Home Look Like a College Dorm Room? 10 Tips to Change the Look

How long has it been since you were in college? If you’ve recently graduated, your home décor probably consists solely of movie posters and college memorabilia. Right out of college, money is probably tight and your first apartment is going to have to look like that for a while. But if it’s been ten years and you’ve still got that Pink Floyd Poster in your front room, it’s time to redecorate. Here are ten tips to make your home more presentable and lose the dorm room look.

Refresh or replace budget furniture

In college and the years right after, most of the furniture you accumulated was found on a roadside or the build-it-yourself particle board variety. While it’s great for a dorm room, it’s not-so-great after college. You can replace this furniture one piece at a time as you can afford it with something better or you can give budget furniture a new look by giving it a fresh coat of paint or adding knobs or pulls.

Seek out unique finds

A single quirky piece can dramatically change the look of a room. If you tend to buy all of your home décor items from the same one or two stores, go somewhere else. You may even find the perfect piece to complete the look in a thrift store or flea market.

Class up your storage

You probably still have some of those plastic storage bins leftover from your college days. They can make a room look cheap. Throw out the plastic tubs and invest in some better storage options if you want to make your living space look classier.

Get some wall art

By wall art, I don’t mean posters and college memorabilia, I mean real, high quality prints that you can hang on your wall and be proud of. Don’t forget to frame your art as it can add a classy touch.

Update your bed

Still using the same bedding set from college? You can quickly update the look of your bed by getting a new duvet set. Go with a neutral color and invest a little more for Egyptian cotton sheets and something with textured pillows to get an elegant look.

Tell a story with knick-knacks

Everybody collects little odds and ends over the years. Many of these trinkets will have sentimental and you’ll want to display as many as you can. But if they’re placed haphazardly all over the place, the look won’t be cohesive. Choose your knick-knacks carefully and display them in a way that tells a story.

Upgrade your lighting

Nothing screams "dorm room" like cheap, flimsy floor lamps, table lamps, and string lights. Invest in some nicer lighting options to drastically change the look in your home. Add some bling-bling doesn’t have to be expensive. It certainly doesn’t have to be real gold, silver, or crystal. But you want some element of your home décor to sparkle. It can be a beaded trim on a lamp shade or a gold plated or crystal chandelier.

Lose the futon

A futon is an inexpensive, modern-looking alternative to a real sofa but most of the time, it just makes a room look cheap. It’s time to invest in a real sofa.

Go natural

Natural accessories like seashells, flowers, stones, and woven baskets give your home an earthy, welcome home. It’s the small details that really transform a dorm room into a grownup’s living space.

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Source: realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/home-look-like-college-dorm/