ve constructed yourself. Whether these come in handy on your bed or on that weird nest you make while you write your essays on the floor, having a few fluffy or decorative pillows for the fun of it will make your room that much closer into feeling like a home.

2. Get blankets

If there’s anything we can all attest to, it’s that dorm rooms can get colder than Hell by the time winter hits. Buy a big, snuggle blanket, and roll yourself up in it like the burrito Gremlin you are, there’s no shame in it. Plus, your roommate(s) and visiting friends will love you if you’re able to offer them up spares. Due to our bodies all processing temperature differently, there’s no telling who’s going to feel comfortable hanging out in your dorm during poker night and who’s going to bemoan forgetting a jacket. Skip the stress. Throw a blanket at their face.

3. Word magnets

Got a whiteboard? A fridge? While a common misconception is that word magnets are meant for kids, I have been to many a party where conversation lulls due to interest in playing with the word magnets stuck to the fridge. It’s just fun, honestly. Those dreams of having your roommates draw all over your whiteboard might not be unfounded, but it’s more likely that they’ll feel daunted by the canvas in question and erase nothing at all to draw. Word magnets open up the opportunity to spell out silly, ominous, or just plain old dumb phrases for you to laugh at with whoever comes by. Plus, it’s a de-stressing activity for you during final’s week.

4. Tape

Especially washi tape. Man is that stuff good. If you haven’t heard of the eighth wonder of the world, you’ll be happy to hear that it comes in the form of colorful rolls of decorative tape being sold all over America. Tape can be used to make geometric designs on your walls, spell things out, line your doors, and pretty much anything you can think of, really. Want a message on your window? Bam. Want to make your binders look all pretty? There you go. Super organized and you want outlines of where things go on your desk? I’m a little jealous, but yeah, tape works for that. Just be wary of acquiring too much too soon, if you don’t use it all the time it can be difficult to run through. Colorful tape can also be ideal for lining posters and sticking up Polaroids on your wall.

5. Speaking of which: Polaroids

So you have a Polaroid camera. That’s great! Polaroid pictures are great for having reminders of everyone back home alongside all the friends you meet in college. Dedicate a wall, or at least a few patches, to your camera-related exploits and become the photographer of your dreams. While you might not be the main character of an indie video game, you’ll be comforted by the candids of your friends goofing off, whether they’re new or old.

6. Doodles

You don’t have to be an artist to be proud of the drawings you produce. Cutting out and taping/pinning doodles to your walls is a great indicator of personality apart from simple posters. Maybe you drew a stick figure version of your friends, or your favorite TV characters. Maybe you tried to paint your dog once and you like the endearing look to its lopsided face. Don’t be scared to delight in your creativity here.