From One Student to Another: Dorm Room DIYs

One of the most common complaints I hear from college students is the limitations surrounding dorm room decorations. I don’t know about you, but if I am dedicating the next four years of my life to studying, then I’m definitely going to need an area where I feel inspired and comfortable enough to do so. With that being said, here are a few do-it-yourself (DIY) decoration tips for when strict rules (no holes in the walls, no painting, safety precautions, etc.) put a momentary halt on your creativity.

Also, because we are all college students here, it is safe to assume that we are lacking in financial resources. Therefore, these decorative items are all super easy, aesthetically pleasing, and most importantly, cheap to make. In fact, a majority of the items listed can be bought at your local dollar store. So, grab a friend and try putting your own twists on these simple dorm room DIYs!

Item #1: Wooden Moon Organizer

Items Needed

• Wooden cutting board
• Nails
• String
• Pencil
• Hammer
• Command strip

Directions

1. To start off, in the middle of the cutting board, use your pencil to map the design onto the cutting board. I decided to draw the outline of a sun, but feel free to choose your own shape. Quick tip: the simpler the design, the easier and cleaner the result.
2. After your design has been drawn, continue to make dotted notations with your pencil around the design to show where each nail will be placed. The nails we are using are miniature, but should be spaced an inch from one another in order to maintain a crisp shape. Also, mark a few dots at the bottom of the board, approximately two inches apart from one another. This is where you will be able to hang your jewelry, keys, or whatever else.
3. Next, carefully place your nail on top of the dot you created with your pencil, and hammer it in a fourth of the way. Repeat this until all nails are hammered in around the shape’s outline and at the bottom of the board.
4. Then, take your string and begin wrapping it around the nails. Make sure the string is wrapped tightly around the nails. This is a completely organic process, just follow the pattern of nails with your string until you art satisfied or run out of string.
5. Finally, using a command strip, hang the finished product on your wall or door.

Item #2: Art Wall

Items Needed

• Miniature canvases
• Paint
• Brushes
• Paper plate
• Cup of water
• Paper towels
• Command strips

Directions

1. First things first: you need an idea of what you want to paint. Take a moment to scan your Pinterest or other online forum you would like to use, and determine what images or color schemes seem to draw in your attention. This will help serve as inspiration when painting.
2. Choose the layout of your canvas, landscape or portrait. Utilizing both orientations when painting multiple pieces of artwork will assist in adding dimension to your art wall.
3. Choose the paints that best fit your ideal color scheme, and squeeze a few dots of paint on the paper plate. Don’t be afraid to mix colors.
4. Start painting, Picasso!
5. Once you finish painting, let it dry overnight. Then, using Command strips, arrange paintings on the wall in whatever layout you choose. Boom! An art wall.

Item #3: Geometric Cork Decals

Items Needed

• Cork board (should come with 3M Scotch adhesive tabs)
• White paint (color is optional)
• An X-acto knife (scissors are also optional, but more difficult)
• Ruler
• Paint brush
• Pencil
• Scotch tape
• Scissors

Directions

1. To begin, lay out your cork board pieces, and draw shapes on them using a pencil and ruler (triangles, stars, octagon, sun, moons, etc.). Draw multiple sizes of the shapes. Using one shape with different sizes creates a minimalist, but abstract design – eye catching!
2. Use the X-acto knife to cut out the designs, as well as any extra cork. Quick tip: because the cork board is a thicker material, it reduces tear if you do multiple light strokes with your knife as apposed to sawing off excess material all at once.
3. Using Scotch tape, tape off a portion of a few of your shapes, and then paint the area you portioned off. Once you have painted the area, let it sit for a moment to dry, then pull off the tape. Quick tip: the tape will help create a crisp clean line.
4. Once you have all of these finished, cut up your 3M Scotch adhesives to fit the back of your design, and stick them to your wall.
5. You can use these decals as decoration or simply pin notes and pictures to them without putting holes in the wall!