Tag Archives: dorm decor

Decorate Your Dorm Room Like A Pro 

Leave a reply

One of the best things about moving into your dorm is that you get the chance to decorate it! Since this will be your home-away-from-home, it’s important to make it your own. It’s never too early to start planning, here are a few suggestions to help you get started. 

Cozy Bedding 

Your bedding is what will really make your room feel like home. Invest in a bedding set that fits your style and comfort needs. Remember, you can never have too many pillows!

Table Lamp

Table lamps are great additions to every dorm room. Not only will they add extra lighting, but softer lighting as well. Target and Amazon have great selections allowing you to find the right one to fit your style. 

Rugs 

From a neutral rug to a patterned rug, buying one will add character to your room. If you’re not sure what your roommate’s style will be, play it safe and buy a more neutral one. 

Comfy Chair 

Whether you need a great desk chair, or you prefer something cozy and cute in the corner, it can’t hurt to have additional seating. 

String Lights 

Many college students buy string lights to decorate their room adding some much-needed ambiance. They obviously come in tons of shapes and colors and can literally go anywhere. It’s a no-brainer. 

Photos 

You can never go wrong with using photos to decorate your room. Stick them on your wall in a cool grid, frame some, there’s really no limit. Having photos of your friends and family is a great way to make the place feel like home. 

Wall Art 

Add more charm into your room by decorating it with wall art, like posters and picture prints. Just make sure that you use tape or damage free hooks to place them on your wall. 

It can be tough figuring out what style you want your room to be, but the process is fun. Hopefully, these decorating ideas give you some inspiration for what you want in your dorm room. 

Note: Be sure you carefully read your communications from Student Life and regularly check the Fall Campus Plan webpage to stay up-to-date with the COVID-19 safety precautions PUC will be enforcing.

Dorm Decorating on a Budget

Leave a reply
PUC students study in McReynolds Hall.

PUC students study in McReynolds Hall.

By Andrea James

Save money where you can and still get a stylish, functional dorm room!

Tip #1. Shop at thrift and dollar stores for supplies.

Dollar stores are a college student’s best friend. At my local one, I found:

  • Christmas lights
  • Picture frames
  • Mirrors
  • Mounting supplies, such as self-adhesive hooks
  • Fake flowers
  • Vases and jars
  • Etc. (I also found a lot the things on my packing list FYI)

Tip # 2: Look for deals aimed specifically at students or college freshmen.

Some stores will offer free shipping, free store pick-up, various discounts, etc. However, only buy what you need. Don’t get dazzled by 20 percent off signs and end up buying five fuzzy blankets and 10 rolls of washi tape. Although these things are great and can be useful, you will likely not need that many. Make a list and stick to it!

Tip #3. Print Instagram photos to decorate your walls, shelves, and/or desk.

There are many apps and websites where you can get prints of your photos for cheap, or even free. A few options include:

  • Shutterfly – Get 50 free 4×6 prints for first-time customers. If you download the free mobile app, you get 100 free 4×6 prints.
  • Snapfish – First-time customers can get 50 free 4×6 photos and very low rates on basic prints.
  • Costco Photo Center – Pick up your prints and tick items off your to-buy list in one trip.
  • FreePrints – Only pay shipping costs for 4×6 prints, although there are limitations on the number such as only one print per photo and only a certain number of prints a year.
  • PostalPix – Print four-inch squares from your Instagram library for only 33 cents each (other sizes also available).

Tip #4. Use sticky notes (available at the aforementioned dollar stores) to cover bland white walls with colorful creativity!

Some ideas:

  • Make a motivation wall with quotes, affirmations, and goals.
  • Create a calendar to keep track of important dates and when assignments are due.
  • Post-it to-do lists make it easy to add and remove tasks.
  • Post–it pixel art requires a little planning out on graph paper (unless you use patterns), but is easy to do and will impress all your friends with your skills.

Or, better yet, come up with your own ideas! Which leads into my last tip:

Tip #5. Get creative! Use whatever supplies you have available and have fun.

Honestly, the last thing college students should be stressed about is decorating their dorm room. Don’t spend so much time on DIY projects and Pinterest boards that you neglect the truly important things, like getting your financial aid worked out and registering for classes. At the same time, it’s nice to sometimes take a break from freaking out about the serious things and design a Post-it note pixel superhero to decorate the area above your desk (since you will be staring at it for most of the time you should be studying) or browse Etsy for the perfect washi tape with which to cover everything. College is a time for learning and studying but it’s also a time for great fun, so take a break and design your perfect dorm room. Then make it a reality, using the above tips, and start the school year with your room as full of joy and creativity as your college experience will soon be!

Take a look at a few of my favorite dorm websites for some inspiration too:

Editor’s note: If you’re an incoming freshman, we hope you’re getting excited about being at PUC this fall! Soon you will receive information about New Student Orientation, including what to pack, but in the meantime, you can also refer to the FAQ section on our website.

Tips for an Organized Dorm Room

Leave a reply

By Melissa Setterlund

Around this time of year, most incoming new students have received emails from their deans telling them where and with whom they will be spending the next nine months. This highly anticipated email also comes equipped with a list of things provided in each dorm room and things to remember to bring. (Read the “Your College Packing List” post for a list of suggested items.) When I was an incoming freshman and received that email, I thought to myself, “Great! But now what? What do I do to my room to make it my home away from home?” Our tastes may be completely different and these ideas might not work for you in particular but here are some suggestions to try out in your own dorm room.

Under Bed Storage

{via}

My biggest issue is organization. Where was I supposed to put all this stuff I insisted on packing into my car and driving to PUC all the way from Idaho? Luckily, I realized the height of my twin bed in my dorm room could be easily raised or lowered and I adjusted it to the perfect height to fit two large plastic bins underneath. I highly suggest utilizing the space under the bed and using those colorful Target bins to keep things organized. They work great for food and cutlery items; boxes of shoes and boots; scarves, hats, and gloves; and more. You can mix and match sizes and colors with items you don’t use as often in the back.

PUC Dorm 1

Once I had things organized, I really wanted to make my room look good. I went to Napa and stopped at Target to get a couple of accessories. I got short, cheap tension curtain rods and some colored curtains to make the closets look more tasteful. Next, I got a long tension rod and the blackout curtains for the main window. I definitely recommend getting blackout curtains for your room if you need the room to be dark in order to sleep.

PUC Dorm 2

Another thing that helped make the dorm feel more like home was fixing the walls since the all-white, stone block wall really bothered me. I found three black-and-white posters from AllPosters.com for a total of $15 and bought simple frames from Target to fit. My roommate made us two corkboard wall hangings so we used those as well. I used 3M Command Damage-Free Mounting adhesives to hang my frames and they worked great. Of course, no room is complete without pictures of your family, your friends, your pet, and vacation destinations. I also used the 3M adhesives to hang up pictures so that I felt more at home in my room.

My last suggestion would be to personalize your room to you. I have a friend who decorates her room based on the holiday – pumpkins for harvest, turkeys for Thanksgiving, lights and trees for Christmas, hearts for Valentine’s Day, and summer décor. Another friend of mine puts up Christmas lights year round to give her room a bit of ambiance.

If you’re looking for more tips, follow PUC’s Pinterest board dedicated to Dorm Decoration Ideas.