By Kelsey Masters, News Correspondent
After settling into new rooms now that the initial surprise of how big or small the space is has rubbed off, the empty white walls might be screaming for potential personal touches to make a generic dorm room feel more like home.
Decorating your dorm room can seem somewhat daunting. Students often don’t know the size or shape of their room or the dimensions of the furniture that comes with it.
However, there are several ways to tackle the bland emptiness of these rooms.
First, work with what you’ve got. Your bed might be slightly too tall. You might not have enough closet space. These problems are fixable.
As you pull out those winter and fall wardrobes, you might realize your lack of space. A trip to Target or Bed Bath & Beyond can help solve this problem.
These stores usually offer sets of plastic drawers that work well as extra storage and organization. Clear drawers can be found anywhere, but other transparent colors are offered, which can help personalize the room.
Similar stores also sell collapsible stools. They can be helpful for those on the shorter side with lofted beds and other hard-to-reach places, and their ability to collapse makes them easy to store when not in use.
Most noticeably, in a student’s new dorm, the walls are white and are probably going to stay that way. While you can’t repaint the walls, you can add color to other places in your room to make it feel less like a doctor’s office.
Hang a tapestry on the wall to cover a large white space. It acts as wallpaper, providing color and pattern that isn’t overwhelming. Other options are creating murals with your favorite album covers, hanging posters or displaying local art.
“I’m not a big poster person, so I put up an Armenian flag because I’m Armenian,” said Jaclyn Janigian, a middler communications major living in West Village B.
Flags are a popular dorm decoration both on campus and off. Both Sofya Roytburg, an undeclared freshman living in Kennedy Hall, and Ethan Edson, a middler environmental science major living in an apartment in Mission Hill, have decorated their walls with the American flag.
“I’ve been bringing in things that remind me of movies and books that I like,” said Divya Mohan, an undeclared freshman living in Stetson East.
These decor touches show visitors your personality and make your room feel like it’s your room.
One of the most treasured commodities of college life is sleep. Sleeping in a cozy and inviting bed can make a room go from sterile to comfy.
Sheets, pillows, comforters and blankets will add a variety of both colors and textures.
Mixing things up and decorating with a wide color palette and different textures will add to the overall feel of your space. Bring blankets with interesting and colorful patterns.
Rugs can also add a huge amount of comfort to your dorm. Don’t be afraid to mix and match. Diversity in patterns will look fantastic as long as they are in small doses.
Your dorm doesn’t have to feel empty and cold. These suggestions will help you incorporate your personal style into your decorating.
You can live in a monotonous, dreary room, but when you know where to look and what to bring, you can completely reinvent an otherwise boring space.
