5 Tips for Making Your Res Hall Room Your Own

Lauren Louk ’21 shares several suggestions for the most fun part of move-in: decorating your new room! Louk’s tips are helpful now and throughout your college career. Take a look!

1. Check in with your roommate about what they plan to bring. “My roommate didn’t have any large items she planned on putting on the wall, so I asked if she minded if I brought a large, colorful, mandala tapestry to light up the room," Louk says. "She didn’t mind, so the tapestry worked for decoration for both of us.”

2. Think sticky. Remember you’ll be charged for any holes you put in the walls — so plan to decorate with items hung with easy-to-remove wall stickers like 3M Command Strips. Tacks and painter’s tape are also ok (the holes made by tacks are small enough you won’t be charged)

3. Bring in the outdoors. Consider small plants, like succulents, or flowers, being mindful of any allergies your roommate may have. “Having a small garden by your bed or window is aesthetically pleasing, and you’ll enjoy the little plant babies whenever you see them,” Louk says.

4. Make memories. Take a chalkboard or a dry erase board and have your parents write something before they leave ... and then have all your new friends sign it as the year goes on.

5. Remember where you come from, but leave room for the future. Plan to decorate your room with reminders of home. Many people make collages on their walls with pictures from high school or of their family. That’s fine, says Louk, but “keep in mind that college is a new chapter in your life, and instead of filling your wall with pictures from the get-go, leave space to put your new memories on the wall. Throughout the year I’d pin up pictures, movie tickets, concert tickets, my Austin City Limits Festival wristband, cute dried flowers that I had picked, cards that my mom and friends sent me, and anything else I felt like keeping. I made a collage of memories of my time thus far in college, and by Christmas, I barely had any room left! If you feel like you don’t have enough stuff on your wall, take it as an incentive to go out and make memories to fill up your wall.”