9 Ways to Redecorate Your Dorm for the New Year ...

1. De-Clutter Your Closet

One of the most life-changing ways to redecorate your dorm is to first de-clutter your closet! This means going through everything and organizing your closet as though you were just moving in. Don’t be afraid or shy away from throwing some things away. If you know that you will never wear that shirt again, give it to someone, donate it, or throw it out. This is a great life lesson for the New Year: learning how to be honest with yourself and say NO.

2. Move Your Furniture around

If your bed was near the window, switch sides with your roommate. If your desk was facing a wall, move it to fit as a corner piece in the room. Basically take this opportunity of entering a new year to make some changes, after speaking with your roommate about the changes of course! In my freshman year of college, both of my roommates and I changed our room 2 times during the second semester and we felt much better about the changes because we felt fresh!

3. Add Another Mirror

Adding mirrors opens up a room – it’s great feng shui! Target is the best place to visit to achieve this goal. There is a great selection of mirrors in all shapes and sizes that will look great in any room. I loved keeping mirrors on the back of the door, above my bed, and on top of the mini fridge in the room.

4. Bring in Something from Home

This will not only assist in redecorating the room for the New Year but will also make you feel cozier and more at home. Maybe you have something in your room at home that makes you smile every time you look at it; maybe you love your pillows from your room at home. This year, connect both your room from home and your dorm room. You will bring change and happiness into the New Year!

5. Bunk the Beds

Bunking the beds in the room can certainly add much more space in your room. If you’re in a triple, this is one of the best options. As I mentioned, I had two roommates during my freshman year of college – both of my roommates decided to bunk their beds (it was one of the two changes we made in the room) and they decided to leave them bunked. This gave the room an openness and clean feel for the rest of the year. With a clean and open room, we all felt more comfortable and productive!

6. Rearrange Your Desk

Speaking of comfort and productivity, rearranging your desk will be the cherry on top in your new space. You know those binders and books that have done nothing but collect dust for months? Yeah…those. How about throwing those away or neatly organizing them inside a plastic bin to store under your bed? It’s amazing how much work you can actually get done on your desk when you can SEE your desk and know where everything is. Call me OCD but I loved color-coding my notebooks and books on my desk, designating a special section for my stapler and scotch tape, and having an organized section for pens and highlighters.

7. Add Pictures on the Walls

It’s amazing how cheap and cozy this redecorating tip can be. I’m sure you have a dozen pictures on Facebook that have only been put for other people but you’ve never really enjoyed any of them. Print out a bunch of them and scotch tape them on your wall or above your desk. If you want to get real fancy, stop at Target and purchase funky frames to store the pictures in. Anytime I added pictures to my wall, I felt better about my room and I was more excited to be in my room.

8. Pick a New Theme

If you want to get really crazy and creative, pick a new theme for your side of the room. Maybe that pink bedspread makes you want to hurl just by looking at it. Or maybe you’ve had that same black and white comforter for years and you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to get a new one. This year is YOUR year to make changes for YOU that will make you happy and excited to start a new and fresh life!

9. Accessorize with Additional Pieces

Home Goods, Target, Marshalls, and local antique shops are the best for finding great deals on great stuff that you can add to your room. No matter what the theme, you can never have enough stuff to accentuate the room and the theme. If you’re feeling stumped about ideas or themes, Pinterest has great collages or resort to good ol’ Google to for some great ideas!

Ladies, make 2014 your best year ever! Have fun learning to love and become the best you ever, as well as your new room. How will you redecorate your room this New Year?