By Amanda Gabriel
Elm Staff Writer
In the typical dorm room, the atmosphere is often dull and boring. The space is small, the room is crammed with furniture, and the walls are bare. Pinterest offers many ideas on how to decorate your room, but as the pins stack up, so do the bills. So how does one decorate his or her room without completely breaking the bank?
The easiest way to liven up a room is to cover the walls in pictures. Posters are cheap and fill a large area of the wall. Having the same shapes on the walls can be repetitive. Try mixing it up by printing out your own pictures in your likes on Instagram or your last vacation. Then adjust their sizes on the computer, print them on shiny photo paper, and cut and tape them to your wall for an instant mural. Although this process requires a lot of cutting, the end result is a room full of color and pictures that reflect you. Similarly, cutting out inspirational and motivational quotes from construction paper is another way to save money on wall decorations. Wall stickers are usually around $20, so why not buy some paper from the dollar store and cut your own?
Besides the walls, furniture is another aspect of the room that could use some sprucing up. The bed is easy—just cover it with lots of pillows and a comfy quilt. As for the desk, hand-painted mason jars that match your bedspread or other pictures on the wall can tie the room together. You can even add other items to the jar such as seashells, glitter, flowers, etc. to reflect your personality. The dresser is harder to decorate, but it can be done. Putting more pictures and letters on it is one way to achieve this, but you could also invest in some washi tape on Amazon. This tape comes in various colors and designs and can be placed right on the outside of the drawers and easily removed later.
While the dorms may not initially be the most exciting place to spend time on campus, they can be turned into a Instagram-worthy hang out by busting out your best DIY ideas or trying some of the ones mentioned above. It may be a little late in the semester to redecorate completely, so keep some of these decorating ideas in mind for the fall.