Creating Your Dream Dorm

I have lived on-campus throughout my college career, with my first two years in your typical freshman dorms, and this year in an apartment-style residence. Along the way I have picked up some budget-friendly tips and tricks to make my room functional, yet still as cozy as possible. I've learned from experience that the last thing I want to do at the end of a long day of class and practice is to go home to a messy, chaotic bedroom. While I used to be all about the brights (bright walls, bright bedspread, bright pillows, etc), having a clean room with a neutral color palette has made a huge difference in helping me unwind and relax. I also find that when my room is more muted and decluttered, I am motivated to buckle down and get my work done. Here are my top tricks and tips for creating the dorm room (or bedroom) of your dreams.

1. All of the Lights

One of the first things I do when I step into my room is turn on my fairy lights. You can order them from Amazon for less than $10, and I consider them to make the most difference in a room's atmosphere. I simply put Command hooks along the top edge of my walls (with about 2 feet of space in between them) and strung the lights accordingly. Depending on where you have an outlet or where you prefer your lights to be visible, command hooks make it easy to put your lights wherever you want.

2. Picture Perfect

If you have any favorite images from your personal collection, or stumble across a lovely image online, Vistaprint makes it easy to transform your images into posters for your room. The images I chose were ones of the ocean (very calming) and ones of beautiful homes and gardens (to create a homey atmosphere). As long as the image quality is high enough, the poster will turn out beautifully. 

For one of my walls I also printed a selection of inspiring photos that I saved from Instagram. Walgreens Photo is quick, convenient, and always has coupons. I think it totaled around $8 to print 30 2x2 photos. To hang posters and prints, Command mounting strips are definitely the most durable option.

3. Display Your Beauty Products

While I do have my own room this year, that doesn't mean I have ample storage space. I love to display some of my more aesthetically-pleasing beauty products, like nail polish, makeup palettes, and perfume rollerballs, in a chic acrylic organizer. You can find these at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Home Goods for less than $15!

4. Reuse Old Boxes

I love reusing boxes from perfume sets or a new pair of shoes and transforming them into cute organizers. The rose gold boxes in the image of my dresser above actually used to be a cardboard shoe box that I pained with rose gold paint from Michael's. The white box below was recycled from a Christmas gift from this past year. You often see expensive (and fragile) trays retailing for over $40, and I simply don't see the point in making that investment when I know I'm likely to be moving quite often in my early 20s. Refurbished cardboard boxes for the win!

5. Finishing Touches

Finally, I think what ties my room all together is my color scheme, particularly my bedding. I've had my sky blue sheets for years, and they are perfect for college. White sheets can be a dangerous game when it comes to washing them every 2 weeks in those crappy school washing machines. My comforter is my favorite part of my bed. It reminds me of a cloud, and I found it reasonably priced from Target. My fuzzy white throw pillow is also from Target, and to top it all off my beautiful mauvey rose throw blanket is from Marshalls. 

I hope this post gives you some budget-friendly inspiration for creating your own dream room!

xoxo Lizzie