How to Decorate a Guy’s Dorm Room

Oh, the rights of fall! Summer is retreating, migratory birds start to flock, the first crops are harvested, and (add dramatic music here) it’s time for kids to go to the many colleges and universities around the country. Dorms will soon be filled, and decorating themes of all types will sprout from the various rooms. Lecture halls, laboratories, libraries, and gymnasiums are important structures to any facility of higher learning, but one type of building stands alone as the bastion of student interest: The Dorm.

The dorm. That word strikes fear into the hearts of mothers concerned about their baby boy’s new “home away from home. But the topic today is decorating a guy’s dorm room, not Mom’s trepidation about her offspring’s laundry skills or hygiene habits. Dorm rooms as offered by colleges come in one architectural theme. Dull, drab, and boring come to mind as suitable descriptions. So how is the college guy of the 21st century going to turn that institutionalized box of a dorm room into his comfortable and personalized abode?

Decorating themes work very well in the dorm environment. A movie or movies theme is certainly one that enables the student to bring his personal touch into the dorm room. Movie posters become an awesome method of covering walls. Movie posters are available from mall shops, online (a quick search for movie posters will reveal many links to online stores with contemporary and vintage posters for sale). Decorating walls may be accomplished with non-wall penetrating hanging devices, like those products made by 3M Company. Remember, using tape to affix posters to walls will usually result in paint peel off upon removal of the poster. Damage costs can be avoided with a little care.

The beauty of decorating dorm room with movie posters is the wide range of themes that can be utilized. If your son likes The Lord of the Rings, enough different posters have been produced to insure that multiple posters of Frodo, Gandalf , Aragorn, Gimli and the others may be displayed with no duplicates. SciFi themes, Adventure themes, or just about any general movie theme one can think of may be used to decorate a dorm room.

Once the overall theme of the dorm room has been established, additional details may be added. Area rugs in a solid color will provide a much warmer surface than the vinyl flooring usually found in a dorm room. While some electronic gear is utilitarian in form, many TV and stereo systems are designed such as to provide a nice look to a room. The small fridge (required by most guys) will end up covered with magnets from local bistros, adding to the ambiance of the room. Mom will want to dictate the bedspread color, pillow slips, and sheets. Let her so dictate. She has earned that right.

Each dorm room will develop it’s own look and personality after a few weeks of occupation. Things will be added, some things removed. But rest assured, Moms and Dads, your son will appreciate your help in decorating his dorm room.

I know. We have decorated four dorm rooms to date. Our last dorm room will decorated for the first time this fall. Hear the sigh of relief? Oh, I forgot. We’ll discuss paying for the dorm another time.