How to Choose Colors for a Small Room

Posted on January 19, 2012
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Most dorms won’t technically allow you to paint the walls, but there are a few exceptions. One major exception is if you’re willing to paint them back to white when it’s time to leave. You’ll have to check with school policy or your resident assistant before undertaking this project. If it’s strictly against the rules to paint your walls, you can get in a lot of hot water by just being seen coming in with the paint cans.

This post is for those of you who have approval to paint your space. Maybe you have a cool RA or maybe you just live in a dorm-like space off campus.

The color you choose for such a small space is immensely important. The absolute worst thing you can do is paint the room a dark color. When I say “a dark color” I don’t just mean black, grey and dark brown. Deep royal blues, purples and greens are also off limits. With such a small space, your room will end up feeling more like a cave than a dorm, if you paint it too dark. As you sit there studying and dreaming of the immense software engineer salary you’ll one day enjoy, you want your space to bright and optimistic as you are.

On the other hand, there are some colors that will open your space up and make it nice and cheery. Yellows will make your room appear sunny and larger, and this is especially so if your room has a lot of natural light.  The sunlight will reflect off of the yellow, and it will create the illusion of a room that is much larger than it actually is.

If you’re just not a yellow kind of person, my next choice would be a light sky blue or a light rose color. Although, any color that’s light enough will be fine. The type of paint also makes a difference in the appearance of your room. Choose a semi-gloss as opposed to an eggshell paint, so the light subtly reflects off of your walls. A full gloss would be too shiny for most people.

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Got a Small Space? Cozy Up the Place

Posted on January 15, 2012
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Dorm rooms vary throughout the country, but one thing remains the same: they’re small. Well, for the most part. Some students are lucky and have small bedrooms that open up to a common area shared between them and about three other rooms. This can really give you the feeling of sharing an apartment instead of being at summer camp. But, either way, you’re left to decorate your own room. There are definitely some tips and tricks you can employ to make your room seem larger than it really is (for example, decorate with bright colors, allow some natural light to shine through and keep your wall décor to a minimum). But since this is a room you’re going to be spending a lot of time in, you want to give it a cozy feel. Some people find this a little challenging to do without breaking the rules of designing for a small space (they think of rich colors and dark shades as being cozy).

So, here are a few tips for cozying up the place (without making it seem small):

  1. Use an opaque window treatment to soften up the room. It’ll still give you plenty of natural light and it’ll add a bit of a feminine, homey touch to the room.
  2. Consider bedding in plaid or paisley, but get one that uses bright or pastel colors. Plaid and paisley are typically used in cozy cottages, so they can help bring that vibe to your room. The bright or pastel color might be somewhat unexpected, but it’ll help keep your room from becoming too dark.
  3. Get a plush area rug to cover much of the floor. Just be sure to get a light color. Regardless of whether you have a rug in the room or not, adding on that is plush and light in color will definitely soften up the room and make it more cozy.

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How to Make a Small Dorm Room Appear Bigger

Posted on January 9, 2012
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Sitting in a small, cramped room can be downright depressing. But, think about it this way: small is a relative term. Sure, you might want to fill it up with furniture and stuff, but if you keep your belongings to an absolute minimum, you might be able to create the feeling that you’re sitting in a larger room than you are. That’s one trick to fooling yourself into thinking your dorm isn’t the smallest room you’ve ever inhabited. Here are a few more:

  1. Don’t fill the walls with stuff. I would definitely encourage you to hang a few pictures, but don’t go crazy with the collages. The more stuff you have on the walls, the smaller your room will feel. Also, try not to hang things that will stick out too far from the wall. A well-placed wall tattoo might be the only wall décor you need (aside from #2).
  2. Do hang a good-sized mirror. Not only will a mirror help ensure you’re looking fab at all times, but it’ll also help create the illusion of a larger space.
  3. Brighten things up a bit. Since you can’t paint, you only have two options. Add lighting via lamps and get curtains that allow natural light to shine into the room. This will make things seem bigger, but more importantly, much less dreary.
  4. Decorate with light or bright colors. Whatever you do, avoid using black, brown or grey for your main colors. They’re ok as small accents, but in large quantities, they’ll just make your space feel small. Instead, choose pastels or bright colors, such as hot pink or bright yellow.
  5. Measure your room and plan to fill the space accordingly. Don’t just go out and buy furniture willy-nilly. You could end up with a piece that dwarfs everything in your room – including you. It might be cute in the store, but measure your space to make sure it’ll still be cute in your room.

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Tattoo Your Walls for a Temporary Statement

Posted on December 31, 2011
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One of the biggest challenges with designing your dorm room is that you can’t really change too many things about it. You only have control over half of the room, unless you agree on a design with your roommate, you can’t paint the walls, and you have very limited space. Sure, you can create a really cool-looking bed with a funky bedding set or pull the space together with accent lighting and area rugs, but what about the walls? Do you really have to create those lame collages that everyone else does? Is that really your only option? Of course not!

There’s one thing you can do that most other students won’t even think of. Shh, it’ll be our little secret. You can buy wall tattoos to jazz up your space. Wall tattoos allow you to create a design on your walls without painting. When you’re ready to move out of the dorm, you can just peel that tattoo off the wall and move on. It’s as simple as that, but you’d really be surprised at how much of a difference it can make. Even if you friends decide to start copying your idea, it’ll look different as long as they choose different tattoos.

Here are a few concepts to get the thought process going for your own space:

The design above is just a simple way to create an accent, and it even coordinates well with the bedding. This shows that you can make a statement without being too overwhelming or flashy.

This design shows off a love for music, while creating some interest above the headboard. Announce to everyone that “Music is Your Life” with a cool-looking wall tattoo like this one.

Who ever said you had to be so serious all the time? Create a fun a whimsical design with a funky wall tattoo. One thing is for certain — it’ll be conversation piece. You could even have fun with this ant tattoo and make it go from your side of the room to your roommate’s.

Just like when they’re on your skin, tattoos don’t always have to be black and white. Look for ones with a pop of color to add even more visual interest to your wall. This is especially great for a dorm because the walls are typically boring white.

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Accent Lighting Tips

Posted on December 25, 2011
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When you’re designing a tiny room, such as a dorm, there are only a few things that can make a difference. You can add an area rug; you can design fancy bedding; you can change the drapes; or you can add accent lighting. Today, we’re going to talk more about accent lighting. In a dorm room, you might need different lights to set different moods. Let’s take a look at a few different options:

Desk lighting: If you’re planning to do late night cram sessions at your desk, you should really invest in a good desk lamp. If you don’t, you run the risk of keeping your roommate awake with a light blaring in her face. You might be bestest friends, but that doesn’t mean a few sleepless nights won’t tear a gaping hole through your friendship. All you have to do is get a lamp that you can direct away from her bed. A traditional desk lamp will do the trick.

Bright lighting: When you spend most of your time in one small room, it’s a good idea to have a brighter option than what the standard overhead lamp gives you. Consider getting a floor standing halogen lamp to help brighten some of the gloomier days. Floor standing halogens are really bright, but their light bounces off the ceiling instead of in your eyes, so they are a good option for adding light without having it be overbearing.

Mood lighting: There may be times when you aren’t studying, but your roommate is sleeping and you want to stay awake for a little longer. Mood lighting could work in this situation, much like a nightlight would. And there are those other times when your roommate is spending the night elsewhere and you have your honey coming over to spend the night. Certainly, a halogen lamp wouldn’t do in this instance. Consider getting a dimmer light or candles to illuminate these situations.

All this lighting may seem like overkill, but when you spend so much time in one room, you begin to realize that the room itself needs to change to fit different situations. Get some good accent lighting to be prepared for anything. Choosing the right lamp is somewhat of common sense. You don’t need to learn how to become a fashion designer to choose the right piece for your space. Just be sure to get the right size, lighting intensity, and a color to coordinate with the rest of the room.

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Bedding Makes a Big Difference in a Small Room

Posted on December 18, 2011
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When you’re decorating a small room, like a dorm, the bedding you choose will make a huge difference – so choose wisely. In larger rooms, you can invest in a statement piece that will draw attention and pull the room together, but in a dorm, you don’t necessarily have that luxury. In a dorm room, the bed is often the only statement piece you can have, and that’s ok, as long as you recognize that fact and work with it.

Colors – Choose a color that you won’t mind looking at everyday for four years. If possible, choose a soothing color, like pale blue or lavender. A nice yellow can really brighten up the room, too. When decorating a small room, I tend to avoid patters that are too busy, but I also avoid solid colors. Patterns that are too busy can be overwhelming in a small space and solid colors can be boring. Try something in-between.

Sheets – This may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Use sheets that coordinate with your comforter. Anything that clashes creates a visual disconnect in your environment which can have somewhat of a chaotic effect on your emotional state. Opt for solid colored or striped sheets, if your comforter has a pattern, or patterned sheets, if your comforter is solid.

Pillows – Your pillowcases will likely match your sheets; that’s fine. But, since the bed is the focal point of the room, you may want to consider getting some throw pillows to coordinate with the rest of your bedding. Using throw pillows can make the room seem more cozy and stylish at the same time. Experiment with a few different shapes and sizes of throw pillows for a fun look.

Since there aren’t too many things you can change in small room, you should really focus most of your design time on figuring out the bedding. If you’re the kind of person who really likes a change of scenery from time to time, consider getting a reversible comforter or a duvet (so you can change the color frequently). It is especially important to design a small space, so you don’t end up feeling like you’re in prison. Even if you’re learning how to become a parole officer, that’s not a good feeling. Spice up your life with a little design.

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Designing a Room for Two

Posted on December 9, 2011
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Dorms are usually cramped places that don’t come with a lot of options for customization. You can’t paint the walls and there isn’t much you can do about the flooring. Also, you usually have a roommate to deal with, so you end up only decorating half of the room. But, if you’re like me, you can’t stand to sit in a boring dreary room for more than five minutes. You’re going to be spending at least some time here studying and hanging out, so why not make the best of it. Make it an inspirational space for you and your roommate to call home for the year. There are a lot of things you can do, from area rugs to curtains and wall art, but you both need to be on the same page, or the room will look disconnected. Here are some tips for getting your roommate on board with the redesign:

  1. Talk it out. Who knows, you might be preaching to the choir. Nobody likes the look of a plain dorm room, so maybe she already has some ideas for changing it up.
  2. Get on the same page. You might have some avant garde ideas, but you’ll probably have to save them for your first apartment. It’s important that you both understand that you have to find a common ground in order for this to work. Your favorite color may be pink, but that doesn’t mean your roomie will buy in to a monochromatic theme for the entire room. If your ideas start clashing, it’s time to start thinking about a more neutral theme.
  3. If she’s the type who really doesn’t care about the room design at all, just get her ok on a few pieces that will tie the whole room together, like an area rug and curtains. With competing wall art and lamps, the room may still seem a little disconnected, but at least it’ll be better than an obvious line down the middle of the room. A little design cohesion may also help bring a sense of togetherness, which can help with your relationship. Just let her know you’ll pay for those items and you’ll pick out neutral colors. You kind of have to, if you want this to work.

You really don’t have to be an interior designer to create a space that looks pulled together. But, if you and your roomie have conflicting ideas, it might help to think of yourself as one for the moment. If this were your job, you’d have to find a common design for the two differing tastes. Take your emotions out of the equation and look at this as a fun challenge. You’ll be glad you did!

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