When choosing a college, think BIG! Think school pride! Think Alabama Crimson Tide! The University of Alabama is the most popular college in all of Alabama and it is pretty clear why. If you live out-of-state and are relocating to Birmingham, Alabama bringing absolutely nothing but yourself, your car, your clothes, and your brain... these five helpful dorm decorating tips can show you how to create your home at the university in order to get the best dorm-life experience possible AND save money.
Rearrange your furniture to find the best layout. If you have a roommate, work on creating the most space efficient living quarters possible. Try out different layouts and get creative, sometimes the best ideas come from ones you wouldn't otherwise think of. Try raising your bed all the way up and placing your desk underneath. Or see if your desk will fit in the closet. If your roommate agrees, maybe even put the two desks back to back.
When choosing additional furniture. find organizational pieces that are compact and can help eliminate mess and clutter. Cubed Ikea bookshelves accompanied with the square bins that go with it, can be extremely helpful in keeping things organized while not taking up too much space. A bookshelf can also serve as a boundary for a little separate space from your roommate as well. Also try to find organizers that can go inside dresser or desk drawers. The idea is to compartmentalize and organize as much as possible so that you use what little space dorms often provide, more efficiently.
For decor you want to coordinate colors to prevent "clashing". Talk to your roommate about coordinating colors such as with bed sheets, comforters, and walls if the university allows you to paint. If you cannot paint, wall decals, large art posters, and family pictures can make you feel at home. To conceal things that do not have a door such as the closet, hang a decorative shower curtain or even twin fitted sheet with a tension rod so that the clutter of the closet cannot be seen. If you use under your bed for storage too, you can use a bed skirt as a sort of concealer. For extra creative decor, try some do-it-yourself projects: sponge paint a fitted bed sheet to hang over the closet, iron-on transfer your bed sheets for customized prints, use printed masking tape to create patterns on the walls or line the edges of bookshelves for style, or find removable wallpaper sheets as an alternative to paint.
To warm up the room and keep your feet cozy add a rug! Don't forget to decorate from the floor up. A nice carpet will also conceal the uninviting floor that university dorms typically have.
Do whatever it takes to make your dorm feel like home. Leaving the nest is not easy to do and even if you are an Alabama local, not living at home is a major life change and you too can get homesick. Put up pictures of your family, friends, and pets. Add little trinkets that maybe someone close to you had given to you; add mementos. Don't forget to add school pride too! The more in-support you are of your school and the more active you are in campus activities, the more likely you will adjust to not living at home.
Moving out-of-state for college isn't easy, but relocating for The University of Alabama can be amazing! Just follow these simple tips to making your dorm inviting and allow Alabama to be your new home. Contact us today to receive a free, no-obligation quote.