Article Written By: Sacha Megan Miller
To decorate a college dorm effectively, you will need to approach it as you would a small space in the house. Think a little out of the box and you will revamp the room so well it won't feel like a school room when you walk in. There is less space to work with so you must make sure of every bit of it.Have a themeA theme will narrow down your decorating choices and make it easier for you to incorporate ideas. You do not have to do the themes everyone else is doing in the home - country, contemporary, classic, Safari. Pulling off some of these themes in a dorm may be tricky. Your theme can be based on anything that captivates you. It could be nature, city life, rural settings, animals, cars, sports, anything your heart feels drawn to. Once you've settled on a theme, choose the color. This color will be the core around which you incorporate other colors.Accessories Make the DifferenceSince most dorms won't let you paint the walls, you are going to have to add accessories to make it feel like a home away from home. Pillows, pictures, bedding sets, and area rugs are all great choices. However, you will also need to consider curtains, plants and lamps. One thing to remember is that your roommate will need to have a say on some of those areas. Of course, you hope you don't get a roommate that has the decorating sense of a turtle!Few college dorms are carpeted and even in those that are; the carpeting is everything short of attractive. Use area rugs to add color and warmth to the room. It will certainly feel like home when you step on the warmth of the rug first thing on a cold morning. Choose from a variety of shapes, patterns and textures, including colored Flokati rugs, flower shaped rugs and solid colored oval rugs.When looking for pillows, choose a couple that will go with your theme, as well as your colors. A good reading pillow will come in quite handy and nothing can beat an oversized body pillow for a good night's sleep. If you are a little bit decorating-challenged, then look for sets of throw pillows sold with complete bedding ensembles.When hanging pictures on the wall, be considerate of the person you are sharing the room with. Do not fill up the space with pictures of you, your family and your friends. Instead, put pictures of your favorite sports team, band, anything that inspires you. Do not hang expensive medallions and paintings though as this is a public facility and they might be stolen.Personalize the window with a set of curtains that matches the beddings. They can also be in a contrasting color. Change the tie-backs, cords, rods, dresser drawer pulls and such. However, keep the original pieces in a safe place as you will need to restore the room to its original state when leaving school. FinallyCo-existence is very important in the dorm. If you think your decorating style will affect your relationship with your roommate, talk about it beforehand and smooth things out. It is better to reach a compromise at the start of the semester than to have a nasty brawl half way into the semester because of a lighting accessory or some other such item.
This Article Has Been Published on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 and Read 118 Times