10 Affordable and Easy Crafts for Your Dorm Room

College Advice, On-Campus Living, Student Life

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While many see standard dorm rooms as lacking personality (and they’re not wrong), we love to position them as an exciting blank canvas for students to add their own personality and custom touch.

After all, a well-curated room is an outstanding way to feel relaxed, focused, and confident as you head into the school year. Your dorm room decor should ideally be a mix of practical and personal, so don’t be afraid to choose what speaks to you.

That said, dorm rooms can present some interesting decorative challenges, as all changes must be temporary. You may also be decorating on a budget, too. Not to worry; there are so many ways you can get creative with easy crafts for dorm rooms that make your space your own.

Check out these 10 DIY crafts for dorm rooms, along with decor ideas that are inspiring, inexpensive, and fun.

1. Hat Trick

Put your collection of baseball caps or cowboy hats to good use by displaying them on the wall above your bed like this Pinterest inspiration! Not only is it a functional storage solution, but those hats will also turn into a dimensional art piece. Use dorm-friendly removable hooks, then alternate the placement and height of each hat for an artsy, well-designed aesthetic.

2. Decorated Snack Cart

Living in a dorm room means being equipped with snacks to satisfy hunger outside of dining hours, so what better way to host your snack cache than a personalized snacking cart? This quaint snack trolley from Pinterest is the perfect inspiration for you to get started. Whether you decide to spray paint, sticker bomb, or personalize another way, staying well-fed is vital to your physical and mental well-being.

3. Floral Wall Art

For a beautiful — and tongue-in-cheek — way to celebrate your love of coffee, use coffee filters in a modern, floral wall art pattern that looks museum-quality. Plus, the coffee filters are so lightweight that all you need is removable double-stick tape or glue dots to affix your art to the wall. View the entire DIY process for making floral wall art.

4. Clipboard Bible Verses

This easy DIY decor piece will be a consistent reminder of God’s love. First, grab some inexpensive clipboards from a dollar store and paint the clips black — or any color that you love. Then, prop the clipboards against a bookshelf or on top of a dresser or hang them on a wall with removable picture-hanging strips. Type up Bible verses in your favorite font, then print them out and hang them on the clipboards. You can also interchange other photos or art swatches.

5. Vintage Book Planter

Have a cool old book lying around? Turn it into a unique planter for a low-maintenance succulent. Everyone will want to know where you found this one-of-a-kind statement piece. View how you make a vintage book planter.

6. Record Planter

You can also make a planter out of an old record — if that’s more your jam. All you need is an old record, a cookie sheet, parchment paper, and an oven-safe bowl, according to this HGTV how-to. Put the bowl upside down on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and set the record on top of the bowl. Warm it in a 350-degree oven for five to six minutes until soft. Remove the record from the oven, then carefully place it into a bowl and form it until it reaches the desired shape. Then, add your succulent or plant!

7. Record Wall Display

Speaking of records, you can also put them to work on your walls. Head to a vintage shop or record store and grab a few cheap old records with cover art that you love. Then, arrange them on an accent wall in your dorm and hang them with removable tape or picture strips. Even sticky tack should do the trick.

8. Recycled T-Shirt Rug

Instead of tossing old, torn, or faded T-shirts, turn them into a fun, personality-filled doormat or rug for your dorm room. The steps for this DIY project are easy but a little time-consuming, so it’s a great activity to do while catching up on your favorite shows — or make it a group project and invite your friends over for craft time.

9. Instagram Collage Wall

Your Instagram is perfectly curated, so why shouldn’t your wall art be, too? Print out all your favorite IG pics and create an evenly spaced grid on a blank wall. There’s no need for frames or nails and hammers here; adhere the photos to the wall with different patterns of removable washi tape. Print out some of your favorite Bible verses, too, to intersperse throughout for mini-devotional reminders every time you gaze up at your wall.

10. Tapestry Upgrade

Infuse your space with a bit of hippie spirit by adding an oversized, colorful tapestry in a pattern you love. When hung on the wall behind your bed, it becomes a makeshift “headboard” that’s boho-cozy.

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Hopefully, you’re feeling inspired by these college dorm DIY crafts and all the possibilities to personalize your surroundings. There are countless ways to plan for dorm life and spruce up your space.

DBU’s Residence Halls provide a vibrant community aimed to serve students in their academic journey as they transition to college. The Residence Halls are filled with a variety of students, including new freshmen, transfer students, returning upperclassmen, and even international students. Learn more about living in the dorms at DBU.