HOW TO MAKE YOUR DORM ROOM FEEL LIKE HOME
Moving into a dorm room while you’re studying might be the first time you experience living on your own. The freedom and sense of independence can be intoxicating, but walking into a half-empty and drab looking room can really knock the wind out of your sales. Most students like to decorate their rooms in a way that expresses their personality and makes them feel comfortable inviting friends over or eases home sickness.
If you feel like your dorm room needs some minor or major changes, here are a few tips to make it happen.
Start with your bed
This is where you will be getting your much needed rest in order to go to class with a clear mind, ready to sponge up all the information that will be on your exam. It will probably double as seating space for guests and occasional office. You’ll be spending a lot of time there so you need it to be comfy and cozy.
Most mattresses you’ll find in dorms are not what you’re used to at home, they’re more like a slab of foam covered in some sort of fabric, most often plastic. If you want to sleep well and avoid nightmares, do yourself a favor by getting a mattress from mattress sale. It will not only increase comfort but also reduce allergens and it makes life easier when you spill something as you can just put it in the washing machine.
Now you can move on to your sheets. Get something high quality and in a darker colour like navy or grey. It shows less stain and you can get more mileage out of them.
Pillows are just as important as your mattress so get something that suits your preference, plush, mid-plush or firm, whatever you like but don’t get anything too big, it gets really annoying when you don’t have much space.
Top everything off with a quilt cover that you can use as decoration as well since your bed will probably be the most noticeable piece of furniture in your room.
Move on to the walls surrounding your bed
Nobody likes to wake up and open their eyes to an empty and depressing wall. You can decorate it with pictures of people you love, inspirational quotes, colourful posters or printed out Instagram pictures you made with your new friends. Something that reminds you of why you’re there and what you care about.
It will really make a difference on those winter mornings when the last thing you want to do is get up and go to class.
Turn your desk into a workspace
If your desk area looks shabby and uninviting, you’ll be more likely to spend time in your comfy bed watching Netflix and doing very little studying. Organize it in such a way that everything is easy to reach (prevents wasted time looking for things) but doesn’t looks crowded which makes it hard to concentrate. Baskets, desk organizers and containers can be found for cheap and don’t take up a lot of space. You can also use them to hide stuff you don’t want your roommates to see as they’ll blend into the background quite seamlessly.
Comfy Seating
Get yourself a bean bag or a comfy saucer chair for those all-night cram sessions that you promised yourself you wouldn’t do but trust me, they’re bound to happen. At those times, the bed is the last thing you want to study on, especially when it comes to those subjects you’re really not that interested in.
A rug and some pillows for guests
In case you don’t want your new friends and colleagues to be spilling things on your bed or passing out on it, get a rug and a few small pillows and make the floor your entertainment area. Your rug should be small enough to fit into the washing machine so you’re better off buying two small ones than one you need to dry clean because they’re not going to offer to pay for it, they’ll probably cover it with one of your pillows and claim they’re innocent until proven guilty.
A lamp for mood lighting
Sometimes you want to set the mood and ceiling lights don’t really help with that. You don’t need anything fancy or expensive. Just get a decent looking lamp and use a warm light bulb, preferably one that isn’t too bright. The room will look much more romantic.
Don’t forget the curtains
If you went through all the trouble of buying a lamp, you don’t want to ruin it by a lack of curtains. I think I don’t need to give much explanation here. Some nice looking curtains will not only make the space look more homey but ensure some much needed privacy. With a tension rod or a few Command hooks you can make it happen.
Express your personality
When you live in a dorm, your room is like your Facebook page, people will come over, look around and try to get a sense of what you’re like by what they see. Put posters of bands you like, if you’re into movies, put some posters of your favorite ones and display your favorite DVD’s somewhere. You play guitar? Great, casually put it somewhere where guests can see it and start a conversation. If you’re into video games, create a space around you PlayStation or Xbox so you can attract people that are into the same things.
Less is more, because you don’t have enough space anyway
Don’t stuff your room with too many things, it will just make it harder to clean. You want some room to breathe, move around and socialize.
Being a first-year student can be quite challenging, everything is new and confusing, maybe even a little scary, you have to learn to do things for yourself that you previously never had to handle, the academic demands are higher as well, but a nice, welcoming home will really help you face each new trial with a clear mind and average level anxiety.
