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Whether you are starting a new school year as a freshman in college or you are currently a returning college student, if you’re lucky enough to have a single dorm room this year then you should take advantage of all the benefits that it has to offer. If you’ve shared a dorm room before and know the struggles that come along with having a roommate, or this is your regular dorming situation and you’ve always preferred to live alone, then you know how amazing it can be to have a single room.

But if this is your first dorm rooming experience and you’ve never lived alone before you might find yourself feeling a little nervous about single living. Well, let us put your mind at ease. Living alone doesn’t have to be a bad thing or mean that you’ll be bored or lonely. Having a single dorm room can actually be an exciting adventure and can have a lot of pretty awesome benefits.

With a single dorm room you can really let your personal style show, because you don’t have to share the space with anyone, you have more space to be creative in your room, and it can just be nice to have your room all to yourself to relax and unwind at the end of the day. So if you’ve found yourself as a lucky college student with their own dorm room this year, then check out these tips for how to decorate it.

1. Make Sure to Utilize Your Whole Space

You have the whole room to yourself: make the most of it!

Whether you are someone who enjoys a more minimalistic room design with pieces that are simple and chic, or you are a true maximalist and you love a room filled with different patterns and trinkets on display, if you have your own dorm room this school year you can play around with both styles. But regardless of which style better suits your personality, make sure to utilize the entire space you are given. Besides, what’s the fun in having a single room if you’re only going to use half of it?

When it comes to ensuring you use all of the space within your room, the most important key is to be creative with it. One of the best things about having a single room is that you can decorate it however you want to. There’s no roommate there to tell you no, so really think about what you want your space to look like. Picking a dorm room theme is usually a good place to start. Once you have your theme you can start to really get into the nitty gritty of decorating your space.

Using your space to its max capacity doesn’t have to mean hoarding all of your childhood junk either. Play around with creative storage pieces like a fancy storage trunk or bench that will not only look good and act as extra storage, but it can also be doubled as an extra seat and a cool trunk can double as a fun table by your futon. Another fun tip for using up your whole room is to  play around with the placement of your furniture. Since you’ll be living alone you don’t have to limit yourself to one side of the room. Be bold and play around with different decorating ideas.

2. Take Advantage of the Extra Furniture

If your room was once a double, then use the extra furniture for yourself!

When it comes to having a single room, sometimes you’ll be given a room that is made for a single occupant and sometimes you’ll be given a room that was originally set up for two. If you applied for a single room, you’ll probably have a traditional single room, but if you switch to a single room halfway through the semester, chances are you’ll get a room that was originally designed for roommates. The only difference in these rooms is that a traditional single room will only have one set of furniture, while a room for two will probably have doubles of everything.

In most cases you can have your college remove extra furniture, but in the case that you can’t then why not use it to your advantage? If you have two beds in your room, you can combine them to make one giant bed. This will not only be fun for sleepovers and be extra cozy at night, but you can also experiment with different throw pillows because you’ll have more room on your bed. Or, you can lower your other bed and use it as a couch area for when you have friends over. This will give you extra seating and allow you to entertain more people.

Even if your room only comes with one set of furniture, this can also be fun too! Less original furniture means more room for you to get furniture that you really love. Consider some fun furniture ideas like adding in a coffee bar, buying a nicer dresser for your clothes, or even getting yourself a nice futon that can also stretch out to be a bed for when you have friends stay over. Or, simply take advantage of the extra space you’ll have if you keep your furniture simple! The decision is up to you, which is also what’s so great about a single room.

3. Make a Decorative Splash With Some Fun Wall Art and Creative Rugs

You’ve got a whole room to decorate: have fun with the art you choose!

With a single room you have a total of four walls that you can be as creative as you like with! So have some fun with it. There are tons of ways you can spice up your dorm room walls from wall hangings and tapestries to fun wall prints. You can choose wall decor that goes with your room theme, or you can pick pieces that allow you to try something new. Picking a fun tapestry can give your room a lot of color and there are plenty of different wall prints to fit any aesthetic.

Another fun way to spice up your dorm room walls is with neon signs. Neon signs are cool for any room because they can not only give your room a fun hue of light, but you can get them in different personalized sayings to fit your style and interests. Decorating with neon signs is a unique way to add color to your room and to take your creative decor to the next level.  

Once you have your walls decorated how you want them to be, you can take your room to the next level by getting an area rug that you love. Dorm room rugs can make your room feel cozy and comfortable, which is extra important when you live by yourself. This can make your dorm room feel more like home and a place where you actually want to hangout in between classes.

Having a dorm room to yourself either after a not so pleasant experience with a roommate or for the first time can be a little scary at first. But having your own space to decorate as you want to can be very exciting. Instead of having to collaborate on your room decor with another person or only having half of your room to decorate, you can be as creative as you want with your design choices and you have the entire room to work with.

So use these 3 decorating ideas for your single dorm room this coming school year as a guide to make your dorm room a place you will actually want to hangout in this year. Then let us know in the comments below which decorating idea is your favorite and if you’ve tried any that you like best. We love hearing from you!