Unique Ideas for Decorating Dorm Rooms

Ideas for decorating dorm rooms are limited by that furniture you're required to have. College dorm decorating can be a challenge if you're tight on space and don't have the room to stow that bulky dresser or find yourself fighting with desks built into the wall. Don't despair; your college dorm decor can reflect your personality, even if you're tight on space.

Dealing with Furniture
The first thing to do is to take stock of those giant pieces of furniture. In a typical dorm for two, you'll have two desks, which may or may not be bolted to the wall, two dressers and two beds.

Check your closet space. Can you fit the dressers in there? That will clear up a lot of room. If you can get bunk beds, go for it so you'll have an open floor plan. If bunks aren't available, you can make your own. Simply use the dressers as a base to elevate one of the beds. You can put the other bed underneath at a right angle to the one above, or use the space as a small study area.

Dividing Space
If you have a larger dorm room and want to make it look like four different areas, you will need things for four different themes. If you share a dorm room or have a smaller dorm room, you may only be able to do two areas.

Purchase enough room dividers to divide the room into the areas you want. The room dividers can all be the same, or they can be different. The room dividers do not have to be solid; they can be wrought iron, see-through or any design you want. Set the room dividers up to separate a sleeping area, a kitchen area, a work area and a living space. For smaller rooms or for those with a roommate, you may want to just divide the room into a sleeping area and a living area.

Building a Theme
Depending on how many areas you have, purchase enough decorating items to match the theme you want for each section. Think about colors when you're choosing items. Prints and posters can do a lot to bring out the theme of a room. They don't take up much space and they change the quality of the light without you having to paint the walls.

Add plants to each area of the room. Choose plants that do not need a lot of direct sunlight. Begonias are pretty plants that don't like direct sun. Some begonias will even bloom. Choose pictures to match the area. In the kitchen, you may want to choose something that you would put in the kitchen at home, such as apple decorations. In the living area, you may want to choose various styles-the pictures can be serious or they can be funny, such as dogs playing pool.

If you cannot paint your room, tack swaths of material to the walls. A swath of material going from a point near the ceiling to a lower point on the wall in a corner helps to break up the room and bring a visitor's eyes away from boring or dreary wall colors. 

Tips for Small Dorm Rooms
If you're in a tiny space with your roommate, follow these decorating rules to create a great look.

• Choose a theme together. Find something that you both like and contribute to it equally. Two themes in a small room can look chaotic.
• Corral the furniture. Push desks and dressers back-to-back or side-to-side. Create as much open space as possible.
• Limit decorations and hang them high. A few decorations hung near the ceiling will draw the eye upward and make the room seem more spacious.
• Choose light colors. Light colors contribute to an open look in the room; dark colors make a room look smaller. It's best if you and your roommate can coordinate sheets and bedspreads for an overall look.