Dorm Decorating 101
I would never call myself an expert on decor or interior design, but currently being a fourth year residential student and second year RA, I think it is safe to say that I have seen a lot of dorm rooms in my day. I've learned a thing or two about creative ideas that make your room look more awesome than white walls and a bed. There are plenty more sweet ideas (just check out pinterest), but I am going to list some common decor I see at Wagner. Feel free to put your own ideas in the comments!
Since this list could easily go on forever, I am just going to talk about what you can do with those bland walls...
Posters
Posters are an easy go-to for decorating your dorm walls. They can be whatever you're interested in from fashion to skylines to sports to cute animals to attractive people to movies to art to ... you get what I mean. I personally have a plethora of outer space posters. If you didn't get the chance to check out the poster sale last week, I recommend checking out posters online. There are plenty of deals and sweet posters. Literally a poster for everything.
Quotes
Everyone loves a good quote or inspirational word. There are several ways to make words a decor piece. My personal favorite is cutting out letters from magazines or colorful paper and putting them on the wall. You can also cut out or paint letters on small paper and hang them like clothes on a clothesline. Then there's the simple quote on a canvas or paper that you put up. As far as choosing a quote goes, just think if this quote is something that you want to wake up to every day. Inspirational quotes that get you going are always good.
Cork Boards
During college, you make a lot of memories. With these memories, you collect a lot of nicknacks like ticket stubs, programs, notes and more. The best way to keep these in view and not in a pile of junk on your desk is to hang them on cork boards. You can even decorate the cork boards by drawing on them or using colorful push-pins.
Photos
What better way to remember that awesome time or those awesome people than by displaying pictures in your room? You can do frames, collages or just stick them on your wall. There is never a more accepting time to put an obnoxious amount of photos on your walls than college. At most drugstore chains, you can print out 4 x 6 photos for 10 cents each or less, so feel free to go a little crazy.
String Lights
This one is a classic, although I have never tried it myself. Show off your dorm room in a new light (...get it?). Seriously, hanging up lights on strings is super easy and gives you more lighting options AND makes you seem more creative. Try different patterns on the wall/ceiling. If you are feeling really crazy, you can try to spell out a word in cursive (good luck). You can get different shapes and colors, whatever floats your boat.
I hope this gives you a good start with your dorm room decor. You can always find other cool ideas on pinterest or DIY sites. Leave your own ideas in the comments! Happy decorating!