How to style your dorm room By Luca Vermeirssen, Nina Rooze & Julia Davidse

HOW TO STYLE YOUR DORM ROOM?

THE IKEA-SHOWROOM

No, this is not really an Ikea showroom, but that is how my roommates and friends call my room.

Like 90% of my things are from Ikea, from my bed to my cacti, my lamps, my placemats and even my laundry basket, dish brush and trash can. I even made my own make-up table out of their furniture. One remarkable thing that’s not from Ikea is my couch, which is from Leen Bakker. Of course there are more things which are not from Ikea, but those are just small things like my flowers, fragrance sticks and cutlery. Another thing my roommates notice is that I really like candles (many of them are also from Ikea, but also from other stores). They say I’m addicted and sometimes make fun of me, but I don’t blame them because I buy candles like every other week and I have a box full of just candles. Why not, right? I think they make it cozy and who doesn’t want a nice ambiance in their room? For a while I’ve been getting a little addicted to buying new pillows too. There are now six on my couch and three in my closet, but this way I can alternate them! I just really like to make my room cozy.

“My friends say I’m addicted to buying candles”

I have a few recommendations for shops to make your room cozy like mine. 1. I think you can guess it, but IKEA obviously. People often think of furniture when they talk about Ikea, but you also can get really nice accessories for your room, like scented candles, flowers, plants, lights, posters, picture frames, pillows and cuddly toys like the cute elephant on my bed. Unfortunately, there is no Ikea in Tilburg, but in Breda there is! You can get there in plus minus forty minutes with public transport, so what is stopping you from going? 2. Another recommendation is Casa! Some things might be a little more expensive than other stores, but they have such nice things. They have normal furniture and also the nicest decorations for your room, but just a little more special than say, from Ikea (must i say necessary with my Ikea-showroom haha). There is also a Casa-store on Pieter Vreedeplein, so if you don’t know what to do this afternoon? Just go there, you won’t regret it, I promise. 3. There are also a lot of other stores with nice decorations which are a little cheaper, which is not bad since most of us are just poor students. At Xenos, Hema and Blokker are also pretty things. I also got multiple things from there. When you like shopping online, bol.com is also a must. 5

PLANTS

ARE HOT AS HELL!

They make your room feel more cozy and pretty. Almost every student wants them, but taking care of a plant can be a real pain in the ass. Here some useful tips so you don’t have to say goodbye to your green amigos anymore. 1. Underwatering is better than overwatering! How do you know your plant is happy with its amount of water? Put your finger a few centimeters in the soil of your plant. If the dirt sticks to your finger, you don’t need to water it. When it doesn’t stick (or a little), it’s time for watering! If the soil has dried out, your plant might look sad, but it’ll bounce back once you water it. 2. Google your plant! This might sound like an open door, but it can be really helpful. Some plants need more light for example than others. By knowing it’s needs, it’ll become easier to take care of your green friends. 3. Look at your plant! Take some time, every week to look at all your plants. Look for dead or yellow leaves, insects or other odd things. If you catch the problem early enough, you can tackle it well! 4. Sometimes, dead leaves are okay! Every now and then, a leaf will die. That’s completely normal, it’ll help your plant to direct more energy to the new leaves. So, you need to cut them off! 5. Some plants just die! It is definitely not always your fault! Some plants are sick when you get them, some plants just don’t work in your room. It’s okay if a plant dies. Remember, in order to master a skill (like keeping houseplants), you need to make mistakes. All plant moms and dads did! 6

MY ROOM IS SMALL...

...but I’m glad to call it home

With only the 10m2 I got, I tried to make the most out of it and made my room as cute as possible. You can find me every week in the city center searching for more stuff to fill up my room. Candles, flowers, picture frames, vases, lights, plants and more decoration. I throw everything that is gold or pastel in my shopping basket. My favourite to go shop is H&M home. They have got so many cute and special things, I always come home with something even though I did not need anything.

Besides the fact that decoration and some green plants are essential in your student homes, it is also important to use all the space you got and use it as efficiently as possible, even with a room of 10m2 like mine it is possible! Here are some tips! 1. Before you go furniture and decoration shopping, make a sketch of your room and make sure you write down all measurements correctly. Try to find out beforehand where the best place is to put your bed, closet, table, chairs etc… You do not want to be faced with surprises later! 2. Choose one table as your desk and dinner table. Buy only one or two design chairs and buy folding chairs if you want more chairs. It is very handy if there are not so many chairs around your table. Folding chairs are the solution, because you can put them away and grab them when you wish. 3. We all want a couch, but this does not always fit. Don’t be sad, because there is always a solution. What you can do best, is to buy as many pillows as possible and a bedspread, so you can use your bed as a seat for you and your friends. 4. Use the place under your bed as storage! Buy boxes that you can easily roll under your bed. Your stuff is in a closed box, so no dust on it! 5. Do you have built-in closets or other closets with nothing but clutter? Buy a curtain to cover the mess! It will calm the room, as you can throw all the junk behind the curtain when people come to visit you. Clean room in less than a minute! 6. Try to choose a colour frame for your room, so it won’t look so busy. I got pastel colours with a touch of gold. 7. Last but not least, if you have a small room it is important to not buy stuff you do not need or bring all your stuff with you from home. You simply don’t have the space. I must say that I struggle with this tip myself, but hey we can only try! 7