As college students, decorating can feel like a daunting task.

By Avery Vrieze

Starting a new year of college often means having a personal space to decorate. While exciting, the prospect can also be daunting for students who don’t know the first thing about picking colors, fabrics or wall hangings. 

The good news is that fellow students have a lot of tips to offer when it comes to decorating your space.  Here are some ideas to get you decorating.    

Tap into campus resources

An underrated place to find posters and wall decoration is the campus bookstore.  Alongside the gameday outfits and comfy sweatshirts is an array of art supplies. Head to that section of the store and you will discover a wall full of posters and prints. 

Ellie Halverson, a freshman at the University of Minnesota who currently lives in Centennial Hall, said she discovered the poster section of the bookstore the day after she moved into her single dorm room. It was helpful in decorating a room she said “felt like jail”.  

“I bought three or four of the big poster prints that they have,” Halverson said. “They’re all kind of random, but I think they’re really pretty and I just hung them on my walls to make it a little less white in here.” 

Halverson also went to the poster sale at the beginning of the year to fill other blank walls in her room. 

The sale is held each year during the first week of the semester, on both the east and west banks of campus. It is usually a popular spot for students who are still looking for the perfect piece for their room. Being able to see the posters in person was a big draw for her, Halverson said.

“I will say that it’s not the cheapest, but it is cheaper than ordering online,” Halverson said. “I feel like being able to see everything in person is better than putting a bunch of stuff in your Amazon cart and then ordering it, sometimes they come in really bad quality.”  

Create a safe space 

 Creating a space you feel comfortable and safe in can be an important part of your college experience. Feeling safe can mean being surrounded by items that remind you of home.

That’s what fourth-year interior design student Ellen Kilgore did, regardless of whether those items “matched.” And as she took more classes related to her major, Kilgore started to develop a personal decorating style that made sense of her style. 

“Having a curated look doesn’t come from everything matching so perfectly,” Kilgore said. “It comes from you liking individual pieces and then them just fitting together because they all mean something to you.” 

Kilgore works at an interior design showroom full-time and has been able to help people find their own personal style just like she did. Textiles that make you feel safe and cozy play a big part in a safe environment as well, she said. 

“Safety is something we talk about a lot in our [Interior Design] classes because that’s the bare minimum of needs,” Kilgore said. So for me, that looks like comfy textiles and having space for all my things to feel organized.” 

Purchase second-hand items 

A local thrift store holds many items you could buy to spruce up your space for less. As college students, finding affordable items can be difficult, especially on a budget. But Goodwill is a good place to start, said journalism student Katrina Bailey. 

Bailey said both she and her boyfriend go to Goodwill to find art pieces and wall decorations for much cheaper than anywhere else. It reminds her of the memories she has from finding the art, and that’s often more important than the piece of art itself. 

“I like having stuff in my apartment that brings me joy,” Bailey said. “Every time I look at it, I always think about a memory attached to it.” 

Another place to find cheaper furniture and decoration options is Facebook Marketplace. Kilgore is a huge fan of Facebook Marketplace because she enjoys items with stories behind them. She found a sofa for her house from the 1960s and immediately connected with the story behind the piece of furniture. 

The most important thing a college student can do when decorating their dorm or apartment room is to add things that you love.  

“I feel such a strong sense of comfort when I’m home,” Kilgore said. “I’m such a homebody that everything I feel like needs to have a purpose.”