Decorating Tips for Your First College Room

By Elena Golubovich

Whether it’s your first time moving into college or your last, these are some of the best decorations and tips for styling your room to look like a Pinterest board. Creating your dream room is easy in your head, but sometimes the execution is trickier – and more expensive – than you intended. The most important tip for decorating your room is to have fun and tailor it to your personality!

String Lights

Buying string lights, sometimes with a small remote, are a great investment for decorating your bedroom or living room. When you turn off the overhead lights, the string lights will add a soft glow to your room. Most string lights can be found online or in stores, but you can also order lights with clips that let you hang Polaroids, further adding to the perfect bedroom aesthetic.

● Pro Tip: Buy several string lights and hang them above your bed for a fairy-like vibe that will also be perfect lighting for bedtime and pictures.

Organizational Storage

If you have a Target, Walmart, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or any kind of store nearby that sells home decor, it will benefit you in the long run. Your first college apartment will probably not have a lot of flat surfaces to put all of the things you’ve brought with you, so glass storage decorations are the perfect way to make the most out of the space you have while also helping to keep your room organized. They come in different sizes and solid colors, so you can add to the theme of the room.

● Pro Tip: Using a smaller organizer (like the one in the photo) can help you store and organize your makeup so it won’t take up as much room in a bulky makeup bag.

Wall Decorations

In addition to lights, hanging or attaching cork boards, posters/flags, or even fake vines to your walls will make your room look cute and cozy. Command strips should be bought as well to help attach the decorations and sometimes thumbtacks aren’t allowed because they leave holes in the walls. Vines are a fun way to add life to your room and you can order vines with flowers on them if you want a pop of color! Cork boards with fun designs will be the perfect addition to your desk or work area. Bring flags and posters of your favorite bands or artists to cover empty space on your walls.

● Pro Tip: Hang your vines near each other to create the illusion of one continuous vine that will add to the decoration.

Art Canvases

Painting art canvases is a popular trend at any college, so buying art canvases and painting your own designs is a simple way to add wall decor while keeping the room’s theme. And don’t worry – you don’t have to be a professional to paint the canvas. It’s easy to print out designs that you like, and then you can trace them onto the canvas. Other easy designs include using tape to create and paint a unique geometrical art piece that will accent other decorations in your room.

● Pro Tip: Organize a canvas painting night with your friends and use themes or prompts for a fun group activity!

Plant Hangers

Keeping plants in your room adds life and greenery to the aesthetic and there are so many plants that are easy to take care of. For example, air plants (which can be found at Lowe’s or a local nursery) only have to be sprayed – not watered – about once a week. Despite the name “air plant”, there’s water in the spray bottle and just a couple spritzes of hydration will keep your plant happy and healthy with the least amount of effort. Putting these plants in glass pots and hanging them in a macrame plant hanger will add to the decor and save space on flat surfaces.

● Pro Tip: If you can find a local macrame artist, you can work with them to create or pick your own design while also supporting local businesses!

Letter Boards

Having a letter board in your room is a college room cult favorite. Writing fun messages or letting your friends rearrange the letter board creates an inclusive and creative decoration. Some letter boards will have a classic black background and white typewriter letters, but others will have fun colors or lights to brighten the look of the message. If you want a quick and cute way to remind yourself of things you need to do, a letter board will help keep the reminder where you can see it – and not forget!

● Pro Tip: If you have roommates, a letter board is a great way to leave sweet messages or reminders for them.

Print Pictures

Before you leave for college, print pictures of you, your friends, your family and whatever else you want. Use double-sided tape so you have clean and sharp lines for the design. You can create designs with less space if you have more pictures, or different shapes (like squares and hearts) if you want to create a full wall decoration. If you decide to use Polaroids instead of printed photos, line string lights through the photos to emphasize the shape and brighten the room.

● Pro Tip: Pick a design that you can add to throughout the year so that any new friends or experiences can be showcased on the wall with your old friends and memories.