DIY: Dorm Room Makeover

By Connect2Mason Content Director Amanda Svec

As students of George Mason, you will know that Mason is not on the top list of best decorated dorm rooms. Plain cinder block walls, white ceilings, dark gray carpets – not what most would consider interesting. Here are a few ideas to make your drab space look new and fresh!

Organizing

Sharing a space with one or more person isn’t the easiest thing to get used to at first. The spaces are not like home, but you have to deal with what you have. With these items you will be able to keep your room neat and make the most of your personal space.

1. Under bed boxes make storage very easy since under your bed is a big part of the space in your room. If you are on the top bunk, discuss with your roommate about sharing the space under the bed (they really don’t have room to argue with you on this one). You can use this for extra bedding, towels, extra toiletries and anything your little heart desires.
2. Crates are awesome to use under the bed for storing your books and binders for your classes. They can also be used to store laundry products.
3. Stackable plastic drawers give you more storage room than you would have. You put them in the closet for clothes, under the bed for supplies, or use to store food.
4. Over the door shoe organizers are an awesome way to make more room in your closet. It hangs right over the door and allows you to fit 12 pairs of shoes, leaving more floor space.
5. 3M™ Command™ Adhesive Hooks are a must for a dorm room. They come in various sizes which determine how much weight you can put on them. Use these to hang your bath towels, inside your closets to hang jackets, or as hooks to hang pictures.
6. Surge protectors are a must at school. Mason does not allow you to use extension cords, and with the lack of outlets in the room, I would recommend at least two surge protectors. Make sure these surge protectors are floor ones. If they plug into the wall, they are considered a housing violation. Also, Ethernet and a TV cable would be good to pick up as well.

Decorating

Because the walls in your space are plain and one color, using these various items will allow you to spice up your dorm in no time!

1. Bedding is the first way to add color. Since your bed takes up a large portion of the room, here is where you can add the most color. Pick colors that fit your personality. You are going to be spending the next year in this dorm room, so make sure you like what you’re sleeping on. While shopping, make sure to buy extra long sheets or else they will be a tight fit on your new bed. Consider also buying a down mattress cover. This will add comfort to the not so comfortable mattresses.
2. Posters are a great way to decorate the walls and not expensive. Mason usually has a poster sale at least once a semester where they offer awesome posters. Favorite bands, movies, icons, and anything else you can imagine!
3. Lighting in the room is difficult because you only have one (horrible) fluorescent light. The best solution to this problem and to keep adding color to your space is a 5-light floor lamp. Each light is covered in a different color illuminating your room and not making it look so drab. Colored bulbs would also work if the light cover is clear or white.
4. Accessories and little personal items will add color to your room and make it your own. Keep pictures around of friends and family from home. Frame them in colors that match your room. Rugs are also a good way to add color to the floor, and make for easy clean up – throw them in the wash, or you can bang them outside to get dirt off. Cork boards and memo boards are a good way to keep you organized as well as holding pictures.
5. A dry erase board must grace the presence of every dorm room door. It is a way to communicate with your roommate, leave messages on others doors or for people to leave messages on your door. You can also keep one inside the room on the wall to use for lists, reminders and things to do.