Seasons change, exams come and go, and landscaping staff continues maintenance of IU’s campus. The aspect of life students have the most creative control over? The design and decoration of their dorm rooms.
We asked two students, Garrett Dederichs and Erin Deckard, to share their best tips for students organizing, decorating and revamping their room for the coming semester.
Dederichs, a freshman, won this year’s Residential Programs and Services Cool Room Contest with his roommate in McNutt Quad. Deckard, a sophomore, is in her second year in Ashton Residence Hall.
Light it up
Deckard said alternate lighting is a must-have in any college dorm room. “I had lots of desk lamps and one standing light,” she said. “The fluorescent lighting is super harsh, and it kind of gave me a headache.” Deckard said students should focus on making their room free of stress but still an environment where schoolwork can get done.
Get rid of bare walls
While dorm rooms may not be medieval prisons or Soviet-era gulags, students should keep in mind they were built to have the same setup. Dederichs said personalization can be accomplished with posters, neon signs or photos. For Deckard, this meant hanging up as much tapestry as possible. Deckard said it is important not to make a room too pattern-heavy because this may get the senses worked up.
Want visitors? Get some chairs
Dederichs said a futon or other couch setup is key if students want it to become a room to hangout in. A general theme in decorating is students shouldn’t allow what RPS provides in the rooms to limit design. If all rooms look similar, what would make people want to spend time in yours?
Rugs are friends not foes
Dederichs recommends getting a large rug. “Or, if you’re really dedicated, I know this one kid who had tile pieces you could cut, and his dad cut out perfect tile pieces so his whole floor was carpeted,” Dederichs said. Students definitely don’t have to install a temporary tile floor, but it does help to have a fuzzy room to make the floor less bland. Deckard said a rug can also help in working a color scheme, which will be discussed below, into your room. While some students might think rugs are a nuisance and require extra cleaning, the upsides seem to speak for themselves.
Choose your colors and choose wisely
“Different colors bring out different moods involuntarily in people,” Deckard said. She is an artist and has another in her family, so colors play a big role when she makes styling decisions in her room. For example, yellow would be regarded as happy, while red is considered more inviting. “When you’re making a space in your room, you definitely want to pick colors that you think will go well with your personality,” Deckard said. She described herself as stressed often, so she can’t pick an overly-stimulating color. She sticks to cooler tones like shades of blue.
Forget to take down the Christmas lights
One accessory that Dederichs described as key is year-round Christmas lights that go around the room. While it may seem simple, Dederichs said it makes the room more interesting and keeps everybody in a good mood. This type of year-round lighting can be observed on a walk around any of the residence neighborhoods and is a common accessory for students who seek to make their room more personal but appealing.
Keep food elevated
Many rooms on campus have shelves, which serve as excellent pantries. If you don’t have a piece of furniture that can keep your snacks above the floor, there are low-cost options in most department stores that can assist. This keeps pests away from food but also ensures easy access to any food or drink you may care to consume. Deckard said her current room has more shelves than the one she had last year, which has been helpful in organization. Dederichs uses the area above his and his roommate’s desks to hold snacks and their collection of water bottles, a staple in most dorm rooms.
The above tips are helpful guidelines, but Deckard said students should remember to aim for practicality over appearance when it comes to any design decisions.
The stress students experience daily can build up, and a dorm room is an excellent place to get away from stress, Deckard said.
Dederichs’ tip for those with roommates, if possible, is to stack the two beds.
It creates more recreational area and ensures a piece of furniture, like a sofa or bigger chair, can fit. The key is more space, more chairs, more light and more room for leisure.
