One of the most exciting parts of coming onto campus is deciding how you want your dorm room to look for the year. After all, you’re going to be spending the next couple of months in this space, so you’ll want to make it as homey and comfortable as possible! One of the best ways to do this is to go with a theme for your dorm room decor. While there’s nothing wrong with just buying the essentials and calling it a day, it’s so much more fun to insert a little bit of your personality into your themed dorm room decor.

Some of the most popular themes for dorm rooms center around the beach, mountains/great outdoors, vintage boho, and music. This is why we thought it would be a great idea to showcase some ideas for each of these themes. That way it makes it super easy for you to create the dorm room of your dreams.

Keep reading for inspiration tips on:

• Why creating a themed dorm room is so much fun
• How to create a beachy themed dorm
• Ideas for a mountain themed dorm room
• Ways to incorporate your vintage style into a dorm room
• Music-inspired ideas for your dorm room
  

Why Create a Themed Dorm Room?

The better question is, why not create a themed dorm room!

Living on campus in a dorm room is one of the most essential college experiences. It’s the first time you’re away from home and living somewhere else, so this is your first chance to truly make your mark on it. Dorm decor and decorations aren’t just there to take up space, they’re there to help you feel more comfortable in your new space. And here are a few more reasons why decorating your dorm with a theme is the way to go.

• It lets your personality shine. While you were at home, you only had your room to decorate. Now that you’re away from home and in your own space, it’s time to let your personality shine through! If you’ve always wanted a blank canvas to really go all in on a color, pattern, or theme for your decor, now is your chance. Plus getting inspired and shopping for dorm room decor is so much fun!
  

• Create the space you’ve always wanted. Because you’ve got a new room, this is the chance to create the type of space you’ve always wanted. While your dorm room may look bland and plain when you arrive, you have the ability to turn it into anything but that. Always wanted shag rugs and soft lighting? Well this is your chance. Create a room that speaks to your style, and will be some place you look forward to coming to. It’s even more fun when you and your roommate can work together on this!
  

• Make it cozy. You’re going to be spending a good amount of time in this space, whether you’re studying, relaxing, or napping—so make it someplace cozy! When you take a theme that inspires you and decorate your dorm room, you really get the chance to make a space that is inviting and comfortable.
  

• It’s welcoming to friends. Speaking of comfortable, when you have a cool, cozy room, more people will want to stop by and hang out! Having the right kind of vibe in your dorm room will make your space where everyone wants to come over for movie nights or study sessions. 
  

• You can try out new trends. Always wanted to see how your room would look with some beachy vibes? Now is your chance! Take a theme or a color that inspires you and run with it. There are so many ways you can incorporate a theme into your dorm room. And if you don’t like it when the year is done, you can always change it for next year.
  

No matter what theme you decide on for your dorm room decor, you always want to make sure you have a plan before you shop. If you’ve ever wanted to try out a beach, mountain, vintage, or musical inspired look, then we have some fantastic ideas for you.

Life’s a Beach: Dorm Room Inspiration

Make your room into the perfect beach with these ideas

If you’ve always been drawn to the chill, cool vibes of the beach, then perhaps a beachy dorm room is right for you? For this theme, you’ll want to stick to the kind of color pallet you would find at the beach. This means blues, pinks, whites, and tans. These are the kinds of neutral and relaxed colors you would find on sand, water, waves, and seashells. 

If the beach decor is something you’d want to do, remember to keep your bed linens and curtains a neutral color, like a tan or a blush pink, or even white. Then you’ll want to make sure you add items to your space that remind you of the beach, such as seashells, soft easy pillows, and perhaps a rug in a sandy color. 

Having prints on the walls like this Breathe Sea Poster is one of the easiest ways to channel those chill beachy vibes. This relaxing image can help you remember all those trips to the beach you’ve made, and it can also help soothe any study-related stress that might pop up throughout the semester. The neutrals in this print make it easy to hang anywhere in your space, so you can easily remember the soothing sound of the ocean, or the wind blowing in your hair.

An easy way to keep the neutral, beachy colors going in your dorm room is with a useful Rhino Armored Trunk. These trucks are the best at storing your items that you just don’t need laying around. Whether that’s extra sweaters, shoes, notebooks, blankets, or even your beach towels. You can safely lock them away in this handy and stylish trunk.

Because dorm rooms are low on extra space, this trunk also doubles as a seat for visitors or as an extra table when you need it. This white trunk would be right at home in your beachy dorm and would look great next to a tan or sand colored rug.

Conquer that Mountain: Outdoor Themed Decor

Show your love of the great outdoors with a mountain themed decor

Bring a little of the outdoors inside your dorm room. Image courtesy of Pinterest. 

Whether you’ve been into the great outdoors since you were a child, or it’s just a theme that has always intrigued you, going with a mountain or outdoor theme for your decor is a great idea. When you’re in your dorm room, you want to feel inspired to reach the summit of your goals. And what better way to do that with some mountain themed ideas for your space? 

If you’d like to focus on this theme for your dorm decor, you’re going to want to think about the colors you might find in the forest, or on a mountain itself. This could be blues, purples, and whites for mountains, which complement nicely with the neutral brown, tan, or green of a forest pallet. We suggest getting prints of mountains or forests, and using them to inspire you to reach for the top, while using blues, or brown neutrals for your bedding and curtains. Consider adding a pop of color with some green pillows to tie the whole look together.

You can’t go wrong with this soft, classic throw rug available in dark gray or ivory. Both colors speak to what you would find out in the great outdoors, so either choice would feel right at home in your mountain themed dorm room. This carpet is the perfect size to put near your bed, so you never have to put your feet on cold tile floors again. 

It would also feel right at home next to your desk, or used near your entryway. No matter where you put this soft cozy rug, you can be sure your feet will thank you.

When you’re busy studying for class, you don’t want to worry about not being able to find your supplies. Keep your desk clear and uncluttered with this handy 3-Tier Rolling Cart that has ample space for school supplies, books, or any other item you need to keep tucked away. It also makes a good spot to store snacks and drinks.

The neutral color of this cart means that you can be sure it will look great next to the blues, greens, and browns of your mountain-inspired dorm decor. One of the best things about this cart is that it is on four rolling wheels. This means that it can travel anywhere in your dorm room that you might need it! Once you’re done, you can roll it out of the way to keep your dorm clutter-free.

A Vintage Look for Your Dorm

Use time-tested boho styles to decorate your dorm room

If you’ve always liked the free-spirited vibes of vintage or boho styles, why not incorporate them into your dorm room decor? Vintage never seems to go out of style, and there are all kinds of trends you can draw inspiration from. Always wanted to have a retro-sleek 1970s or 1980s room with lots of black, white, and chrome? Now’s your chance. Or perhaps you’re more into the boho hippie vibe from the 1960s? Now is the time to get your tapestries, velvet pillows, and concert posters. 

You can go in all sorts of directions with the vintage vibe. Depending on which style you’re thinking about, you’ll want to stick to a few basics. If you’re looking for a natural boho-chic type of room, stick to neutrals and earth-toned colors. Think browns, tans, greens, and off whites. While if you’d like a little more glitz and glam to your room, you can’t go wrong with gray, white, and black, with a pop of silver or gold thrown in. Whatever direction you decide to take in, your vintage room is sure to be the talk of the floor!

This wall art really says it all. Staying curious is great life advice, while you’re at college and in your future beyond. This small piece is designed to fit into a nook or a cranny, where nothing else seems to fit. Or you can include it on a larger collage wall of some of your favorite items that give off that vintage vibe. 

No vintage dorm room is complete without a cozy, warm extra blanket. Whether you want to keep it on your bed, or lay it on your couch, this Sequined Fringe Throw in silver will feel right at home. This soft blanket is stitched with silver, sparkly sequins that add just the right amount of glam to your dorm room. Not to mention it’s great for a comfortable study session!

Dance to the Music with These Dorm Room Ideas

A music-inspired dorm could be just what you need

If music is in your soul, then consider having a music-inspired dorm room. Whether you play an instrument, sing, or just love getting lost in songs, it’s easier than you think to put together a cool music room. The best way to achieve a music look is to cover your dorm walls in posters of your favorite bands. You can also use a musical instrument (even if you don’t play one) as part of your decor by hanging it on the wall.

It doesn’t matter what type of music you’re into, what matters is that the decor speaks to your own tastes and preferences. One great way to get those fun, musical vibes is to use vinyl records or album covers to put on your wall! There are plenty of stores that sell them, and they would be sure to really emphasize your love of music.

Whether you’re jamming on your guitar, or just listening to your favorite tunes in your headphones, you’ll need a place to do so. This Dash and Ash Stars Above Floor Pillow offers you just the space to do that. It’s large and comfy enough to support you when you’re listening to music, studying, or hanging out with friends.

A dry erase board is perfect for jotting down important events, deadlines, concert info, or even list some of your favorite lyrics. This board looks like a chalkboard, but it’s a convenient peel and stick dry erase board. Put it wherever you need quick reminders, or leave it outside your dorm room for messages instead.

We hope these ideas inspire you to try out a theme when you’re decorating your dorm room. These are just a few of the options available, so do what speaks to you!