For many students, moving into a dorm is a new exciting experience quelled by only one thing: they all look the same. While college is a new place to discover yourself, it is also an excellent time to let your decorating skills shine through. Not only does this guide help you decide if an artsy aesthetic is right for you, but it will also give you some tips and tricks to make the most out of your small dorm or apartment.

Picking Your Vibe

The first thing you should narrow down after deciding to update your room’s new look is the vibe you want to give off. The artsy aesthetic is almost synonymous with warm, neutral colors. These can easily be incorporated in aspects like bedding, rugs, and wall decor. One classic combination that shows this off beautifully is a pink and grey scheme.

Classy and Timeless:

A solid grey comforter with light pink accent pillows is a classic color combo and a foolproof way to add an artsy touch to your room in an incredibly simple way. With a large array of shades to mix and match, the possibilities are endless. 

If pink isn’t quite your style, you can pair beige and tan with shades of green like moss or olive to get that perfect cottage-core look. The neutral shades of tan and beige are a perfect background for any odds and ends you want to show off, and the green shades add a pop of color without being too garish. 

An Artist’s Touch

With almost 60% of college students living in dorm rooms, it might seem difficult to make your room stand out. Adding wall art is a great way to add your own touch of artistry because there are so many different ways you can do it! If you’re big into DIY projects, try making a photo collage wall that shows off local art, quotes you love, or you and your friends making memories. If collages aren’t quite your style, check out these art prints and wall decals for ready-to-love decorations that show off your style and aesthetic. 

To add an artsy touch, try framing pictures of places you live. Anything from the tree in your parent’s backyard to your favorite study spot on campus can become a cute and unique wall piece. Try mixing and matching fun filters to give your room a theme, or match it to your comforter. When it comes to covering your wall, there really is no wrong way to do it!

An Eye In the Sky

High shelving is another way to tap into your inner artist. If you live at home or in an apartment that allows it, add a shelf (or shelves) above the normal eye line. You can fill these shelves with fun trinkets, awards, or make it more practical by storing books, a lamp, or a clock. An alternative to adding a shelf to your wall is to get some ladder shelves. Because of the step shape, not only do you have multiple levels to decorate, but you can add a vintage look to your room by choosing a rustic wood shelving unit or even an antique you found at a yard sale!

Another way to fill wall space is by getting a funky mirror! Not only is it good for last-minute touch-ups for your look, but decorating a room with a mirror can actually make your room look bigger! Adding a mirror with gold trim will add an instant touch of class and aesthetic to a neutral room, and it serves as a great base to add things like string lights or vines.

String it Out

String lights or decorative vines can be a great way to fill negative space while adding an artsy touch to any room. One of the benefits of string lights is that they can add a delicate glow to a room without being too overwhelming. Most string lights come in several color options, which can provide a warmer alternative to fluorescent lights (and save your eyes from strain and eye diseases). 

String lights also void a quite aesthetically pleasing background for any online meetings, classes, or Instagram-worthy shots you might take.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, vine and plant strings are a beautiful way to brighten a room and add a pop of color while still keeping a light and artsy vibe. If you don’t want to risk killing a plant, options like plastic or fabric vines are a low-maintenance alternative to live plants.

Less is More

Another idea that you can use to showcase an artsy aesthetic is minimalism. This is basically a theme or style that is very simplistic and relies on lines and contrast to draw the eye in. This is the perfect style for you if you don’t have too many odds and ends lying around, but still want to create an artsy aesthetic. By adopting a minimalistic vibe in your room or apartment, your artsy vibe has just been refined into something abstract and classy. 

Combining sharp lines with contrast (from the walls, bed, or rug) draws the eye to what is there instead of what is missing. Of course, just because something is minimalistic doesn’t mean that it has to be bland. Adding decor pieces like line drawings and abstract paintings gives a room personality without being too distracting.

Get Creative With Your Seating

In college dorms and student apartments, space is always a hot commodity. A great way to come back this is while utilizing things like Ottomans to double as storage for blankets, sweaters, pillows, or decorations, as well as to use as seating. And another way to utilize your cramped space is by having a daybed. With a daybed, it only becomes a bed when you're ready to sleep. The rest of the time it is set up as a couch, perfect space to study, hang out with your friends, or grab a bowl of Ramen before class. By utilizing the limited space that you have, you can lean into the minimalistic scene. 

Another way to bring a flare of artistic aesthetic into your room is by having seating that is unique. Whether that is a pile of large cushions, a few bean bagsthat are thrown around the dorm, or a meditation mat set out for you and your friends to do yoga poses between classes; the possibilities of seating–and what else they can do– is only limited by your creativity.

Get Artsy

The artsy aesthetic is… well… art. Whether this is art you buy from a gallery, online, or from a local artist–or even one you painted yourself–hanging paintings up on the walls, especially unique ones, can give so much personality to a room and really tell about who you are both as a student and a person. Paintings like still lifes or a great way to capture the world around you and what interests you. 

Like the photo collage idea, layering paintings, tapestries, and posters on the wall will not only make it feel lived in, but it adds a touch of personality that you can't get from anything else. When you put yourself into decorating, and you let your personality really shine through, an artsy aesthetic can really begin to take off.

Bold Colors, Bold Choices

If soft colors and pastels aren't quite your vibe, another way to let your artsy aesthetic shine through is through bold clashing colors. Using bold colors like bright pinks, fluorescent greens, and electric blues (like the red and gray Simon comforter pictured below)  will not only liven up your living space but give it an abstract vibe that is sure to inspire some creativity. 

While you may not be able to paint the walls in your dorm or apartment, you can transform the way a room looks by hanging or layering tapestries around the room. Additionally, you can combine things like light strands and photographs to create unique wall decorations that can frame the tapestries, bed, or mirror in any way you'd like.

Creating an aesthetic–especially an artsy one–is a great way to not only reinvent yourself in college but to open yourself up to new possibilities, new friends and new opportunities. While it doesn't always have to be grandiose and in your face, both bright colors and muted pastels can be combined with modern decor and a little bit of creativity to give you the perfect dorm room in no time.