Even though dorm rooms might be expensive, they definitely donât look the part. Itâs a good thing that, through these decor hacks, you can make a dorm look even more expensive than it actually costs.
The most important part of making a room look expensive, is arranging both the furniture and the decor correctly.
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1. Double Up On Window Treatments
One decor trick used in high-end hotels that makes a space look more expensive is using more than just one window treatment, such as only a curtain or only blinds. If your dorm room already comes with blinds or some kind of window cover, buy a set of curtains to put on top of them. If your dorm doesnât come with anything, buy a tension rod to place a sheer curtain on your window, then hang a curtain rod above the window using command hooks to hang a normal curtain. This way, youâll get the expensive look as well as the functionality.
2. Layer Your Bedding
Another part of your room that youâll want to layer is your bedding. Flat and simple covers with no volume don’t scream expensive. To really get that luxurious volume, youâll want to stack your bedding. That doesnât mean stacking every kind of bedding that you have, it just means choosing a duvet, comforter, sheet, etc. and buying at least two sets of one of them.
3. Go For Neutral Colors
Neutral colors, such as beige, tan, black and white, are timeless and arenât too loud. Colors that arenât too loud tend to easily pair with any kind of decor. This will ensure that the items in your room wonât clash with each other and, instead, add to its overall style. A neutral color palette also has a mature feel to it, and when we think luxury we tend to steer away from childish things. Donât get me wrong, you wonât want the entire room to be neutral, just make sure itâs the overarching color palette with touches of different colors sprinkled in throughout.
Another type of decor that uses neutral colors is earthy decor. Check out some ideas for how to achieve that aesthetic on this blog post!
4. Hang One Big Wall Art Piece
When it comes to art, one large art piece says luxury more than many art pieces scrunched up together or spread out on the wall. Donât get me wrong, thereâs nothing wrong with using many different pieces of wall art depending on the look youâre going for; however, when you want a more expensive feel, less is more in this category. This large wall art could be a big poster, a tapestry, a painting, etc.
5. Buy Different Sized Decor
Unlike your wall decor, youâll want to buy more than one kind of room decor, such as figures, decorative trays, vases, plants, etc. When buying these different sets of decor, youâll want to buy them in different sizes. By mixing up your decorations, youâll keep everything from being too one note and too boring. The interesting variety in decor will make the room look more expensive.
6. Group Your Decor
Now that youâve bought your different sized decor, youâre going to want to group them together. This will keep the room from looking like a mess and, better yet, each piece will compliment one another. This will bring balance to the room, making it look more high-end.
7. Stack Your Decor
If you have different forms of flat decor, such as decorative trays, books, coasters, etc., then youâll want to group these together by stacking them. Remember to keep them different sizes if you can, that way you can stack them from biggest to smallest. This will maintain the look of variety.
8. Arrange Everything Symmetrically
A common pattern in luxury decor and styling is symmetry. This doesnât mean that everything needs to look the same, it just means that everything should look balanced. Balance in decor can mean a lot of different things, so as a general rule of thumb, make sure to have at least three qualities of the room match throughout the whole space.
9. Arrange Your Furniture With Purpose
When choosing where you want your bed, desk, chair and other furniture to be, youâll want to do so with a specific purpose in mind for each. What do you want the main focal point of the room to be? Where do you want your study space vs your sleep/relaxation space to be? Do you want your desk to serve more as a makeup vanity and set up a study nook under your bed instead? Do you want to create a seating space where guests are welcome?
Think about what you want each piece of furniture to serve as instead of randomly placing them throughout the room without any thought to it.
10. Make The Dorm Smell Good
A very important part of the atmosphere is smell. Since you want to create an expensive atmosphere, youâll want to make your dorm smell nice. If you walk in and it doesnât smell like anything or, even worse, it smells bad, then it wonât feel very luxurious. A few scents that hotels like to use that could bring a high-end atmosphere to your space are sandalwood, vanilla, cedar, lemon blossom, citrus, neroli, leather and white tea.
11. Layer Your Lighting
A very important aspect of any decor is using a variety of lighting. There are three types of lighting that youâll want to use throughout your dorm:
Ambient lighting: soft lighting that serves to create a calming atmosphere:
Task lighting: somewhat sharp lighting thatâs used to complete tasks, such as studying.
Accent lighting: lighting thatâs used purely to decorate and highlight a feature of a home
By using a mixture of these lights, youâll highlight different parts of your dorm, create a relaxing and classy atmosphere and bring depth to the space.
12. Buy A Lamp
Speaking of lighting, one easy, effective, and classy way to bring ambient lighting to your dorm room is by using a lamp. This could be a floor lamp, a table lamp, a desk lamp, etc. As long as itâs the type of light that uses a lamp shade. Weâre not talking about a study lamp, thatâs a form of task lighting. An ambient lamp brings the visual price of a room up.
13. Organize
This is an important factor in any dorm room, or room for that matter. Since you donât have a lot of space to work with, youâre going to have to be intentional with what is and isnât put on display if youâre going to achieve a high-end look. If you want some amazing tips on organization, check out this post. It may say it’s for single dorms, but every dorm can use these tips.
14. Re-Jar Your Products
You wonât be able to tuck everything away when youâre living in a space with limited storage, but that doesnât mean you have to compromise your luxury look. For things like soap, body lotion, tide pods, bath soap, etc, put them in nice looking jars and containers that fit the style of your room. Then you can get away with leaving stuff out because they function as decor too!
15. Buy A Rug
A rug is a must when tying a roomâs look together. Luxury rooms are no exception. Without a rug, furniture in a room looks like theyâre floating around the room without a clear anchor. It makes the placement of your furniture look a little less purposeful. When you place a rug down, it solidifies the placement of all of your decor, making it look purposeful and high-end.
16. Buy Small Furniture
Since you donât have a lot of space to work with, youâre going to want to buy furniture that matches the scale of the room. This will keep it from looking overcrowded, leave breathing room, and keep the space looking planned out and expensive.
17. Donât Make Everything Match
If you want your dorm room to look expensive, donât make every single thing match. From the furniture, to the decor, to the lighting, to the rug, mix it up a little. Donât buy all of your decor from the same place. You want to mix and match the style of everything in the room a bit or else it looks like a showroom at a furniture store. Create interest and style in your dorm; thatâll make it look expensive.