Don't settle for the dull lighting that comes standard in college dorms and apartments. Follow our tips and never let unflattering fluorescent lights get you down again!
Anyone who’s stepped into a modern dorm room or the typical college apartment can likely attest: the lighting is less than ideal—but you shouldn’t have to accept your fate and live with ugly fluorescent lamps and a sad, dim room forever. With just a little creativity and a few amazing products, your dorm or apartment will be sparkling in no time.
String lights are a classic—and sometimes cliché—choice for dorm room décor, but you don’t have to conform to the norm. Instead of the typical, boring setup of string lights hung around the perimeter of a room or wrapped around a vent or the posts of a bunk bed, opt for thicker rope lights in order to create imaginative designs in a flash. Spell out your name or initials or go for an abstract word or shape that represents your individuality and stand out from the pack.
However, if your heart is set on the dainty look of classic lights, you have options too. Wrap a strand around a mirror to create a makeup mirror effect that doubles as a design element. You can also create a gorgeous photo display simply by hanging string lights along the width of a wall, and using clothes hangers to clip on your favorite photos.
My personal favorite way to utilize string lights in a small space is by creating a starry canopy on your ceiling. To do this, hang fairy light strands along your ceiling in random order with some hanging lower than others to achieve this dreamy look.
If you’ve been anywhere near a home décor board on Pinterest in the last six months, you’re almost guaranteed to have come across lighted marquee letters. These letters have been absolutely huge this year in the home décor market, and sales don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
The letters are ideal for dorm rooms because they’re small enough to leave space for other items in a cramped bedroom while still being bright and beautiful enough to personalize your space in a stylish way. We stock the entire alphabet as well as numbers and symbols, so you can even spell out your favorite hashtag. You can even customize them like we did below in this tutorial!
If your dorm or apartment is anything like my college dwellings were, anything with an open flame is strictly prohibited. So sadly for me, I was without my beloved scented candles for four long and painful years.
It wasn’t until I graduated that I discovered the magic of flameless candles, and with Luminara’s line of realistic flame candles, you won’t even miss the real thing. These candles flicker and waver like a real candle flame, and come in dozens of colors, textures and scents. Accent your room with just one or buy several, and get ready to relax.
Lighted branches have been a hot item in home décor and are the perfect way to accessorize your bland, school-issue desk. Simply fill your favorite vase with the branches, flowers or blossoms of your choice and you’ll have instant ambiance. Best of all, the branches are LED and battery powered, so you can use them anywhere.
Your college experience wouldn’t be complete without a few dorm or apartment parties under your belt, so you might as well prepare now. If you’re hosting a get-together at your place, replace your standard bulbs with colored party lights for an instant festive feel. Black lights are always a popular choice at parties, and they’re just as easy to use. Pop them in your lamps and get ready to glow.
Whatever your style is, make sure you don’t get left in the dark with bad dorm lighting this year.
