One of the most boring parts about a dorm room is its lack of color and personality. Luckily, itâs very easy to bring life to this empty space in a few simple steps.
The easiest ways to add color throughout a dorm is through wall art, colorful furniture, and even using your own clothes and school supplies!
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1. Hanging Colorful Posters On Your Wall
One of the easiest ways to add both color and personality to your dorm room is to cover up that empty white wall around the room. Buy some fun, colorful posters that fit the aesthetic of your room! Or if you donât want to buy some, print some out yourself! Heck, why not do both! A mixture will instantly liven up your wall. If you’re a fan of the color green, check out some green decor items on this blog post!
2. Placing Colorful Figures Around The Room
Another easy way of putting color in your dorm is by buying some cute, cool looking mini statues, vases, figurines, or whatever things you want to place around the room to bring each section of it to life! They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and aesthetics so youâll always be able to find some that fit the look youâre trying to achieve.
3. Hanging Colorful Lights
Fairy lights or string lights are another quick way to bring your room to life. You could hang them on your wall, but thatâs not your only option. You could hang them beneath your bed, on your desk, on your chair, on your door frame, or anywhere else that needs to be brought to life (with your schoolâs permission of course). Not only that, they come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, so find the best one for you!
4. Buying A Colorful Storage Ottoman
A nice way to add a larger, more noticeable pop of color to any space is by placing colorful furniture in it. Since your dorm already comes with its own furniture, youâre going to want to be careful about what you buy to avoid overcrowding the dorm. An ottoman with storage is one of those perfect pieces of furniture because it adds color, can be used as a stool, a seat, and a storage space!
5. Buying A Colorful Butterfly Chair
A butterfly chair is another perfect option when using furniture to add color to a dorm. They come in many different, bright colors, theyâre perfect for lounging and since theyâre foldable, they take up less space than a normal chair. I used mine throughout all four years of college, so itâs worth the buy!
6. Using Colorful Bed Sheets
A very fast and affordable way to add a large pop of color to any bedroom is through colorful sheets. In many cases, it’s the main decorative focal point of the room, so if thereâs any time you should go all out, itâs when choosing your sheets! You could buy a solid colored one, patterned one, graphic one, or mix and match all three!
7. Hanging A Colorful Tapestry
A tapestry is a classic form of dorm decor. The easiest way to add life to your wall. This makes it a perfect way to add color to your dorm room. There are so many different designs that can contribute to any aesthetic that youâd want for your room. There are also different sizes, in case you want to leave some room to hang other wall decor as well.
8. Using Real Or Fake Plants
One of the most common ways that people add color to their space is by adding some plants to it. Itâs a fresh pop of color that brings a room to life through nature. Most people opt for green leaves, but flowers give you a larger range of color. There are so many plant options to choose from that youâre bound to find one that fits your aesthetic. Donât feel like keeping a plant alive? Fake ones bring color to a space too, so no worries!
9. Buying A Colorful Rolling Cart
A rolling cart is another piece of furniture that would make a great addition to your dorm without taking up too much space. It could work as a colorful night stand, toiletry cart, snack cart, etc. And if you have a specific shade of a color in mind, you can paint it yourself!
10. Displaying Colorful School Supplies
A simple and cheap way to put some subtle hints of color into your room is by buying some colorful school supplies on display. Put a pink binder on your desk, display your cute pens and pencils in a colorful pen holder, buy a purple notebook and prop that up on your desk too, buy rainbow sticky notes to decorate your room while leaving helpful reminders for yourself!
11. Displaying Colorful Clothes
Another way to add color to your dorm without spending any money is by putting your clothes on display! This doesnât mean chucking random shirts around the room, it means leaving a colorful jacket tucked over your chair, hanging your colorful clothes in the closet instead of tucking them in a drawer, hanging some colorful shirts to dry instead of putting them all in the dryer, etc.
12. Hanging Colorful Pictures On The Wall
Similar to how posters are an easy way to add color to your walls, any pictures of good memories that youâve taken over the years would be a great way to add color to your dorm! They donât have to be printed on photo paper either, they can be printed on regular computer paper and they would still give you the effects youâre looking for!
13. Buying A Colorful Desk Lamp
Every college student needs a desk lamp, so while youâre on your way to get one, think of picking up a cute colorful lamp that would add life to your room! They come in plenty of cool designs, so youâre anything but limited in your choices. Itâll be easy to find one that fits your aesthetic.
14. Using A Colorful Light Bulb
An impactful way to add color to a room is to change the color of the light that shines in it. If your dorm allows, you can buy a colored bulb and switch it out with the normal lightbulb that your dorm uses. If you donât want that much color, then you can change the lightbulb in your desk lamp instead.
15. Buying A Colorful Rug
A rug is a great way to add color into a room. I mean, you donât want to stick to the boring tile floors or neutral carpet that your school provided right? When looking for a rug, you have so many options when it comes to size, shape, design, color, texture, etc. I suggest buying a rug no matter what aesthetic youâre going for.
16. Buying Colorful Curtains
Curtains are a great way to add very noticeable color to a room. Itâs a piece of furniture thatâs right in your face as soon as you open the door. Itâs pretty hard to miss, so itâs a great way to make a statement of color and design as soon as you walk in the dorm.
17. Buy Colorful Night Lights
No, night lights arenât just for kids. There are plenty of standing night lights that double as figures and a source of calming, ambient light. Want a pop of blue in the shape of a cute bunny? Try this color changing night light:
Want a pop of pink in the shape of a sleeping cat? This one changes color too!:
Want to be more in tune with the moon and the stars? Put the galaxy in your room!: