9 Dorm Room Decorating Ideas for the School Year

Courtesy @TheNestingPot/Instagram

Photo Wall

Dress up your dorm wall with a photo collage! It’s easy to do, affordable and makes a big impact without damaging the walls. (Most college dorms have a “no drill” policy.)

Here, @thenestingpot used this coastal photo kit bundle as her color scheme inspiration. She pulled the grays, reds and beachy neutrals from the collage to accessorize the rest of the room.

You’ll get a similar effect with a dorm wall mood board.

Courtesy @Dorm__Decor/Instagram

Masculine Minimalist

Some boys might not be interested in decorating their dorm, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a cozy and welcoming space.

This dorm room from @dorm__decor features dark textiles and soft textures to create a minimalist space that’s easy to keep tidy. The double-duty leather storage ottomans hide clutter and provide extra seating when friends come over.

Via Merchant

Wall Monogram

Your college student will love personalizing their room with this Baltic birch wood monogram, which comes in seven sizes. It’s lightweight and easy to hang, and the bare wood finish works with any color scheme. It makes great wall decor, and the swirly lettering pairs well with the feminine decor.

Faux Grass Walls

Watch this dorm room transformation from @1makaylajanae featuring unexpected “living” walls.

Faux grass panels, attached with damage-free hanging strips, cover the wall behind the head of each bed, along with a neon sign to personalize each roommate’s side of the room. The greenery softens the space and offers a unique alternative to the usual poster or photo wall.

Courtesy @CollectedLBK/Instagram

Cozy Curtains

We love lots of things about this beautiful dorm room from @collectedlbk, but the curtains — hung with a tension rod to avoid drilling holes in the wall — offer the biggest impact. The dark gold color and ceiling-to-floor length make the room feel lush and intimate.

Note how the solid curtains and bedding provide balance against the bold patterns in the floral rug and geometric wallpaper. Check out more of their designs at Collected Lubbock.

Via Merchant

Functional Wall Art

In a small dorm room, let your wall decor do double duty! This cute dry-erase calendar decal dresses up your space while helping keep track of due dates and upcoming tests. Simply peel and stick above the desk, and you’ve got instant wall decor. Plus, it’s easy to remove on move-out day.

Fairy Lights

Follow along as @camille.penick dresses up her dorm room with faux ivy vines and fairy lights. This is another high-impact, low-cost idea — always the goal with dorm decor!

The lights, with eight blinking modes, include damage-free adhesive hooks for easy installation. Paired with the ivy vines, they transform the sleepy space into a dreamy hideaway.

DIY Headboard

This tutorial from @emilyrayna shows you how to make an affordable dorm room headboard using dollar store frames and a foam board.

Remove the back of the frames and glue them to the foam board. Spray paint the whole thing a color to fit your decor, then mount on the wall. Easy, cheap and customizable!

Thrifted Gallery Wall

Here’s a more vintage take on dorm decor from @myayayay1. She created this cottage core gallery wall with thrifted frames in gold and wood tones.

The eclectic collection is a refreshing choice that makes the room feel homey and deliberate. Search thrift stores for inexpensive frames (bonus points for odd shapes!) and attach them with damage-free hanging strips.