Earth toned decor is becoming a dorm room trend. It’s easy to see why this look is catching on. Earth tones are subdued, warm, and relaxing. The color scheme gives us a taste of the outdoors while we’re cozy inside of our bedrooms. Browns, tans, grays, and greens are reminiscent of the ground, trees, and the clouds, and work very well when put together. You will feel connected to nature and to yourself when you fill your room with these earthy colors that encourage relaxation. We will show you some of the best earth tone centered ways to decorate a dorm room!

What Are Earth Tones?

Earth tones are the types of colors that you find in nature. Earth tones consist of a variety of browns, tans, orange, blues, and greens. These colors are considered to be warm and inviting, both great characteristics for a living space to have. Ultra bright colors aren’t normally used as earth tones. Even though you can sometimes see bright blues and shining yellows outdoors, the earth tone aesthetic is typically done using muted colors. 

Why Should You Decorate Your Dorm Room Using Earth Tones?

If you’re looking to hop onto the earth tone decoration trend, it’s likely because you enjoy that color scheme. But if you’re still on the fence, or simply want to confirm your choice, here are the reasons that earth tones work great for dorm room decor. 

Earth Tones Are Comforting

There is something that is very comforting about the soft earth tones that are commonly seen in nature. Colors that are familiar to us have the benefit of making us feel safe and secure. These colors are relaxing to have in our bedrooms because of how often we come across them whenever we spend any time outdoors. 

Comfort is something that you absolutely need to have in your dorm room. Anything that can make that more possible, including decorating with the right colors, is definitely worth a try. You want to be calm enough that you can study, rest, and prepare yourself adequately for whatever you have to take on in your day. Earth toned colors will help make that possible even if you don’t actively notice the effects. Different colors have different psychological effects on us, which is why earth tones bring us so much comfort. 

Earth Tones Go With Everything

Earth tones can work well in a space throughout any season. While the color scheme of this trend most resembles fall colors, you can easily add elements that change that up a bit as the seasons change. Since earth tones are mostly neutral colors, you can add any color to your bedroom to decorate for the season. Add a few bolder earth tone colors that represent the current season. 

Add vibrant greens that mimic the summertime grass when that season hits. Use sky blue to represent the color of the blue skies. During the wintertime, add some stark white elements to your dorm room. During the springtime, you can try adding even more bold colors since the outdoors will be filled with vibrant blooming flowers. 

Brown

The color brown, like the earth, is seen as sturdy and solid. It is seen to be secure, dependable, and safe. It is associated with anything that is natural and organic, so filling your room with brown will make you feel so much closer to nature. Brown is a color you can go all out with when you’re using earth tones to decorate your dorm room. Try brown rugs, brown blankets, and even brown tapestries. 

This Wildwood Walnut Peel and Stick Wallpaper will turn your dorm room into an earthy haven. Even though it’s just wallpaper, it will make your walls look as if they are covered in wooden panels. This wallpaper gives off a really cool retro vibe with a modern twist. The best part is that it’s super easy to get on, and super easy to remove. The illusion of being surrounded by wood will make for an amazing earth themed dorm room. 

Green

Green is an earthy tone that is strongly associated with nature. It creates a soothing atmosphere because of how it matches the color of lush forests. It helps to balance your body and soothe your emotions. A dorm room that prominently displays the color green will be a soothing place to live. 

Use a somewhat faded green color to achieve the right earthy tones throughout your room. You should try using green as a larger accent piece. A green tapestry or a green rug will make green a prominent color in your dorm room, but won’t be too overwhelming. Green looks awesome paired with tans and browns. 

Plants can be used to add the color green into your dorm room. Having green plants on display will make your dorm room appear even more earthy than just the color scheme alone does. But for a dorm room that is likely small, cramped, and lacking in natural sunlight, certain plants will work better than others. 

We recommend you get a plant that could thrive in the kind of environment that is not ideal. Some of those plants are cacti, bamboo, ferns, and aloe vera plants. Cacti require very minimal maintenance. They will be just fine if you forget to water them for a while because of how they store water to survive in their dry natural habitats. It is the perfect plant for a busy college student! Bamboo is another low maintenance plant that will improve your dorm room’s appearance, and aloe vera can thrive with just medium levels of sunlight. 

Tan

Tan is another warm color that evokes a strong feeling of security. It is also a neutral, which makes it work well with just about every other color. Tan is a paler version of brown, and a color you see featured prominently when it comes to the earth tone decor trend. It is somewhere between brown and white, and gives off the strength of the color brown along with the sophistication of the color white. A bedroom filled with tan colors looks elegant and soft. It is the perfect amount of comfort for a dorm room space. You can add as much tan as you want to your space without overwhelming it. 

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Orange

Orange is a warm color that is associated with comfort, security, and fun. It helps to focus the mind on prioritizing physical comfort, and can make you feel an overall sense of safety. When you use orange in your living space, you get an instant mood boost whenever you walk in. This color inspires action, risk-taking, and confidence. All of these are great qualities to have in a dorm room! 

Accent pieces can add a lot of color to a more subdued dorm room. A throw pillow is a good way to add that color. Lampshades, throw blankets, and photographs also work for this purpose. Orange looks great when it’s spread out in small quantities. It can be overwhelming if you fill a space with it completely, but it is easy to strike a proper balance. 

Yellow

Yellow is a bright color that is associated with sunshine. When you add yellow to your space, it will make you feel much more positive than a darker color would. Bright colors like yellow can feel easily overdone. When it comes to the earth decor trend, paler, more subdued yellows are best to use. These paler yellow hues are a lot more forgiving and go well with other earth tones like brown and green. Darker yellows can manage to be much too stimulating for a bedroom. 

Lights can influence the appearance of the earth tones in your dorm room. Dim lights will add to the warm and comfortable feel of your room, while bright lights will make you feel more alert. Each of these settings are useful during different times of the day, but you don’t want to be stuck with only using the overhead lights. Dimmer light sources like lamps, faux candles, and string lights will help add an even warmer ambiance to your room. 

Use LED powered lights to give off a calm ambient light that will make your dorm room’s earth tones stand out. They will be bright enough to provide you with light, but dim enough to improve your relaxation levels. You can cover your entire room in these lights or even just a single wall. Wherever you place these lights, they will surely have a great impact on the space. 

Red

Red is a vibrant color that can feel like an intense choice for this design trend if it’s not done properly. Red is associated with strength, passion, and courage. It can also be associated with danger and wrath, but that mostly applies to deep, dark reds. Dark reds can give a space a heavy atmosphere. Since you want to achieve comfort, it is best to use brighter reds. And to fit it in with the rest of your earth toned colors, it needs to be on the paler side. That will give your dorm room the relaxing vibe that you’re aiming for. 

Earth tones are becoming a decorating trend for very good reasons. Earth tones are warm, subdued, and make a space feel overall more comfortable. Nature automatically gives us some level of mental peace. Go ahead and bring that feeling into your dorm room!