While orange might not be everyone's favorite color, it might be yours. And if it is, you might be asking yourself how you can incorporate it into your dorm room. Maybe you’re wondering how you can add your favorite color to your room without your roommate (who might just hate the color) minding. Or maybe you and your roommate both love the color and you’re both game to make your dorm room the traffic cone of your dreams.

Whatever your situation, if you want to incorporate orange into your decor in an aesthetically pleasing way, the key is to find a style of decorating you like and put your own personal, orange spin on it. You can pick from many different styles and aesthetics that speak to you, but below are five different approaches to get you started on the track of having an aesthetic orange dorm room!

1. Seventies Vintage 

An easy way to incorporate orange into your dorm room is through a vintage lens. The seventies were all about expressing yourself through fashion, music, home decor, and many other things. Home decor in the seventies featured retro colors, funky chairs, and a whole lot of expression in the shape of wallpaper, animal print, velvet everything, and fringe. 

When embracing the seventies aesthetic in your dorm, you don’t have to go all out putting wallpaper on the walls that will get you fined at the end of the year. Instead, focus on the color pallet and add in little touches through your decor. There’s many options you can go with but if you’re aiming for that seventies vibe, try to stick with more muted oranges and yellows. 

Orange and yellow compliment each other and the muteness of the color orange won’t be so overpowering in your room. To incorporate more of the seventies style you could add some fringe wall art, or some velvet throw pillows on your bed. Another great place to incorporate that burnt orange color into your room is through your organizing bins or your desk supplies. 

You can also incorporate orange in a seventies style by getting unique accent furniture pieces. If you have room, adding a small chair or ottoman footstool are fun ways to add color and they often come in bright colors such as orange. An ottoman footstool will also offer you extra storage space, perfect for those extra extension cords or any other miscellaneous items you never know where to put. If you want something more vintage, you could even thrift a wicker stool and DIY it orange. 

The seventies were all about peace and happiness, so consider incorporating other colors besides orange and yellow as well. You don’t have to go full rainbow, but picking out two accent colors to your orange can help give your room that seventies vibe you might be looking for. A simple way to do this without it being overpowering is to add some wall art to your room. Picking out some seventies inspired artwork can help give your room that seventies vibe while still including orange into your look. 

This wall print is a fun way to include other colors into your orange aesthetic to give it a seventies feel. 

2. A Modern Approach 

If bright orange is more your vibe, then a modern approach to decorating might be for you! When you think modern, think hotel. Clean lines, bright colors, minimal patterns. With a more modern approach, you can incorporate bright orange colors through accents and leave the rest of the room more plain. This can mean using a bright orange bedding set and a few bright orange accents, while the rest of the room is a less vibrant color to make the orange really pop.

A modern way of decorating also focuses on simplicity. This doesn’t mean you can’t load your bed up with the throw pillows of your dreams. Rather, when looking at decor items try to stay away from too many conflicting patterns. If you have a strongly patterned rug for your room, stick with solid colors for the rest. On the opposite, if your bed is a solid color then get some patterned throw pillows to contrast it. 

A way you can go about decorating in a modern vibe is by picking a few orange focal points (like your bedding, rugs, or pillows) and leave the rest alone. By using a bright orange bedding set or rug you can use that as the main point of focus and make the rest of your dorm a color that compliments the orange (dark blues, or another darker toned color is a good way to offset the orange). Using a darker color against the orange will really draw the eye to the brighter color and compliment it well. 

Having a darker colored comforter over orange sheets makes the orange stand out with a modern touch. 

Your choices on the rest of the decor really depend on your personal style. Even if you like the more modern vibe you don’t have to follow it exactly. The fun part about decorating your own space is that you can do whatever you want. Though a modern aesthetic is more about minimalism, you can stray as far from the rules as you want. Another way to incorporate orange into this style of decorating is through some orange curtains, an orange desk lamp, or some modern wall art with pops of color. 

If you can’t hang wall art in your dorm, another fun way to add pops of orange in your room is by using drawer liners. Drawer liners are great for adding color and protecting your clothes or other things from scratching or ruining your drawers. You can pick out a bright orange to add a pop of color every time you open your drawers.  

3. Monochrome 

Okay, so taking the more muted or minimalist approach isn’t your style? If you love orange and are looking for a way to incorporate it into your dorm room in a more obvious way, then a monochrome approach is perfect for you! A monochrome approach to decorating is all about keeping within the same color. The best way to do this is to pick a single color and incorporate different shades of it. In this scenario, the color would be orange. This is even more perfect for you if you love different shades of orange and want to have them all represented. 

The key to get the perfect monochrome look to your room is dimension. You don’t want to just have one shade of orange for everything. This can make your room look flat. Instead, try mixing different shades to add depth to your room. Doing this will allow you to flaunt your love of orange without it being too overpowering. 

To begin, picking your perfect bedding is a good place to start. If you want your bed to be the main focus of your room, then building off of the colorful bedding set you pick is key. By choosing your bedding first, you can then choose your accent pieces. Consider picking out some orange throw pillows in a darker or lighter shade than the bedding. 

Using sheets another shade that differs from the pillows or bedspread is another way to help give your bed dimension. From there, picking different shaded rugs and wall decor will allow you to have the orange room of your dreams without it just looking like the Nickelodeon icon blew up in there. When looking for other orange decor, try to find it in a different shade from your bed. If your bed is the focal point, having various shades throughout the room will enhance this. 

Creating dimension with different shades of orange also helps to prevent you from becoming sick of the color. Orange is such a bright color that being surrounded by it daily might end in you despising the color. By having different shades and dimensions, your eyes aren’t forced to just focus on one bright color. Instead of your room being just one shade of bright orange, your room will look chic and interesting with different shades. This will make it more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 

4. Orange Bohemian 

If bright colors aren’t your favorite but you have a soft spot for orange, then taking on a bohemian approach to decorating might suit you. If you like bohemian style decor, chances are you’re a fan of everything natural looking, light colors, and fringe. But the bohemian style is so much more than that. If this is the vibe you like, focus on decorating with light colors that accent each other. Then, focus on incorporating orange in subtle ways. Starting with a light base for your room will make the orange pop. 

However, unlike the modern approach, a bohemian style of decorating doesn’t focus on clean lines and simple designs. Rather, this is your chance to let go and really express your style with patterns and decor. Just try to keep the base of your room light and airy and then really make the orange pop with subtle decor, or by getting pieces that have orange in them. 

A tapestry style rug with orange accents is a good way of incorporating orange into your room in a bohemian way!

Another way to incorporate this style is if you want an orange bedding set, maybe opt for a lighter orange with other shades or colors mixed in as well. Then, offset that with another lighter color in your room. The goal is to make the decor light and airy so that it isn’t overbearing. If you go for a more plain bedding set, add in some decorative pillows with a lot of designs and orange accents. 

Consider also picking out a tapestry to hang in your room. Picking out a tapestry is a great way to really incorporate your own personal style. You can get one with a lot of patterns, or opt for a more plain one. A tapestry is also a great way to incorporate a lot of different shades of orange into your room without it being overpowering. Another idea is to get a large area rug, like the one shown above, that has a lot of earthy tones in it and some light shades of orange to complement your bedding. Orange bohemian decor can also be added to your room by getting wall art that is simple, with light pops of orange in them to tie all your pieces together.

5. Your Own Personal Style

Now, forget everything you’ve learned and just remember this one rule. Have fun with your decorating choices and just let your own style shine through. Maybe your personal style doesn’t fit into a category but you just know what you like. The best part about decorating is that there are no set rules. So if you want to let your style shine through in your dorm room, then pick your decor accordingly. 

If you’re a fan of crazy patterns then consider getting a rug with an orange base color and different designs on it. Pair your patterned bedspread with throw pillows that feature even crazier patterns. If you like your look more simple, think about keeping it plain with little to no patterns. This will allow the orange to stand out and make a statement on its own. If you want your room to be all white with just touches of orange, then focus on finding smaller pieces like orange desk trinkets or an orange jewelry stand to set out to add pops of color. Adding an orange throw blanket to your bed is also a way to incorporate the color. 

When decorating your dorm room, it is important to just remember to have fun and to let your creative side shine through. Incorporating orange into your room can be challenging, but it can also be a fun way to experiment with different styles! And if you don’t find a specific style you like, then you can always make your own!

Orange might not be a color for everyone, but if it is your favorite then adding it into your dorm room is a no brainer. How you add it in is up to you! If you’re looking to make your room aesthetically pleasing then just follow what you like. If you decorate how you want to then you’ll always love how it looks!