February 5, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written by: Isabelle Jones | Lifestyle Editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making one\u2019s own space is extremely important in college. This chapter in life is full of excitement, new friends and new experiences. Although it\u2019s easy to settle for bare walls, only sticking with the provided furniture, decorating one\u2019s room has a significant impact on their mental well-being, self-expression and overall college experience. Here are a few reasons why decorating is important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dorm room is one of the few places where students can fully express themselves. Personal touches like family and friend photos, favorite posters or other mementos to remind one of where one comes from can help anyone feeling homesick. At the end of a busy day, a student\u2019s dorm room becomes a sanctuary for relaxation and recharging their social battery. Soft bedding, throw pillows and lighting work to create that relaxing environment. For students looking to choose a style, here is a list of popular themes: minimalism, boho chic, 70s style and much more. Personal expression and decoration don\u2019t have to fit into a single label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When making new friends, one will end up hanging out in their rooms. A decorated room can be a great conversation starter, or for when new roommates move in. Having a well-decorated space can feel more welcoming to guests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stress is a normal part of the college experience, but that doesn\u2019t mean it should follow one into their room. Creating a personal and colorful space is a powerful influence to one\u2019s mental health. According to Mental Health America, \u201cHappy, bright colors can increase your mental activity and leave you feeling rejuvenated and energized.\u201d An aesthetically pleasing environment improves one\u2019s mental health and can even make one feel more productive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though a dorm room is small, there is plenty of space to make it one’s own. It\u2019s a fun and creative way to express oneself. So, grab those fairy lights, fluffy blankets and meaningful decor \u2014 the room is waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tips to decorate on a budget:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bring in the greenery <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Plants have several benefits that directly affect its owners. Plants are therapeutic, improving one\u2019s mental health, helping one to recover from illness faster and contributing to a good flow within a feng shui lifestyle. Some popular bedroom plants are lucky bamboo, succulents, snake plants and Pothos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thrift shop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thrift shopping has great options to find affordable decoration items that fit one\u2019s style. Lamps, vases, frames and baskets are among the most unique decor that won\u2019t break the bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think multifunctional<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Furniture that serves more than one purpose is extremely helpful for any student. One should look for under-bed storage with drawers and ottomans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Understand what\u2019s allowed in the dorm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As one gets creative with decorating, it\u2019s important to understand what is allowed \u2014 and, more importantly, not allowed \u2014 within the dorms. Candles, halogen lamps, vacuums and toaster ovens are among the most popular items that are prohibited in the dorms. Any student needing a refresher should look at the \u201cFIRE and LIFE SAFETY\u201d and \u201cThe Guide to Residential Living 24-25\u201d on Western\u2019s housing page. Some safe alternatives for the most popular prohibited item \u2014 candles \u2014 are diffuser sticks, essential oil diffusers and Scentsy warmers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use peel-and-stick items<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Students have likely heard this a million times already, but Command strips are our best friends when one wants to hang up any art and hooks without causing damage to walls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" February 5, 2025 Written by: Isabelle Jones | Lifestyle Editor Making one\u2019s own space is extremely important in college. This chapter in life is full of excitement, new friends and new experiences. Although it\u2019s easy to settle for bare walls, only sticking with the provided furniture, decorating one\u2019s room has a significant impact on their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[5729,5711,5718,5727,1237,5714,41,3155,5731,5710,640,1148,5721,5705,5706,5724,5715,5722,5716,154,52,397,5713,5709,5728,3577,5720,600,5725,5703,5723,874,5708,5726,5719,5717,5730,5704,802,5707,5712,1254,608],"class_list":["post-22197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-70s-2","tag-bamboo","tag-bedding","tag-boho","tag-budget","tag-chic","tag-college","tag-colors","tag-decorating","tag-diffuser","tag-diy","tag-dorm","tag-eclectic","tag-essential-oil","tag-fairy-lights","tag-feng-shui","tag-fluffy-blankets","tag-furniture","tag-knick-knacks","tag-lifestyle","tag-lighting","tag-mental-health","tag-minimalism","tag-on-campus-2","tag-personalization","tag-photos","tag-pillows","tag-plants","tag-posters","tag-pothos","tag-recharge","tag-relaxation","tag-retro","tag-roommate","tag-sanctuary","tag-scentsy","tag-self-expression","tag-snake-plants","tag-stress","tag-succulents","tag-thrifting","tag-university","tag-western-oregon-university"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22200,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22197\/revisions\/22200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}