Leaving home and going to college can be nerve-wracking for a number of reasons, but one of the worst things is losing all of the home comforts that we’ve been accustomed to for so long. Making your new dorm room feel like a home is one excellent way to make your life at college a bit happier and more relaxed, but what are the best ways to go about it? Here's how to make your dorm room special.
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1. Stuff from Home
First off, the most important thing is to bring your important possessions from home. They may not be expensive items; in fact, they may even be worthless besides the sentimental value attached to them (soft toys are a good example) but they will give you that warm fuzzy feeling that you get when you think of home. If you have the objects that mean something to you in your dorm room, it may not make the place look particularly special to anyone else, but it will fell special to you, which is what matters.
2. Pick a Theme
Anyway, there are plenty of other alterations that you can add to make your dorm room the envy of all your friends. One way to make your dorm room stand out is to choose a theme; this could be just a colour, or a book, movie, or animal that you love for whatever reason of your own. Make things nicely coordinated so your room doesn’t look like the mishmash of junk that many students have for their dorm room. Why not check out local second-hand shops and jumble sales to see if you can find some gems to enhance your theme? You could get yourself a new rug and bedding without paying an arm or a leg for them.
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3. DIY
Another way of jazzing up your dorm room without spending too much money is to make things yourself. This is will not only give everything a real personal touch, but also allow you to make things exactly the way you want them to be. If you’re a budding artist, why not do some paintings or drawings yourself to put on the wall? Or if art isn’t your thing, try asking a more creative friend to make some pictures for you – they’ll probably be so flattered that you’ve recognised their talent that they’ll love the chance to help you out. In addition, get some nice photographs of special memories and place these around your dorm room. Not only will it make the place special for you, but also make you look really cool and popular!
4. Word up
It’s not just pictures that can really enhance a dorm room, either. Words can be just as powerful. You could put some quotations up that mean something to you, and these could be relevant to your interests. If you’re studying literature then you might want the words of your favourite author or even one of their famous characters on the wall. If social sciences are more your thing, then how about a quotation from a famous historical figure or politician? You could alternatively choose famous words of a scientist, mathematician, artists, actor, or anything that really takes your fancy. And don’t despair that you can’t write on or pain the walls, either. You can cut the letters out of sheets of paper or card and stick them up, and if you use old scraps, it won’t cost you a penny (but it will still look really cool).
5. Lighting
The final tip has to be lighting. Not only will the right lighting make your dorm room warm and inviting, but it will also do justice to the rest of your decorations. Ultimately, all you have to do is put a bit of work in and your dorm room will be really special!