Student life goes smoothly when you have a good educational environment. Sometimes it’s hard to create as dorm rooms aren’t known for their decoration. All you have is a desk and a bed for the rest of the academic year. Because of this, it feels like nobody actually lives there.
To improve living conditions students have to be creative and use the entire room space. The dorm should be utilitarian and comfortable enough for the entire time you live in it. But what practical steps students can take to achieve this?
Own A Couple Of House Plants
Making a dorm room feel like home starts with buying house plants. Don’t turn the windowsill into a flower bed, unless you are into it. Several flower pots will do the trick for most students. If there is little time to water the plants, buy a couple of cacti. But, more responsible students might want to have a geranium or a poinsettia plant.
Both of them are easy to manage. All they need is water, sunshine, and a steady warm temperature. Poinsettia plants work beautifully as a Christmas decoration thanks to their red and green colored leaves. Great choice if there’s no room for a proper Christmas tree.
If you enjoy flowers more, get some bulbous perennial plants. Things like hyacinths, irises, and tulips will fill the room with sweet aromas. Not to mention that they look lovely. Especially tulips from Holland. They will grow delightful flowers each year.
Don’t forget that house plants also have practical use. All plant life takes the carbon dioxide that comes from your lungs and turns it into oxygen. Having a couple of plants will remove harmful toxins and make the air fresher. Nothing can be better if you live in a smog-filled city.
Print and Frame Family Pictures
After spending months in a college dorm, you may start to get a little homesick. One proven way of getting rid of this feeling is by printing photographs of significant people in your life. Some of the people may be the reason why you currently pursue an academic career.
The main point is finding photos with events that changed your life or brought back fond memories. They can include:
- Trips to mountain resorts with friends
- Momentous birthday parties or holidays
- Snapshots of your everyday childhood
There is no strict rule about placing them around the home. Photos can be placed on the work desk, at your bedside, or pinned around the room. There is also the option of hanging all of the photographs on a single wall.
Organize The Work Space
Living in a dorm room can feel like staying inside of a wardrobe. Students have to use every inch of space they get. One of the best solutions for this is having a loft bed. If you’ve never slept on one of them before, it will take some time to adjust to it.
Students can use this area to hide the desk, chair, laptop, and backpack under the loft bed. You can fit a small bookshelf on the wall if there is space left. It can be used to store study material as well as some fiction books you like.
It’s also a good idea to have a bulletin board hung at eye level. Students use it to pin notes about deadlines and important events. Of course, there is Google Calendar, but it never hurts to keep track of physical reminders. You might find yourself frantically typing stuff like “buy essay” at 3 AM to maintain academic progress otherwise.
To keep the desk nice and tidy it doesn’t hurt to have a folder organizer and a pencil holder. These items help to keep the desk from cluttering with random files and stationery. This way it’s easier to search for sheets and books on specific subjects.
Don’t forget to put a wastepaper basket beneath the table. They are dirt cheap, save time on throwing out the trash and keep the workspace organized. Don’t forget to empty them once they’re full.
Cozy Up The Place
There are a few tricks to make the room look nicer than it is. First, you might think about installing a mirror. It doesn’t have to be a full-length mirror. Having a standard-sized object helps to make it look like the room is bigger than it is. This is one of the oldest house design tricks and works just as well for dorms.
Another thing that can make you feel more comfortable is a small rug. A well-placed carpet adds a touch of color and texture to otherwise dull surroundings. It can be the center of the room and act’s as an item that ties its style together. Not to mention that it’s more pleasant to walk on than a cold tiled floor.
Curtains are another piece of decor that improves the dorm interior. They provide privacy and accent to the room. Choose fabric density depending on how sensitive your eyes are to natural light. If the curtains are too thin, you won’t be able to sleep well at night. Especially if there is a street lamp outside.
The final touch to a room is made with lighting. It’s good to have a couple of small sources of light in different places. For example, you can have a lamp on your desk and another near your bed in case you want to read at night. Make sure that they are not too bright. If you want to sleep well, the light should be mellow enough for the eyes to relax.
In Conclusion
As you can see, making a room look nice doesn’t take a lot of money or talent. All students need is a little time, patience, and a sense of style for their room. Try to look for furniture that reflects your character, lifestyle, and interests. You will have the dorm room of your dreams in no time.
