10 Tips for Decorating Your Residence Room

Author: Celina Aalders
Posted on August 4, 2020

One of the most exciting aspects of my summer before going into first year was shopping and planning how I would be decorating my residence room. I saw it as an opportunity to design a fresh start for myself to go along with my new life at university. Decorating your room is so much fun and here are 10 helpful tips to make it even better!

1) Don’t spend too much money. Winners, Amazon, Walmart, Dollarama, thrift stores, and DIY projects will be your best friends when it comes to decorating on a budget.

2) Make it cozy. Your residence room will become your new home! Make sure it is a comfortable and cozy place that you will look forward to coming home to every night.

3) Incorporate some of your home life. Hang up some of your favourite photos of your family and friends!

4) Shop at the MtA Poster Sale. Every fall, MtA hosts a massive poster sale with tons of unique and inexpensive posters that you can purchase to hang up in your room.

5) Don’t go overboard. Having too many knickknacks and just “stuff” in general can make your room appear small and crowded. Sometimes less is best!

6) 2 words: fake plants. If you’re like me and can’t take care of a plant to save your life, then fake plants are the way to go. They’re low maintenance and can spruce up any room!

7) Hang a mirror or two on your wall. Mirrors will make your room feel more open and spacious.

8) Get inspiration from the internet. I got a lot of my ideas from Pinterest and VSCO.

9) Play around with different layouts. If you are in a residence with moveable furniture like I was in Campbell Hall, the possibilities are endless. You can choose exactly where you want everything to be!

10)  Have fun with it and get creative. This is a very exciting time and a chance to create the room you have always wanted, but I can’t emphasize Tip #1 enough…you don’t need to spend too much money to have a fun room 😊

Photo: Celina's first year residence room on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall