When I was in college, I made a very specific decorating choice: pretentious posters. You know the kind. The ones that were supposed to say, I am interesting, mysterious, and probably reading something important. Looking back, I’m pretty sure they mostly said, Please do not approach me unless you’re prepared to discuss French cinema.
So, learn from my mistakes. Your dorm room should feel like you, and feels like a place where people actually want to hang out. And since our whole thing at WallArtCo is finding great art for pretty much every room, mood, person, and oddly specific situation, obviously we have some thoughts and feelings about dorm room artwork.
The good news? The best dorm art doesn’t have to be serious. It just has to give people something to talk about, show off a little personality, and make you happy when you walk through the door.
Pick Art People HAVE to Ask About
Dorm rooms are basically tiny social experiments. Your door is open, someone wanders in, and suddenly you’re figuring out whether this person might become your new best friend. Good art can help with that! Look for pieces that make someone stop and say, Wait, where did you get that? or Okay, I need the story behind this. A great conversation starter could be:
- A weird or funny animal print that makes people do a double take
- Bold retro artwork with unexpected colors
- Word art with a line that sounds suspiciously like your life motto
- A strange little food print that makes absolutely no sense, in the best way
- Colorful abstract art that everyone sees differently
- A print of something super specific you’re obsessed with
Let Your Walls Find Your People
College is full of people, which sounds great until you realize you somehow have to find your people among thousands of them. Your art can do a little of the work for you. The stuff you choose to put on your walls tells people what you like without you having to announce it. Maybe you love horses, old movies, basketball, astronomy, cowboys, beach towns, wildflowers, or very dramatic pasta. Whatever it is, put it up. The right person might see it and immediately think, Oh, we’re going to get along. Try decorating with art that shows off:
- Your favorite hobby or sport
- Music, movies, books, or pop culture you love
- Your hometown, home state, or favorite city
- Your favorite animal
- A style you’re obsessed with, like retro wall art or colorful modern abstract art
- Something wonderfully niche that only your kind of person will understand
Choose Art That Makes You Happy
This is the most important one. College can be exciting, chaotic, exhausting, hilarious, and occasionally involve eating crackers for dinner because you forgot groceries existed. Your room should feel like a happy little reset button. Choose artwork because you genuinely like looking at it, not because you think it makes you seem cooler, smarter, or more sophisticated. If you’re feeling homesick, art can also make your dorm feel a little more familiar. You could hang:
- A travel print of your hometown or home state
- Beach art from the place your family visits every summer
- Mountain wall art that reminds you of home
- A print of your dog’s breed because you miss them more than most humans
- Bright art in your favorite colors
- Something ridiculous that makes you laugh every single time you see it
Don’t Take Dorm Decorating Too Seriously
This might be the only time in your life when putting a cowboy print beside a disco ball beside a vintage landscape beside a photo of your hometown feels completely reasonable. Take advantage of it! Dorm rooms are temporary, which makes them the perfect place to experiment. Mix styles. Try new colors. Hang something weird. Your room does not need to look like a professionally designed showroom. A few easy ways to keep things fun:
- Mix several smaller prints instead of choosing one giant statement piece
- Pair something classic with something funny
- Combine colorful art with black and white art
- Add postcards, photos, tickets, or little memories around your artwork
- Pick pieces one at a time instead of trying to plan the entire wall in advance
Back to School, But Make It Cool
The goal isn’t to create the most impressive dorm room on campus. It’s to make a space that starts conversations, tells people a little bit about you, and feels good to come home to at the end of a long day. Skip the art you think you’re supposed to like. Pick the stuff that makes you laugh, reminds you of home, shows off what you love, or gets someone new to say, Wait, you’re into that too? Find something that feels very, very you. And please, my friend, learn from my mistakes!
