15 Dorm Room Ideas to Transform Your On-Campus Living Space

Your dorm room is a blank canvas just waiting for you to infuse your personality, so don’t settle for the ho-hum, institutional look. Instead, transform its white cinderblock walls and basic furniture into a home-away-from-home with these 15 simple dorm room decorating ideas.

1. Rearrange the room

The school has a standard layout, but just because the beds line opposite walls, don’t feel obligated to leave them there. Play with different furniture arrangements, keeping in mind that your ultimate goal is to maximize space. The school might place the desks on either side of the window when a more efficient layout would be to have one or both under a lofted bed.

As you move furniture around, also consider how items can do double duty. For example, your bed can also serve as extra seating for friends with the addition of throw pillows placed against the wall. Or an ottoman can provide extra storage for shoes.

2. Loft your bed

Some schools offer the option to loft your bed. This frees up space under your bed, allowing you to add homier touches to the room like a couch or small table for meals. You can usually rent the conversion kit from the school and pay a fee for the labor to install it. If your school doesn’t offer this, though, you may be able to purchase your own loft kit or purchase a lofted bed frame you bring into the room.

However, you’ll want to read the school’s rules on what modifications you can and can’t make before you try to loft your existing dorm room bed or before you purchase an already lofted bed. And realize that, if you purchase a lofted bed frame, you’ll have to find storage for the school-provided frame for the year.

3. Peel and stick wallpaper

While most schools won’t allow you to paint your walls, you can still add color to them by using peel and stick wallpaper. Like traditional wallpaper, the peel-and-stick version comes in a variety of colors and prints. You can also find rolls of solid colors that replicate painted walls. But unlike traditional wallpaper, you can easily reposition and remove the peel and stick wallpaper. It is somewhat pricey, though. The average cost of a roll available at Home Depot is currently $30. Depending on how many walls you want to cover, the job could require several rolls.

You could also invest in a few rolls of washi tape instead. This colorful tape can be used to create designs on the wall or make faux frames for your pictures. You can also use it to add decorative elements to boring furniture. At the end of the year, you can easily remove it.

4. Add color with care

Too much color can make a small space feel even smaller, so you may want to stick to more neutral tones and rely on accent pieces for color. Choose shades of whites, greys and beiges to make your room look larger. For a little more color, go with light shades of yellow, blue or muted green. Textures can add a lot of depth even with muted colors, so add elements like a thick wool blanket, faux fur drapes or a bamboo area rug.

If you want to come up with your own color scheme, learn about the concepts of color and how to use them in your home. Then, apply that to the 60-30-10 color rule.

5. Add familiar faces

Even if you’ve been away from home for extended periods before, you’ll miss having family and friends around. One way to keep them close is to decorate your dorm room with their photos. This can be a few pictures on your desk or bedside table or a section of the wall dedicated to all those people you care about and the memories you’ve shared.

For a photo wall, you have several options. You can purchase a photo frame, insert your favorite photos inside and affix it to the wall. Or create a hanging gallery by suspending strings between two pieces of wood and clipping photos to the string with clothespins. Another option is to use double-sided tape to adhere the photos directly on the wall in a heart or similar design.

6. Decorate with artwork

Framed artwork adds personality to your dorm room. Get creative. Hang framed movie posters or the covers of your favorite bands’ albums. Or buy a collage kit and decorate your wall with colorful, fun images. Tapestries are also very popular right now.

To help give the room a cohesive appearance, discuss overall color schemes and artwork before the beginning of the year with your roommate. If you can agree on a theme, you may be able to coordinate a joint display. For example, you could hang album covers across the wall both your desks face. The half of the wall above your desk would feature your favorite albums while the other half would feature your roommate’s albums.

7. Make a green statement

Plants can infuse life and color into your room. They also lend a homey touch to an otherwise institutional setting. Because space is limited, start with a small, easy-to-grow snake plant. Not only are they hardy but they filter indoor air and remove toxic pollutants. If you don’t have a green thumb, try succulents, which need little attention.

Want the look but not the responsibility? You can add artificial plants or drape a dried eucalyptus garland over your bed frame or window.

8. Think multifunctional

Everything needs to do double duty in a dorm room. Your bed may need to do double duty as a sofa while the ottoman provides extra storage space. A file cabinet can be painted and used as a side table for your bed or the couch. That unused space under the bed? Fill it with storage containers (or your empty suitcases) where you can keep seasonal clothes or items you don’t need every day. Hide the mess under your bed with a bed skirt.

9. Get comfy with premium bedding

When you shop for bedding, think comfort. Look for plush comforters, thick pillows and high-thread-count, soft sheets. Since the mattress will probably not be the highest quality, you may want to invest in a mattress topper as well. No matter where you attend college, there will likely be cold nights, so make sure to bring a few extra blankets as well.

As mentioned, you may need to convert your bed into a sitting area during the day, so throw pillows are essential. Get several thick, oversized throw pillows you can use against the cinderblock walls or throw on the carpeted floor for additional seating.

10. Let it shine

Adding light can give your dorm room a designer look. Start by upgrading your existing dorm room lamps, replacing them with more stylish options. Next, pinpoint any place where you plan to study and make sure you’ll have enough light. If not, place a small desk lamp nearby.

Now, you can get creative. Hang fairy lights, neon signs or even a chandelier overhead. Don’t forget mirrors can help add illumination, too. Hang one on the wall to reflect existing light around the room. Mirrors will also make the room look larger and give you a place to check how you look before you head out.

11. Work with the room

Some dorm rooms have unique architectural features: slanted roofs, outcroppings concealing pipes and ledges, for example. Make the most of these awkward spaces. Obviously, a ledge can be used for extra storage space, but you can incorporate an odd architectural element, like a post, by wrapping it in string lights. Or you can use it as a place to display artwork. Let your imagination run wild instead of trying to conceal the weird architecture.

Additionally, take advantage of any vertical space you have by adding tall storage. You can find a 9-drawer storage unit that will take up roughly the same floor space as a 3-drawer one. Use that space. Similarly, you can add a desktop bookshelf or a hutch to your study area for more storage space. Maximize vertical storage by hanging pocket organizers or doors to hold loose objects like shoes, belts and even snacks.

12. Add an area rug

Dorm room floors tend to be covered in durable and drab tile. And even if the room is carpeted, it will likely be with a sturdy, institutional product. Make your space warm and inviting by rolling out a plush area rug. You can choose a rug that adds color and style to the space or thick faux fur your toes can sink into on a cold winter morning. If you’re going for a boho look, don’t hesitate to overlap rugs and create a mix of rich textures.

A good way to create a cohesive look is to add complementary fabrics to the room. For example, if you use a faux fur area rug, consider covering your desk chair or an ottoman with a complementary or matching faux fur. If you choose a rug that features the color red, consider draping a red blanket over the comfortable chair.

13. Create a kitchen space

Some nights you won’t feel like going down to the dining hall for dinner. On those nights, you’ll appreciate a mini kitchen. To create one in your dorm room, you’ll want to invest in a mini-fridge, microwave and single-serve coffee maker. (Fun appliance colors like teal can add some pizzaz to an otherwise dull décor.) Add to that open storage cubes with baskets where you can store plates, glasses, coffee cups, silverware, stackable mixing bowls and snacks.

If you have the room, consider adding a table for two where you and your roommate or a friend can enjoy a meal in the room. Because you’ll need to wipe the table as well as wash plates, utensils and cooking bowls, make sure you have a caddy with cleaning supplies on hand. After a meal, take your dirty dishes and caddy to the appropriate communal area to clean up.

14. Plan for guests

Whether they drop by to study or to binge-watch your favorite shows, you’re bound to have friends over. Make sure you’re ready to entertain. Dorm rooms usually come with only one chair for your desk. Although you can use your bed for seating during the day, consider other options, too. An inexpensive couch under a lofted bed provides seating for up to three people and makes a great place to take a study break. Bean bag chairs offer a casual solution. You can even keep a few large throw pillows on your bed that guests can sit on or lean against the wall.

15. Give yourself some space

If you have a roommate, you may want your own space from time to time, especially when working on a big project or studying for finals. You can create two separate spaces by using an open shelving unit to divide the room. This also gives you both some extra storage space. However, don’t plan on something that will permanently divide the room without first consulting your roommate.

For a temporary divider, install a curtain track in the middle of the room and hang floor-to-ceiling curtains instead. You can neatly tie back the curtains, leaving the room open, until one of you needs privacy. While standard curtains from a box store will do, you can also purchase tapestries with fun prints or take a trip to the fabric store and make your own curtains.

Moving into a dorm soon?

Chances are, you’ll need to move a lot more than you anticipate. From clothes and bedding to a love seat, bean bags and more, your college essentials can quickly exceed what your car can hold. Fortunately, you can rent small trucks and trailers to get your stuff to school, plus the labor to help pack and unpack.