A freshman’s guide to decorating your dorm room, without breaking the rules

With roommates, various room restrictions and other barriers, adding life to your space at school can be frustrating. Here’s some solutions from writer Tyriana Terrell:

If you’re anything like me, you waited for the day you moved into your dorm for as long as you can remember. You were so excited to decorate your room, only when the time came you realized there’s not much you can do. You can’t paint the walls, you can’t use nails, and the amount of space you have is limited to just half of a small rectangular box. With so many restrictions, and another person inhabiting your space you can’t help but wonder, how can I make this space feel like my home? That’s where I come in. After an entire semester with no decor other than my Pinterest-inspired lofted bed, I knew when I returned for the spring semester that some changes had to be made. Now I’ve returned to help those who are in a similar situation of wanting to decorate, but just not knowing how. Here are my tips:

Living on-campus provides a subtle transition to living independently from your parents or guardians. In the first-year residential communities at the University of Houston, it’s likely you’ll be sharing your room with a mate. The first step before you can begin to arrange your space, is to talk to the person you will be cohabitating with.

Together y’all can find a cohesive theme to make sure there’s not too much going on. Pinterest and YouTube are great tools for finding inspiration. I suggest going shopping for room decor together and making a bonding experience out of it, I mean that is the one person you’ll be spending the entire semester with.

For many young adults the college experience may be the first time staying away from family for an extended period of time, and chances are you may get a little homesick. To alleviate that, I encourage you to add familiar objects to bring a sense of balance to your new place. That can be anything from framed pictures of loved ones, a cute and colorful rug or a plant to add energy and life. Make sure to add as many personal elements to your space as you can for optimal balance.

If you’ve ever lived on-campus, then you know putting holes in the walls is a big No-No! So how do you hang that cute little frame that reminds you of home? And the answer is … Command Strips. Lots of them. If I had to guess, I’d say I have about 20 command strips hanging around my room holding up pictures, calendars, you name it my Command Strips are holding it. Trust me, you need these.

Of course there are some rules and requirements that come along with living in dorms, but overall it’s still very freeing. I would encourage anybody thinking about living on campus to do it, even if it’s just for one semester. For a better idea of what to expect, I recommend reading the move-in guide.