Just because you’re living in a college dorm doesn’t mean you can’t put a little creativity and design into your space! Decorating a dorm can be challenging. I mean, let’s be honest — they aren’t exactly known for being cute. Also, you don’t have much free space to work with, but with the area you are given, you can definitely have some fun!

All you need are a few key pieces to get started and add some pretty decor. We’ve rounded up some dorm room decor ideas that can totally transform a boring dorm into a stylish home.

Dress your wall with decals

Sure, you’re not going to go all out and wallpaper your dorm. But you can get some stylish decals to add to the walls and make your space a little less boring and a little more you!

Photo Credit: Amazon

Cozy bedding

Probably the most important part of your dorm room is the bed. Make it a cozy space and beautify the room by splurging on some pretty and comfortable bedding. After some late-night studying, you will love to jump into your bed!

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Photo wall

With fairy lights and some of your favorite photos, you can make a stunning photo wall that will make you feel right at home in your space.

Photo Credit: Dormify

Photo banner

If a photo wall is not your style, you can opt for something simple and sweet, like a photo banner. You’re not limited to hanging photos from it; you can include inspirational messages, reminders, or mementos from home.

Photo Credit: Urban Outfitters

Add a rug

Cozy up the space with a plush fluffy rug. You will love stepping out of bed in the morning onto a high pile rub — plus, it will make the room feel less like a dorm and more like your childhood bedroom.

Photo Credit: dormify via Instagram

Hang up curtains

Nothing will make a dorm room feel less like a plain old box than adding some curtains. Before drilling into any walls, you will have to check and make sure that this is ok. If drilling into the walls to hang a curtain rod is not an option, you can always use a tension rod inside the window frame.

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Add a lamp or two

Good lighting is key to brightening and making any space more cheery, so make sure you bring a pretty lamp or two along to college with you.

Photo Credit: Urban Outfitters

Set up a reading nook

If you have the room for it, get a stylish chair and set yourself up a little reading and relaxing area. This will give you a special spot away from the bed to do some homework and relaxing.

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Get creative with storage

Try and maximize your storage by being creative with your furniture. Get nightstands that have drawers or doors to keep mess concealed. You can also get a headboard organizer with shelves that will give you more space to store items.

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Mini pegboard wall

Creative and cute storage that also acts as decor, like this mini pegboard, are great additions to a college dorm room. Hang one of these above your desk and outfit it with all your must-have essentials.

Photo Credit: Urban Outfitters

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You can free up space in your home by incorporating sliding doors into the design. Sliding doors can be tucked away in the walls or over a wall, leaving you with more free space when you’re deciding layouts and furniture options. You can open up the flow of your home and divide rooms without big bulky swinging doors. Sliding doors give you the flexibility to change between an open concept layout or sectioned-off spaces.

Sliding doors come in all different types and finishes — you can even make your own out of an old rustic door. Here are 14 sliding door examples that we hope will give you some inspiration and ideas.

Sliding doors in the kitchen

Sliding doors in the kitchen are great for separating pantries and closets. If you have a walk-in butler’s pantry and you don’t want to take up  room with large doors, a wall-mounted sliding door will do just the trick.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Radakovic Designs

Have a little fun and creativity with sliding doors. These homeowners decided to use chalkboard paint on their sliding doors so that they could add their own personalized messages.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Foster

When considering sliding doors, think about opting for some glass. This will make the room feel more open and airy and not so closed off. Why conceal a beautiful butler’s pantry when just a bit of glass adds a stylish little peep show?

Photo Credit: Beach Dwellings Design

Photo Credit: E Interiors

Sliding doors in the bathroom

For a modern and elegant bathroom, sliding doors can make quite an impact. In this stylish bathroom, we have a set of pocket sliding doors that take up absolutely no room, allowing for a flawless space.

Photo Credit: Cory Connor Designs

Sliding doors in the living room

If you don’t want a completely open concept, sliding doors are great to separate your living room from other areas in the home. You can leave them open when you want the room opened up, or if you need, you can close them for a more private space.

Photo Credit: Erica Bryen Design

Sliding doors in the hallway

A sliding door is the perfect choice for tight hallways with closets and rooms where a traditional door would be impossible.

Photo Credit: Lisa Gabrielson

Sliding doors in the dining room

Installing sliding doors presents an opportunity to use antique or vintage doors. Because the door does not need to fit inside the door frame in a traditional way, you can really get creative with the doors you choose.

Photo Credit: Grand Tradition Homes

Sliding doors in the home office

You can easily separate a home office with some stylish and modern sliding doors. An office is a great place to use sliding doors.

Photo Credit: Black Band Design

These industrial metal style sliding doors allow this homeowner to showcase a modern eclectic style and a bit of their personality.

Photo Credit: Robert Elliott Homes

Sliding doors in the entry

Keep your entryway open and avoid swinging doors in an already-tight space with a sliding door. You’ll find that you enjoy having more space in an entryway when you don’t have to trip over or move around open doors.

Photo Credit: Talbot Cooley

Photo Credit: M House Development

Sliding doors in the basement

A large open basement is a great place to install sliding doors. They’ll help separate game rooms and other areas and create defined spaces around the basement.

Photo Credit: Aft Construction

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If you’re lucky enough to find yourself the owner of a century home, then count your blessings because they really don’t make houses like they used to. Many homes nowadays are slapped up quickly, cheaper materials are used in place of quality, and in most cases, there is a severe lack of character. 

So you’ve purchased a quality older home, and now you are assigned the task of restoring it to its former glory. What do you keep, and what do you scrap? Where does the character lie within a century home? This article will share the elements and characteristics of an older home that should be preserved and restored if possible. 

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Woodwork and trim

Older homes are rich with high-quality craftsmanship and woodwork. Baseboards, trim, and molding were put in with the utmost care and attention. To add a bolder three-dimensional effect and shadow lines, baseboards and casings around the windows and doors were made of wide stock, and cornices were heavy and dramatic, especially in the 19th century.

You will want to save all that you can of the original woodwork, including any early paneling, built-in casework, spindle work, and other decorative wood treatments. Think of such wooden details as deserving of restoration but also as a source of inspiration — you’ll want to try to replicate these design details in other areas of the home. Using existing quality work as a source for new renovations will help keep the character and make the new parts blend nicely with the older parts of the home. 

Photo Credit: Austin Patterson

The layout

Logic and practicality were always considered when they were designing homes in the 19th century. Later additions changed the patterns of use in some homes and made the layouts more confusing. If it’s possible, retain the floor plan — you’ll be glad you did. In some homes, you may even want to undo what previous remodelers have done to take the home back to its original layout.

In the early seventies, it became popular to do away with dining rooms. No one wanted them, so it became the trend to open up the room to the kitchen to create large country kitchens or other spaces in an open plan, but dining rooms are back on trend, and most homeowners want one now.

Floors

There’s nothing like an original hardwood floor, and if your floors are in great shape and you want to preserve the character, let the floors stay. You can refinish old hardwood floors to make them look new again and give them a fresh face. If there are additions being done to the home, you should try to match the older flooring the best you can to make the transition more seamless from room to room.

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Staircases

As the cost of quality craftsmanship has skyrocketed, the quality and character of the typical staircase have plunged. You should consider restoring if your stairway has original balusters, rails, and newel posts. You can strip them if they are hardwood because you may find in older homes that they have been painted and repainted several times. Find a way to stabilize them that doesn’t detract from their appearance if necessary. Staircases are key design elements in a house and it’s well worth some extra dollars to preserve and restore them.

Photo Credit: 1895stepler_house via Instagram

Hardware and doors

When you look for a home’s character, it can often be found in the hardware. Vintage door knobs and hinges are among some of the most beautiful elements of an older home and should be preserved if they can be. If doors are too old but you have vintage hinges, keep the hinges and swap out the door.

Photo Credit: oldmaplehome via Instagram

You can also check at flea markets and antique stores for older doors that can be refinished and repurposed for additions that will keep with the style and design of the home.

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