Moving into a new place is just as exciting as starting college. Your dorm room is your new living space, where you’ll be spending a lot of time with your roommate, friends, studying or having fun. Even though it is probably a tiny space, with little room for comfort, you can still make the most out of it. Decorating a dorm room is actually an ongoing process, as you will be adding new stuff to the room regularly. But, you can set some basics right away in order to make that process more successful so that you can have a perfect dorm room as the end product.

But, because your dorm room is a small place that you’ll probably share, there are a lot of things that can go wrong while decorating it. There are many things you have to pay attention to in order not to create a daunting place that you’ll want to avoid. Therefore, in order to make the most out of your dorm room, we’ve gathered a list of things you shouldn’t include in your decorating plan.

Things To Avoid While Decorating Your Dorm Room

Overstuffing

Dorm rooms are small and usually intended to be shared between two roommates. There is a limit to the space you have, so you need to make sure to bear that in mind when bringing new stuff to the room and planning decorations. In order to maximize the space in the room and use every inch of it, make sure not to overstuff it with unnecessary things. For example, many students like to make their beds cozy by placing dozens of pillows on the bed. Or, others like to have hundreds of books in the room, even if they have to stand on the floor, take place on the table, or any other free place in the room.

Sure, you can have all of these things in the room, but then you need to have an excellent organization tactic. If you want to have a lot of books in the room, make sure to purchase a bookshelf or shelves. Or, if you’re going to have a lot of pillows, make sure to have enough room, for example, in your closet to place the pillows away when you want to sleep. Even so, avoid overstuffing your room either way, because it is your temporary residence and you will need space to lead a healthy life while in college.

Keeping it dark

One of the basic rules of decorating is brightness. It is always essential to keep a room bright, with light or color, for it to seem more cozy, warm, welcoming and comfortable. Because you’ll be spending a lot of time in that room, studying, reading, getting ready for exams, the room needs to feel homey and safe. Therefore, avoid lacking the source of light in your dorm room. Sure, many students like to have a single lamp, that they use during the night studying sessions or, of course, crying sessions that end with you asking “do my assignment for me” because you were procrastinating the entire semester, but that is entirely counterproductive.

If a room lacks light, chances are you’ll be getting more stressed, anxious and even depressed. Light and brightness are known to help you stay focused, awake and more likely to get things done. So, make sure to purchase string lights, many lamps and other sources of light that are rather inexpensive, but very effective. You can also have fun and purchase an overhead light, many multi-setting string lights or even candles to create an inviting ambiance. This will also come in handy when having friends over to create a fun vibe and brighten up the room. However, make sure always to unplug the lights and turn off the candles in order to avoid a fire hazard.

Over decorating

Another thing you should avoid when decorating your dorm room is over decorating. This means that you should avoid putting too much of the purposeless, unnecessary little pieces all over your room that will just take your space and gather dust. Sure, things like art pieces, quotes, figurines, plants, and other stuff help you express your individuality and unique style, but it is really easy to overdo it. So, when decorating your dorm room, make sure to have pieces of decoration that are actually meaningful, have a purpose and fit well in your room without taking too much space away.

Also, make sure to consider minimalism when decorating the room. A minimalistic style of decorating will help you keep the room organized, clean and stylish as well. All of the pieces you display in your room will be multipurpose and also look good. Or, if you’re more of an artsy, messy type of person, just make sure to keep proper storage for all of your stuff so that the room is still organized and clean. Here’s an additional tip; no matter how you decorate your room, in the end, it is of utmost importance that you have it tidy and organized because organization and cleanliness will always make your room look good. If it’s messy, overstuffed and over decorated, not to mention filled with garbage and clothes thrown all over, it will look bad.