How To Make Your Dorm Feel Like Home

Make your bed extra-cozy

I found that I loved my bed the best when I added a plush throw blanket, a body pillow, and twinkle lights to make it super cozy! You’ll feel right at home when you make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Decorate your dorm the way you would your first apartment

I went crazy with the decor and I wasn’t the least bit sorry! I got acrylic containers from the container store for my jewelry and beauty products, an Audrey canvas and plenty of crosses to hang, and several cute throw pillows that made me feel very grown up. When I didn’t treat my dorm like a dorm, I loved it more. I had my own things and I loved the way it looked, so I really enjoyed being there and didn’t miss my room at home as much.

Get domestic!

I found that the most “homey” touches to my dorm (and even my apartment the next year) were those random things that just made the room feel more grown up, yet were so simple. My roommate and I got curtains for our window, and it made the space feel more like a home. Putting funny little magnets up on the mini fridge made the space look more complete. A rug in the corner gave the room warmth and made it a place you wanted to come home to!

Put up pictures of your loved ones

You will never appreciate nice, framed pictures anymore than when you move away from home. Face-timing your parents and friends will be fun, but getting to see their faces on your walls will really encourage you to keep pushing as you study for that test or just keep a smile on your face throughout the semester! Framebridge let me try out their custom frame service, and it warmed my heart just to spend some time going through the photos on my computer to find one that would bring a smile to my face when I saw it up on my wall.

This is my favorite picture of me and Cam, and with us doing long distance this coming year, I thought it deserved to be blown up and framed! With Framebridge, I got to pick the size of my frame (I went with the medium size) and even my frame color and style. The gold is going to really brighten up my space! I can’t wait to get this baby hung above my futon to bring a smile to my face each day.

If you’d like to order your own custom frames, you can use my coupon code for 15% off: CRISTINAWASHERE15

Keep it clean

You’ll feel stressed out and scatterbrained if you let your room get a mess. Talk to your roommate about setting a day to clean or just a system to keep things tidy to begin with. My roommates and I have always split up cleaning duties (ex. one person vaccums, the other wipes down counters) and we’ll do that every couple weeks or before our parents visit. (Haha!) I always keep my room (or side of the dorm) clean just by picking these up every night before bed. Oh, and make your bed in the morning! You’ll feel more accomplished throughout the day.