Define Your Dorm Style

College dorms are legendarily drab: cinderblock walls, groaty desk chair, matching wooden bed, desk, and drawers. That means how you decorate— what posters hang on the wall and what non-little kid sheets cover the bed— is an important opportunity for express who you are.

So how will you define your dorm style?

Vintage Charm Thrift-shop finds fill your closet, and you’d rather rewatch an Audrey Hepburn classic for the millionth time than hit the multiplex for some Katherine Heigl flick. Express your classy taste for vintage with quirky decoration, like a pair of scrolled iron hooks (Pier 1 Imports, $9.95), a fleur-shaped vanity mirror (Urban Outfitters, $24) or elegant toile bedding (Pottery Barn, $29.99-169.99). Remember to leave room on the walls for those Breakfast at Tiffany’s posters…

Boho Chic You like your make-up minimal, your music folksy, and you wander through Anthropologie lusting after every item on the racks. Accent your basic jersey bedding with a funky throw pillow with flower appliqués (Crate and Barrel, $39.95), trade a boring desk lamp for a pair of hanging paper lanterns (Pier 1 Imports, $6-9), and store your pens and pencils in cool old soda bottles (Urban Outfitters, $28).

Preppy Co-Ed You pair crisp boyfriend button-downs with Tory Burch flats, you dream of someday replacing your Vera Bradley with a Hermes Birkin bag, and you secretly wish you were a Kennedy. Channel your prepster style with classic white frames (Pier 1 Imports, $14-16) and bright striped bedding (PB Teen, $29-99) for a dorm room reminiscent of a Hamptons getaway.

Sleek Urban Minimalist If you’ve ditched your Uggs for chic black booties and your dream house is actually a loft apartment in downtown Manhattan, you’re a sleek urbanite in the making. Display photos in simple black and white frames (Crate and Barrel, $14.95-32.95) leaning tastefully on the windowsill, or use polished silver vases to store pencils… or fresh flowers, if you’re feeling ambitious (Target, $59.99).

Of course these are just a few ideas— the beauty of a dorm room is that it is a completely blank slate. Put that smart college brain to work and get decorating!

Head on over to 1,000 Dreams Fund to learn how to get funding for your dreams!