Are you looking for ways to spruce up your new college dorm and make it look like a place you can call home? Decorating your dorm can be a daunting task, especially since you'll be sharing the common areas with other students. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with seven easy and cost-effective hacks that will make your pad rock. From upcycling old furniture to creating wall art, these ideas are sure to make your dorm stand out from the crowd. Read on to find out how you can make your dorm look like a million bucks without breaking the bank.
You've got to fight for your right, to party - The Beatie Boys
Going to college is a significant milestone for any ambitious youngster looking to flee the shackles of parental suffocation, gain qualifications, party hard and make their mark on the world. Yes indeed, uni is one of the most exciting times of one's life - and studying aside, let's face it, you are probably going to party like a rock star (but perhaps on more of a budget) for three to four years straight.
Now, whether you're about to embark on your first ever houseshare after leaving home, you've just moved out of a dorm or you are a final year veteran, you will all have one fundamental thing in common: you will want a pad that reflects your mood, style and personality.
If you love gothic decor, alternative subcultures - or are simply a deeply alternative party animal and you're looking for cool, inventive and cost-effective ways to spruce up the common areas of your pad, here are seven solid declaration hacks that will make your pad rock.
Pop Art Prints
Stuff of the Dead
If you'd like to achieve that Andy Warhol's Factory-style vibe in your lounge, hallways or bathrooms, all you have to do is find your favourite pop art prints online with a quick image search, save said images in high res, resize them to your desired dimensions, request an online service to print and send them to your pad, and buy a few cheap as chips photo frames to put them in. Hanging frames is simple, it causes minimal wall damage and your prints will make your pad look totally rocking in an instant.Or, if this all sounds like too much work - you can check out out these Rebelsmarket Artprints instead ;)
Battery-powered Fairy Lights
For the best ambient mood lighting in your living room, kitchen and other communal areas, buying a few packs of battery-powered fairy lights from the web and tacking (or pinning) them carefully along your walls will not only give your pad a rocking edge, but if your lights are multi-functional (for example, you can make them dim, change colour or flash), these will double up as effective rave lights when you throw party.
Tapestry Hangings
RM Tapestries
The great thing about tapestry hangings is that you can source them online or through charity shops, markets, thrift shops or vintage boutiques, and pretty much anywhere else you can think of - plus - there are so many designs available out there, from the psychedelic to the geometric, and beyond, adding a truly unique spin to any common room in your pad will take minimal effort. All you need to do is pin your tapestry to the right wall, and hey presto, your pad will be transformed.
Upgrade Your Lampshades
This is a quick and simple one so we won't keep you here for long: concerning general room brightness and style, lampshades can make a world of difference to a shared uni pad, so dig deep, find a bunch of 'out there' creations and go around your common areas swapping the old dusty shades for the head-turning new ones - simple.
Add Magnetic Boards
When you're in a shared housing situation, the best thing you can do is forge positive bonds with your fellow roommates - if you do, the life you have while studying will be more rewarding than you could possibly imagine. One quick, easy and cheap means of making your pad rock while encouraging a social element to your new home is by installing a lightweight magnetic board on the wall.
Why, you say? Well. because not only can you buy really outrageous fridge magnets and arrange them in amusing ways for all to see, but you can stick on positive messages, rock and roll quotes, house rotas and social bulletins than everyone can add to should the mood take them - a two birds with one stone hack if ever we saw one.
Waste Basket Side Tables
Again, this is a colossally quick, simple and pocket-friendly way to make any common area of your pad look epic - and it will take you no time at all. Head out to the store one day with a couple of your roommates, buy a bunch of wastebaskets that tickle your fancy, turn them upside-down, spread them around your home, add ornaments (then have another pint) - and bobs your uncle - a totally one-of-a-kind decorative touch to your new digs. Plus, if you do need extra bins, you can always turn them the right way up again!
Potted Plants
Not only do potted house plants look incredibly cool - especially cacti - but they also serve to add a soothing, mellow vibe to a home. When the going gets tough and you're all under pressure to revise, produce papers and hit deadlines, having plants around will help calm your mood. Also, when you have a hangover, house plants are easier on the eye than trash bags filled with empty beer cans (avert your eyes and gaze at the houseplants until the aspirin has kicked in).
We hope these cool, simple hacks for your college living space have offered you the inspiration you need to get in there and make your new home magic!
Which tip will you try? Comment below!
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