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dorm decorating

decorating 101: making a dorm room home

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make your dorm room a place everyone wants to be

how a dorm becomes a home

dorm feng shui

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Decorating 101: Making a Dorm Room Home

Your parents dorm decor probably consisted of tiny, cinder-block rooms with a set of bunk beds, two desks and maybe some posters on the wall for decoration.

But today's dorms have come a long way, and so has the comfort and style level students expect.

Many schools now have dorms that are more like condos, with a central communal living space and separate bedrooms.

Students expect to have all the comforts of home in the dorm as well: televisions, DVD players, audio systems, computers, microwaves. And they'll want to add their own style and personality to their dorm rooms as well.

Of course, everything that goes into a dorm room has to come out at the end of the school year, so any decorating that students do has to be easily removable (so no painting the walls a lovely shade of purple).

And, college students being, well, college students, all this decorating has to be accomplished on a tight budget. "Most people I know are helping to pay for their education, so there's not a lot of money left over for all the stuff we'd like to have for our rooms," says Karla Geissler, a senior at the University of Wisconsin. Here are a few ideas that students can use to jazz up a dorm room and still have money left over for pizza.

Furniture

For the most part, furniture in dorms is standard issue boring. Why not add some fun to the mix with an inexpensive, colorful chair from retailers like Target? An oversize ottoman is a good way to add seating capacity to a dorm room. It can also serve as a table, and some ottomans have removable tops for added storage room as well.

Dorm Decoration Accessories

In your own home, accessories are the little touches that make a big impression. Carry that decoration idea over to your dorm room as well. Nice lamps not only serve a practical purpose, but can add style to a room. Even something as basic as a wastebasket can be funky and fun. "Accessories are great because they can make a big change in the room, but they don't cost a lot," says Geissler.

Bedding

Because dorm rooms are small, beds tend to be the biggest piece of furniture in the room. Instead of thinking of them as an eyesore, think of them as a fashion accessory. With the addition of comfortable sheets and a stylish comforter, the bed can become the focal point of the décor. Choose accessories in colors that coordinate with the bedding for a finished look.

Walls

Walls can be the hardest part of a dorm room to decorate, since you probably won't be allowed to paint them. Does that mean you're stuck with an "institutional beige" paint job?

No way, says Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics, a company that specializes in wall murals that are easy to put up and just as easy to take down at the end of the year. "Our Pacific Sunset, Hawaiian Sunset, Cinnamon Bay, and Manhattan Lights murals are particularly popular with college students," he says. The murals are approximately 8 feet by 13 feet, and can either be wrapped around a corner or trimmed to fit the dorm room wall. All it takes to install a mural are some basic wallcovering tools; the mural comes with specially formulated paste that makes it easy to hang, and easy to remove without damaging the wall.

The Pacific Sunset, Hawaiian Sunset, Cinnamon Bay, and Manhattan Lights wall murals are available at Amazon.com, or visit the Environmental Graphics Web site, www.muralsyourway.com. You can also find wall murals at AllPosters.

Also popular with students are Movie, Music, Party, and Vintage posters. At AllPosters, there's a great selection of College posters. And with their Theme Room posters -- from Cars to Space to Retro, like a 70's room -- AllPosters says, "Decorating your dorm walls just got easier."

Curtains

Windows offer one more opportunity to add color to the dorm room. Even if the window comes equipped with shades or blinds, adding inexpensive curtains is an easy way to dress up the room.

"Since students don't have a ton of money, we have to get creative," says Geissler. As many college students have discovered, creative room ideas are what make a dorm room home. "It's great to have a place that you look forward to coming back to at the end of the day."

Make Your Dorm Room a Place Everyone Wants to Be

There's always one dorm room on each floor that stands out from the rest as being "the room" everyone wants to spend time in. Want to make it yours?

The trick is to start planning early. The ideal setup will be a place that allows your personality to shine, while incorporating all the necessities of dorm life living.

A good place to start is where you'll lay your head at night. Ask ahead of time how big the bed will be. Many schools provide extra-long twin beds that will require special sheets and bedding. That size comes in many cool colors and designs.

And, keep in mind, the mattresses that colleges provide aren't necessarily the most comfortable so invest in a mattress pad. They can mean the difference between waking up well-rested or dead-tired. Once you have your sleeping situation taken care of, invest in some throw pillows to add a bit of pizzazz, so your bed can double as a sofa when you have your friends over.

The next most important thing -- to your academic well-being anyway -- will be the study area. Some people work best at a desk, while others prefer to sit on the bed or in a beanbag chair on the floor. Regardless of where you decide to study, you're bound to need additional lighting. Invest in a halogen floor lamp, a desk lamp, or both. You'll also need some kind of shelving to keep your textbooks and notebooks organized. Milk crates are a good and inexpensive option. They can be stacked so they won't take up much space -- which is at a premium in a dorm room -- and they also make great tables to rest drinks and dinner plates on.

While studying is an important part of college life, you also need to make time to kick aside that homework and hang with friends to relax. This is where you can really make an impact on your floormates. When your parents were in college, lava lamps were all the rage, and they still are today. Another trendy decorative accessory are mood lamps or mood lights, like the Room Tech Beingz Mood Lamp. It has four light modes, animated light effects, and interactive responses to touch or to music. This funky high-tech gadget will transform your study haven into party central as you unleash your inner color.

Another great addition to dorm décor is a storage ottoman with tray. Not only does it look great, it offers much-needed dorm storage. It can even do double-duty as an extra table. Ottomans come in several colors and fabrics, including leather and microsuede, to match a variety of furnishings.

Need other ideas for adding your own personal touch to your dorm room? How about a cool zebra print rug, shoji screen, indoor fountain, art mobile, or art wall clock? You'll have yourself a conversation piece that everyone will be talking about.

Taking the time to prepare for college by figuring out how to get around campus, preparing for classes and decorating your dorm room to reflect your personality will make college a fun and exciting time you'll never forget.

"When Your Dorm Decor is Complete . . ."

". . . then you can turn your focus to stocking your room with modern conveniences," says Patricia McCune, JCPenney trend specialist. You'll need a refrigerator to store drinks and leftovers, and a fan or two to keep cool." For those rushed mornings, consider a small coffee maker, toaster and griddle. They're perfect for whether you've overslept and can't make it to the cafeteria for breakfast, or just need an alternative to the usual menu. To find dorm room appliances, visit the Dorm Electronics page.

Courtesy of ARA Content

resource books

Dorm Room Feng Shui: Find Your Gua > Free Your Chi ;-)
Use the Chinese art of spatial arrangement and orientation to take on the greatest challenge of all — the dorm room.

The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College
Hilarious and truthful book that gives high school students a look at college life.

Send a Student an Amazon Gift Card

Artists' Interiors: Creative Spaces, Inspired Living

A list of other books for high school grads / incoming freshmen . . .

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