St. Patrick’s Day is approaching, and if you’re a fan of the holiday you’re probably looking for some decorations right about now. Green garland, green lights, four leaf clovers, and accents of gold. This is what St. Paddy’s Day decor usually looks like. But it doesn’t have to. What’s the point of spending money on decorations only to take them down a day after St. Paddy’s Day is over? Sure you can buy some cheap decorations somewhere that you can just throw away after. But if you’d rather not throw your money out after St. Patrick’s Day is over and you want to keep them up a little longer, consider buying decorations you can keep up all year long.

No one ever said St. Paddy’s Day decor had to come from a cheap store and consist of garland and plastic. If you love the holiday, you have some deep Irish roots you want to honor, or you simply just like the color green a lot, then it’s time to start thinking outside the box when it comes to your St. Paddy’s Day decor choices. Instead of thinking about decorations that’ll only last the season and have St. Patrick’s Day printed on all of them, look for decor that can stay up the whole semester and make your room festive all year long. If you need help thinking about what to buy and look for when shopping for St. Paddy’s Day decorations, keep reading for some tips and tricks to help get you started!

Let’s Start With the Basics

To get started, let’s think about the basics first. If you’re looking for St. Paddy’s Day decorations that you can keep up all year long, the first and easiest place you can start is with basic decor. Essentially when you think about your basic room decor, you should think about your bedding, your rugs, your blankets, etc. Basically, we’re talking about the base layer of your decor. You don’t put throw pillows on your bed without choosing a bedspread first. Take this same logic and apply it to your room decor.

An easy way to incorporate St. Paddy’s Day into your decor is with your bedspread. If you’re a fan of the color green, a green comforter is a fun way to add a pop of color in your room while also contributing to the theme of the holiday. If you like the color green but you’re not looking to incorporate it in your room through a bright green bedspread, try getting a bedspread with just some green accents throughout, or one with a green design. This will have the same effect, it just won’t be so overwhelming.

Another way to add a St. Patrick’s Day twist on your basic decor is with your dorm room rug. Rugs in your room are not only a great way to keep warm and cozy while making your room feel homier, but rugs are also an easy way to add a St. Paddy’s Day feel to your room that you can leave up all year. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and find the brightest neon rug you can at the store. Having a rug with a few green accents throughout it will have the same effect without being too overpowering.

When thinking about decor basics for your room, this can include throw blankets you have in your room. A plain green blanket (or opt for one with a design if that’s more your style) is another easy way to add to your St. Patrick’s Day vibe! You could go out and buy one of the cheap St. Paddy themed blankets they sell at every department store around the holiday, but will you really keep that on your bed when Easter rolls around? Maybe you will, but if you’re not into four leaf clovers on your blanket after the holidays have passed, then buying a plain green blanket or a blanket with green accents is a good alternative. This will still have the same effect, but you’re more likely to keep this blanket on your bed well after St. Paddy’s Day is over.

Moving On to Your Accent Pieces

Now that you’ve got your decor basics covered, let’s move on to the accent pieces in your room. When you think about what the accent pieces in your room are, this can mean the things that are there for decoration and ambiance, or an accent piece can also be something that has a function (think storage or organization). While it may seem like an obvious idea to just find all green accent decor, but that doesn’t have to be the case. If you have enough subtle pieces in your room with just hints of green then the total effect will be more noticeable than you might think. If you go too overboard with your accents (especially if you opted for more green choices with your basics), then it might become overwhelming. Unless a monochrome green room is your vibe, then by all means don’t let us stop you!

Using accent pieces that double as St. Paddy’s Day decor can mean adding wall art, having small trinkets set around your room, or using your desk organizational tools to add to your decor. If you’re looking for wall art, this doesn’t have to just be pictures or paintings. Tapestries are very popular in dorm rooms and they can not only help you express your personal style, but they can also make the room feel like a cozier space. Consider finding a tapestry that has green accents as well as colors you might already have in your room. Hanging a tapestry in your room will take your decorating to the next level, and you’ll be able to keep it up all year. Besides, tapestries make the perfect Instagram background.

When you’re looking for trinkets that can double as St. Paddy’s Day decor, try to find ones that are also functional. Color changing lights are a great way to add to the St. Patrick’s Day ambiance you might be going for, and they can be used every day. When you have the option to change the colors of the lights, you can use them for every day use as well as use them for any holiday because you can change their color to fit the holiday you’re celebrating. Another functional accent decor item you might consider getting is a desk organizer with hits of green in it. These are often cheap but are still functional so you’ll be able to use them all year.

Bring St. Paddy’s Into Your Bathroom

If you’re lucky enough to have a bathroom connected to your dorm room, then this is another place you can add some St. Paddy’s cheer for the holiday! The bathroom is one of areas in a room or apartment that is easy to overlook when decorating. But this doesn't have to be the case! The easiest (and often one of the cheapest) ways to decorate in the bathroom is with some new bath towels. Bath towels are inexpensive, useful, and can be a fun way of decorating your bathroom. If you’re into designs, look for towels with green accented designs. Into solids? There are a variety of green shades to choose from!

A fun shower curtain is another easy way to add some St. Patrick’s Day decor to your bathroom without going overboard. Now you might be thinking that a St. Patrick’s themed shower curtain might mean a shower curtain with pots of gold and rainbows on it. If that’s your style, then go for it and let your bathroom be a leprechaun’s dream! But if that’s not your jam when you think about decorating your bathroom, then a shower curtain with leaves or florals on it is a good alternative to one covered in four leaf clovers. This way you’ll be able to use the shower curtain for longer than one day!

Another way to add some St. Patrick’s cheer to your bathroom is with a bath mat. Bath mats are essential in your bathroom if you’re not a fan of freezing toes on your bathroom tile in the morning. Bath mats also help to keep your floor dry and to prevent you from slipping when you get out of the bath. But bath mats can also be used to help up your decorating game when they need to be. Another perk about using bath mats to help decorate is that they’re fairly cheap at most places so you won’t be breaking the bank. Besides, you’ll definitely be able to get your use out of it!

When All Else Fails Buy Some Garland

When in doubt, head to your nearest Dollar Store and pick up some St. Paddy’s Day decorations to spruce up the place! Just because you have decorations that you can keep up all year long, doesn’t mean you can’t pick up some cheap ones from the store. While having decor in your room that can double for St. Patrick’s Day will save you money and keep the spirit of the holiday alive, you don’t have to stop there. Sometimes having a string of four leaf clover garland hanging above your window is all you need to pull the room together and make it festive. Or buy a sparkly four leaf clover or rainbow wall hanging and put it outside your door to make your door extra festive.

Whether you’re planning a party or just like your room to be festive for the holidays, adding a few pieces of store bought decor can be a fun addition to the decor you already have! If you are throwing a St. Paddy’s party with snacks and themed decor, sometimes decorations that can be left up year round just don’t cut it and you need something that shouts “I’m Lucky!” at your guests as they arrive. So if you decide to have a St. Patrick’s Day party in your dorm room and you want to get some extra decorations, they can only add to the St. Paddy’s Day vibe your other decorations have already created. Incorporating some items from the holiday section will never be a bad thing!

When decorating for St. Patrick’s Day, just have fun with it. Having decor that you can keep up year round doesn’t mean that St. Paddy’s Day has to be your whole room theme for the year or that you have to be obsessed with the color green. Having St. Paddy’s Decor that you can leave up year round is just a way of keeping the lucky vibe going. And who can’t use a little extra luck in college, especially with finals just around the corner? So if you’re wanting to keep the St. Patrick’s Day feeling throughout the year, use these tips and tricks to find decor pieces that you can keep up for St. Paddy’s Day, and all year long after!