If you're anything like me, you had high expectations for how your dorm room was going to look as you got closer and closer to graduating high school. It would be your own space (albeit with a roommate, but we can deal with that later); you would be able to decorate to your aesthetic liking. I scoured Pinterest and Tumblr for hours, looking for inspiration. I jumped between having a modern room, a bohemian space, and a grunge space. We can easily all come to the conclusion that having a grunge room would not be very...nice considering it's too trendy and would be something I'd get over easily.
So, I quickly crossed the latter off of my list after 8th grade. The former two were the ones that lasted the test of time, and I had a hard time deciding between them. After all, I love clean, minimalist spaces; there's nothing like it. Nevertheless, I was slowly falling in love with bohemian spaces; not only were they visually pleasing, they also provided a sense of comfort, may it have been because of the cozy throws and blankets or the greenery everywhere. In the long run, I'd say that I have a bohemian space (but it's okay! I'll have my own apartment sooner than later and I'll be able to have the best of both worlds).
Regardless of what theme you want your dorm room to have, they can all be cozy. Considering it'll be your home for pretty much the next year, you might as well love where you are staying and make it a "home away from home." Here are some ways to make your space cozy!
1. Bring in various textures and patterns.
You can do this with your blankets, carpet, bed comforter, or futon. My dorm [luckily] came with hardwood floors, so my gray carpet is the perfect addition to make the room cozier! It provides the perfect soft space to cuddle into and relax. I also brought a tapestry with a really cool pattern, and it's hanging up on my wall. It complements my bedspread (color-wise). You do not have to be extreme in the patterns or textures you use.
2. Use fairy lights.
I have these lights up beneath my bed, and I absolutely adore them! While I am a huge fan of natural light, whenever I want to get cozy (doing homework or reading a book), I love turning my lights on. It provides such a great ambiance to the room. I have some friends who decided to string their lights along the edges of the room on the walls, while others have their lights going vertically along the ceiling.
3. Have a bunch of blankets!
You will not regret this piece of advice when winter comes around. There's nothing like cozying up in a thicket blanket. I have my big, blue blanket from Sam's Club underneath my desk that I curl up in my moon chair with; I also have a couple of smaller blankets that I share with my friends when they come over; on my bed, I have a heated blanket that I typically use when I go to bed.
4. Bring flowers and plants indoors.
I absolutely adore when people have plants and flowers in their rooms, real or not. Nature instantly makes me feel cozier, and it gives a room a very fresh feeling.
5. Burn Incense.
I know that not all dorm will allow incense, but mine [thankfully] does. Incense will make your room smell amazing and it typically calms me down. You can either burn various incenses whenever you want, or you can choose an incense and have it be your dorm's scent. That way, whenever you smell it, you feel at home.
Before I went to Stanford's Summer College in 2014, I never really had a roommate. But, I guess, that's only if you do not count the time my sister and I had to share a room when we were young. Unfortunately, my first roommate situation was not the best, but it also was not the worst. It was simply...okay. Which is fine! There is nothing wrong with not being best friends with your roommate. My experience this year (2016-2017), was pretty great, though! I loved my roommate. While we did have some issues, we were able to quickly work them out. Because I want you all to have as good of an experience as you can with sharing your dorm room with someone, I have some tips for how to get along with your roommate!
Roommates are a tricky thing. You will either get one that you love, one that you hate, or one that is simply "meh." Luckily, while at Stanford, I got one that I "liked." I do not absolutely adore her because, hey, we are all different. BUT, I was able to tolerate her enough to the point of actually having decent conversations. My roommate at Iowa State is one that I love. I hope that these eight tips help your year go by a lot smoother!
1. Talk to each other online, over the phone, or by e-mail before move-in day. Unless you have the disadvantage of not knowing who your roommate is beforehand (which is what happened to me the year that I went to Stanford), you should talk to your roommate before y'all meet face-to-face. Doing this will not only create a rapport with one another that'll hopefully make your actual meet day less awkward, but it will also allow you to get to know one another. Simple things such as introductions beforehand can make the world of a difference!
2. Create a roommate contract. This can include things such as what can and cannot be done between your designated study times. Anything from sexiling (kicking your roommate out to have sex) to times that the blinds can be open to when and how loud music can be played can be included. This contract will be the base for conflicts. Instead of fighting about whatever is bothering one roommate, you can just pull out the contract and point out specifically, "Well, here, we agreed on...yada yada yada."
Note: Be realistic.
3. Assign certain tasks to each other. For instance, a pair of my friends decided who would take out the trash and who would vacuum. It helps everyone feel as if they are doing something, and if that something does not get done, it is not a debate about who was supposed to do what. Feel free to add the task assignments to the contract! However, please realize that sometimes, time is limited and certain tasks may be pushed back by a day or so. (If more, feel free to bring it up.)
4. Be considerate. I tend to listen to my music loudly, which can easily be heard even when I am wearing earphones. At night, I really do try to turn my music down so that I cannot hear the music from my earphones when I have it out of my ear. I try to be considerate (although it slowly kills me, haha). If my music is still too loud (which it might be some days, oops), then I have no problem with my roommate asking me to turn it down a bit. I appreciate the open communication! Talking about things and being considerate is a major rule for when you have a roommate.
5. Do not touch or take what is not yours unless it is offered or decided upon. This includes food and clothing! Always, always ask.
6. Be mindful of each other's schedules. This helps to eliminate any problems with friends coming over, music, studying, etc. I know that my roommate at Stanford studied a lot throughout the week, so I never invited my friends into my dorm room then. And my roommate was not obnoxiously loud when she returned from being out at night because I tended to be trying to sleep. Now, at Iowa State, we pretty much know one another's schedules, so the morning time isn't a problem. We always ask about having company over, so that pretty much eliminates any problems with having people over at night.
7. Communicate! There is nothing more awkward than having to live with someone, yet never speaking to them. Conversations help. Joke, laugh, enjoy! You'll be living with that person for a year; you want to feel comfortable in your room, not like you cannot breathe. I have friends who never talk to their roommate, which I find to be unfortunate.
8. Invite each other places. Even if you two do not hang out with the same group of friends, if your roommate complains about being bored or something of that nature and you're going out, invite them! Even if they decline, it's better to know that you extended the offer. (Remember that you should only invite them if it is not a private event that is not open for others, or where it'd be super awkward for them to come.)
I'm a twenty-something from the Midwest, who's passionate about justice, travel and everything creative. Welcome to my little space on the Internet, which I've shared my thoughts on since 2016.
