How To Make Your Dorm Room Less Depressing!

We've all been there, we buy a couple posters and think, "Wow, I'm the queen of home decor," but when those posters actually go up, they cover a little under 1/4th of the wall and your dreams of having your own HGTV show are crushed before your eyes. Well, don't give up yet! With a few of these tips, your room can go from trash to class!

1. Flowers

I know this seems really straight forward, but honestly, it's a small step that can go a long way. And don't be going crazy over color and what not. Just go to the store and pick up one or two bunches of flowers. I typically go for cheaper ones, and two bunches will cost about 10-12$. As for a vase, I used an old water bottle, but anything can work: wine bottles, different food cartons or even an actual vase if you're feeling bougie! Other plants can work too, but don't get something super big and expensive that you are just going to accidently kill. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Why buy something that's just gunna die in a week?" Well, I'm here to tell you that exactly what you want to happen!

2. Dead Flowers

Okay, hear me out on this first. Dead flowers may seem like something you would just toss, but I've found them to be super cute additions to my dorm. What you do is this: once you notice the flowers from the first step start to die, take the flowers out, tie them up at about the middle of the stem (Here get creative! I've used ribbon, string, rubber bands, and even ripped apart a plastic bag into a long strip and used that.) And turn them upside down. Flowers, when dying, will dry out in whatever shape they are in. Typically it's a sad looking bent flower, but when held upside down, gravity pulls them into not so sad, but dead flowers. Now it's time to take your flowers and hang them on your wall. Simply hang them by the material you used to tie together the flowers and place them on a thumbtack, command hook etc. And don't worry, the flowers don't rot or smell, but remember, they are fragile so look, don't touch!

3. Books

Via wikihow.com

We all have books. Especially since this is a college dorm, you should have some books. Typically we like to hide them away in drawers and never open them. But the key to a great dorm is for it to look full. No one want's an empty looking dorm. I found putting my textbooks on display on my desk, on my dresser, even as a large pile next to your desk. This is a dorm room first, so the books will only add to any aesthetic you are going for. If you have ugly/scary looking textbooks (looking at you Chemistry textbook.) Just simply get a brown paper bag and use it to make a book cover! Just follow the tutorial and you have and a now customizable book cover!

4. Create

Another extremely important thing to do when making a room is adding your personal touch to it! Do you have artwork from that one art elective you took? That right there is unique and will definitly catch peoples eye. I love to paint, but I am also awful at it. That okay, hanging art that isn't great doesn't matter. Just having a varitety of unique pieces to display will not only fill up your wall, but also make your room stand out. Now, I know, alot of use have no art, and can't even begin to make something because of time or general laziness. That's okay, another, easier, alternative is:

5. Good Will

Time and time again, Good Will has saved my broke self in college. From clothes shopping to decorating, Good Will has been and always will be, my ride or die. What makes Good Will and stores like it great are because they sell a vast variety of unique items, at low prices! I've picked up about 5 paintings, 10 worn and rustic looking books, a few nick nacks and a sweater for about 20 bucks! These stores are the place to be if you want your dorm to look have that ~look~

6. Break the Rules.

This last one may seem scary. Break the rules? I don't want to get kicked out of housing! 0.0 But, we all have been there. Casandra down the hall's room looks incredible and you know that half of what she has up is a fire hazard and isn't part of the dorm's guidelines. So how does Casandra always get to have the perfect room?? Simple: the rules only matter if you get caught. RA's have to give 24-hour notice before coming into your room, so you can basically have whatever you want in your room, just hide it when they come around. Let's face it, it's next to impossible to have a half way decent looking room without breaking a single rule? So live a little! Buy those string lights from Michaels! Get that Girl Scout Cookie Candle you always wanted!