Spooky University: Dorm Style

I swear I did a post like once upon a time, maybe more than one but it bears redoing - I'm always upping my interior decorating game. The school season is approaching once more for many of you (not me, not this time!) and so you may be shopping for dorm gear. I'm in the process of redoing my entire room, so while I've been Pinning all kinds of decorating goodies, I've come across quite a few that would work well for the average dorm room.

You're gonna want to pick a color scheme, something you can easily work with. Chances are pretty damn high you can't paint your walls and since most dorms are standard white, it's something to consider. But, you can work with varying shades.....

The best way to do this is start with your white walls and slowly build up in terms of richness or darkness. Alternatively, you could make your focal point the darkest shade and use the lighter colors to complement.

Adding things to your bare walls is going to go a LONG way into making the room feel less like a prison cell and more like a comforting crypt - if that's your thing. If you like the classic rock and roll feel of tacked up posters, cool, but for the more discerning of you, pick up some cheap photo frames from your local thrift shop and either distress or spray them black. It's really easy to make silhouette cutouts. Using old pieces of newspaper or even eerie memento mori will give your decor a dark edge. Of course, there's nothing wrong with just slapping your favorite pics of family and friends up - this simply presents a more artistic way of keeping home close by.

Never underestimate the power of a "faux" headboard - which can often be fashioned from things like painted door mats, fabric and cardboard, picture frames, mirrors, or even curtains!

Whether or not your closet has doors (and you better keep it's contents organized - I can't stress that enough) adding some patterned or sheer curtains can really add some elegance.

Not only does this cover up all your dark and frothy garments, it can also hide ugly and scratched up wooden doors. I know I hated the ones in my first dorm and I only wish I could have thought of it this then.

The nice thing about curtaining up your closet is that it can easily match your window dressing...which brings me to:

If your room only has blinds and no curtain rod, you can easily erect once using cheap Command hooks. This goes for a lot of your wall shenanigans - as they don't leave any damage behind.

The cheapest route here is to just use a sheet in a print or color that you like. It won't be total blackout, but it will keep any peeping perverts from getting an eye full. 

Of course, no one said that curtains could only be used for your closet or window - using some command hooks on the ceiling and some string to tie things up, you can fashion yourself a bed canopy or even some privacy curtains if you aren't lofted.

I realize this is getting long so I'm just gonna toss in a few honorable mentions:

~ Invest in a large rug. Ideally, it should engulf almost the entirety of unused floor space. Dorm floors are cold, you'll thank me for insisting you dish out the dough for one of these.

~ Bookshelf knickknacks. You don't need many, just a few heavy pieces or faux candles to place between text books or leisure reading materials. 

~ A table runner or small table cloth. Again, dorm furniture is ugly, any way to pretty it up should be used.

~ Fairy lights or a funky lamp will not only give you more light, but create a nice ambiance that overhead fluorescent bulbs just...can't.

~ Lastly, be sure to coordinate at least a bit with your roommate. Unless you're in a single, you will have to share this space so some things should be agreed upon before move-in. You may have to compromise on a few things. 

Follow these simple guideline and you'll go from this ^ to this v (or something!)