33 Best Dorm Decor Ideas for 2021

When you’re in high school, the best thing about a new school year is new school supplies. But then college comes along, and you have a whole new room! The possibilities for decorating it are endless, but here are some of our favorite dorm decor ideas.

Dorm Wall Decor Ideas

If you think about it, your walls are the first things you see when you wake up. So make sure they’re decorated with something that puts you in a great mood!

1. Make a Collage

Some art projects are classics for a reason. Start the new school year with a group of friends, a few pairs of scissors, and tons of magazines. Then make a collage of your favorite images to hang above your bed.

2. Create a Gallery Wall

Gallery walls are the best because you can mix and match different styles, which is perfect for a college student whose tastes are always changing. There are no rules here; just hang your favorite photos and art pieces in any grouping that appeals to you.

3. Frame Concert Posters

If you’re a big concert-goer, those posters you collected over the years are the perfect way to fill the white space on your walls. Framing them first elevates the look.

4. String Lights and Photos 

For a warm and cozy-looking way to display your photos, attach them with clothespins to string lights that are draped across the wall.

5. Pin Up Maps

Study abroad on the brain? Find beautiful maps of your favorite places and put them up on your wall. If you want, you can put a pin in every place you’ve already been.

6. Display Your Favorite Quote

If there’s a quote that speaks to you, why not put it on your wall? You can spell it out with decal letters, cut words out of magazines, or paint it yourself on a piece of butcher paper.

7. Hang Faux Florals

It’s simple: plants make people happy. But between studying, socializing and your dream internship, you don’t always have time to water them. Cue the fake plants. A few faux florals look sweet pinned on the wall, or you can just hang a picture of them.

8. Stick on Decals 

Everything on your walls has to come off at the end of the school year, which is why decals are your best friends. Switch it up every semester if you’d like. After all, nothing is permanent!

Cozy Dorm Decor Ideas 

School can be stressful, so you need a haven to come home to. These are our favorite ideas for making your dorm room as relaxing as can be.

9. Layer Rugs

Nothing says cozy quite like tons of soft rugs. If you want to take it up a notch, you can layer two rugs on top of one another. The key is to make sure you can see plenty of the bottom rug peeking out, and it also looks great if the rugs are made of different textures.

10. Use Soft Lighting

If you’ve ever tried to take the perfect selfie, you know how important lighting is. A dorm room with a soft glow (think string lights and a well-placed floor lamp) well give your room an instantly relaxing vibe.

11. Double Up on Pillows

The more throw pillows, the better. If you can still see your bed, we think you don’t have enough yet!

12. Grab a Throw Blanket

If you want to make visitors feel warm and fuzzy, you need a throw blanket (or three). When they’re not being used, drape them over beds and chairs for an inviting lived-in look.

13. Put Up Tapestries

You feel your most snuggly and safe when you’re surrounded by softness, so hang a tapestry with pretty patterns on your wall.

14. Try Bean Bags

Dorm rooms are small, so chances are if you have guests over, some people will end up sitting on the floor. Make sure they’re just as comfy as the couch-dwellers by having a couple of plush bean bags on hand.

15. Hang Curtains

Nothing is quite as cozy as some billowy curtains on your window. If your dorm allows it, hang up a gauzy pair to hide those less-than-attractive blinds.

16. Add Soft Seating

After sitting in a hard desk chair all day, come home to something comfortable. A soft lounge chair will make all that required reading more bearable.

Dorm DIY Ideas 

For those weekends when you don’t want to go out, but you definitely don’t want to study, a DIY decor craft is the perfect solution.

17. Try Your Hand at Macrame

If you do opt for plants (real or faux), you’ll want something to display them in. A macrame hanger is an awesome way to do it, and is a fun project for a Friday night with friends.

18. String a Seasonal Garland

Garlands aren’t just for Christmas anymore. Make one with yarn and paper hearts for Valentine’s day, or string up pretty fall leaves when autumn rolls around.

19. Create Your Own Headboard

A headboard makes your bed look more sophisticated. You can create a DIY headboard with fabric and cardboard, create the outline of one with washi tape, or opt for a faux one.

20. Print Out Tons of Photos

You’ll never have memories quite like the ones you make in college. So make sure you’re capturing them on camera. Spend a sunday printing out your favorites and pinning them all up on your wall.

21. Get Creative With Washi Tape

Just like wall decals, washi tape is totally removable, which means your decor can change with your mood. Plus, it comes in so many colors.

22. Cut Out Silhouettes

You may want to recruit your art major friends for this one. Draw you (and your roommates’) silhouettes on black construction paper, then cut them out and frame them. Looks fancy, costs almost nothing!

23. Revamp a Lampshade

Find some cute material (either from a craft store or a blouse that doesn’t fit you anymore) and cut it into strips, then hot glue it to a plain-looking lampshade. Very boho-chic.

24. Update Your Desk Chair

Let’s face it; at the end of a long day of classes, you need all the inspiration you can get to sit down and do homework. So make your desk chair fun by painting it your favorite color, decking it out in decals, or simply draping it with a fluffy blanket.

Dorm Storage Ideas

Decorating is so much fun, but if your room is cluttered, nobody will notice all of your awesome designs. So make sure everything you own has a place to be put away.

25. Use Over the Door Storage

You may not have a lot of room for storage in your dorm, but you certainly have a door! Use over the door storage to corral everything from shoes to school supplies.

26. Store Big Things in Trunks

For chunky knit sweaters, beloved mementos, and everything else that doesn’t have a home, a big trunk is the stylish answer.

27. Capitalize on Under-Bed Space

Out-of-season clothes and other things that don’t need to be immediately reachable can slide in bins under your bed. Out of sight, out of mind!

28. Make the Most of Small Spaces

Small spaces can be your friends if you know how to make the most out of them. The key is to look for vertical storage that doesn’t take up much floor space.

29. Keep Jewelry Contained

At the end of a long day, it’s easy to leave your jewelry wherever you take it off, but small clutter can add up fast, so find a cute way to corral it.

30.Try Drawer Dividers

You don’t want to be late for class because you can’t find matching socks. Drawer dividers keep everything organized and ensure your clothes don’t end up in piles.

31. Opt for Bins and Baskets

Everything looks better in a pretty basket. We recommend storing textbooks in a big one by your desk.

32. Use Desk Accessories

Here’s our best study tip: you can’t have an organized brain if you don’t have an organized desk. Keep every pencil in its place with a couple of good desk accessories.

33. Maximize Your Space

While your bed may seem like the coziest place to hit the books, creating an intentional space to study will help you earn those A’s. If you have a small room, swap a large desk for a wall desk and liven it up with a few plants!

Having your own dorm room is one of the best parts of going away to college. Let us help you make it your favorite place on campus.