Depending on your budget you might want to help give your teen’s dorm room an upgrade. Here are some extras which can make any dorm feel cozier and a bit more like home.
Pin it
San Francisco’s Minted makes pin boards that are so GORGEOUS that they are a feature in any room. Each of the 11 choices is in a beautiful wood frame. Don’t like any of the options? Browse their fabric selections and they will customize one for you. While you are on their site, take a look at these personalized maps for dorm room walls in gold, silver or rose gold.
Dress Up the Walls
These repositional fabric wall decals are an adorable way to dress up (disguise) dingy dorm walls. Yes, there are cribs featured on this website and lots of decor for little ones. But we LOVE this idea for our BIG kids from Mej-Mej (an acronym for the grown and flown daughters who work for our talented friend and artist, Cathy Heck.)
Get Comfy
There was a time when Twin XL sheets came in the basics. No more. Leigh Deux Dorm offers luxury bedding in a stunning array of choices. This is a major upgrade to any dorm room.
If your are searching for your son, take a look at BrookLinen XL line or these high-thread count sheets by Wamsutta at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
Pillow Fight
These embroidered pillows by CatStudio have long been one of our favorites and now they come in a collegiate collection. If your son or daughter’s college is not there, how about their new adopted state?
Lean Back
For more beautiful bedding check out Room 422. We loved their velcro on headboards to match their sheets. College kids often read in bed and these padded headboards will make them far more comfortable.
Taking Memories
Your teen has spent ENDLESS hours curating their Instagram feed, and now they can take it with them. This custom calendar means each day they get to tear off a new memory and stick them to their dorm room walls. Be sure to include family and pet photos!
21st Century
The modern dorm room is not complete without roommate and virtual assistant. Google home will let your student ask questions (what is 39,238 divided by 47?) and get up to the minute information on anything they could ask Google about, including their own schedule. Target sells Google Home and it can be ordered in a stunning array of colors.
Creating The Look
Strings of lights are not just for the holidays anymore. This small dash to a dorm room’s decor has a big impact. These Twinkle Lights 
Bring a Bit Of Home
Decorate with photos from home either with long strings of clips that hang picture from the wall like laundry on the line from Dormify.com or think about a couple of big family photos.
Step On It
Dorms are small but that doesn’t mean you can’t cover up the grimy old floor with a nice matching rug, (puppy not included.)
Check out these other great ideas for enhancing dorm decor:
Print out photos and hang them along a string on the wall.
Add an oversized cutout monogram.
Check out Pinterest for ideas.
Have a t-shirt quilt made and hang it on the wall.
Buy inexpensive frames and put pictures of friends in each one. Hang on walls with command strips.
Pillows, pillows, and more pillows!
Coordinate with future roommate on color scheme.
Buy oversized stick-on initials for each roommate for the wall.
Monogrammed bedding makes the dorm room very personalized.
Order a life-sized pet pillow of the dog or cat back home.
Buy an inexpensive tapestry to hang on the wall.
Buy an over the bed storage unit and color-coordinated storage bins to use on it.
Update an old comforter with new throw pillows.
Splurge on a mattress topper.
Use a giant stuffed animal as a guest chair.
A body pillow makes the room and bed comfy.
If you use a duvet cover over a comforter, it is easy to remove and wash.
For a great view on how to achieve stylish dorm decor, take a look at this article in Daytripper University.
Bed, Bath and Beyond, Urban Outfitters, Home Goods, Pottery Barn Teens, Etsy, and Dormify are all great resources.
Related:
Dorm Room Shopping: 50 Questions to Answer First
The 10 Things All Freshmen Need to Bring to College
College Checklist: The Most Popular Freshmen Dorm Extras
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