12 Budget Bedroom Decor Ideas For Your Dorm Room

After finally getting into your dream university and experiencing life away from home, it is time to bring all your Pinterest ideas to life! We know you have created around 100 boards visualising what your dream room would look like. It is time to work on it. However, budget bedroom decoration ideas have limitations, and you don't want to break dorm rules. We have listed some budget bedroom decoration ideas that are gender-neutral and more than just fairy lights!

Aesthetic Student Room Decoration Ideas

Our rooms are supposed to be an extension of our souls, and just like the colours and emotions that connect our souls should be depicted in our surroundings. It could vary from person to person, so here we are with a blog that lets you represent your true self by helping you make a few student room decoration your own:

1. Add Lights

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, Target, IKEA or your local store

For lights, go for LED strips, neon lights or a string light around your posters or the full-sized mirror for your student room decoration. Fairy lights are your thing, go for it; we suggest sunset lamps that give a dreamy look. Place it in one corner and see it lighten up your mundane dorm room. It is one of the most simple yet effective student room decoration ideas!

2. Hidden Storage

Average cost: $10-$120

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Hidden storage is where the clutter goes; you are closer to the student room decoration on a budget look. A cluttered room equals a cluttered mind, be realistic with your needs. It is essential to have breathing space when going for minimal student room decoration. Always look for tips to organise your room or make it look as clean as possible. Hidden storage helps you declutter your room and give it a nice and clean aesthetic vibe if you use the rest of the available space to decorate it properly.

3. Get Plants

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon or your local store

Use Recycled Pots if you can; got jam? Don't throw away the jar; use it as a vase or pot to keep your jewellery or succulents for a lively student room decoration. Adding a few plants will add colour to your minimal student room decoration, and it also has various health benefits, like making the air cleaner and helping you study effectively. Monstera, Spider Plant, Hedgehog Aloe Vera and ZZ Plant are all really easy to care for.

4. Add Bedding

Average cost: $20-$120

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

You can always add dimension by layering with a fitted sheet, a top sheet, and a decorative blanket; remember to choose colours pleasing to the eye. Skip the bright and choose cool, eye-pleasing colours for your minimal student room decoration. We have heard of accent walls, but another way to amp up your dull student room is with pillows, and one accent pillow works wonders.

5. Add Curtains

Average cost: $20-$80

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

As we have certain limitations in a dorm room, try investing in curtains of different textures and patterns, such as lace and mix and match. Colours like sky blue, lilac, beige, and soft pink are ideal! You can decorate student room by adding curtains as it breathes new life into the surroundings.

6. Invest In Rugs

Average cost: $30-$250

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon or your local store

A tiny rug will completely change the look of your room. You can look for carpets in your nearest furniture store and neatly place them near your bed. Invest in a beige or cream-coloured rug to bring your vintage room decoration together. You can also paint a rug to make your own personalised one; you will find many affordable rugs in thrift stores.

7. Add Wall Art

Average cost: $50-$200

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon or your local store

For the wall art,  get posters with fewer colours for a soft look. Either place it above your bed or your desk. You can also buy a rack where you can wall-hang necklaces, a dreamcatcher, a shawl, and a bohemian blanket, we do not want to annoy our landlords, so it is suggested to purchase hooks instead of nailing the walls before hanging anything. 

8. Add a Headboard

Average cost: $5-$20 

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Keep your bedding simple with monochrome or linen with many elements around the room. A bedframe will complete the look, head to the nearest hardware store and get a plank of wood to decorate with lights, tapestry or anything you like.

9. Use washi tape

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Washi tape is a Japanese masking tape that is removable and reusable, which will surely damage the walls and save your deposit! Use can use washi tapes for decorating your dorm rooms with photo frames or making wallpaper; go crazy with it!

10. Decorating your desk

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon or your local store

Be it your side table or desk, dress it up! Display your perfume bottles, candle holders, mirror and jewellery. Either buy a jewellery box or a ceramic tray and make your table match your room by adding vinyl sheets that are easy to remove. You can buy vinyl sheets online and stick them to your table.

11. Use a pinboard

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Use pinboards to display your work assignments, pictures, quotes and postcards without damaging the wall. This is your chance to get out of the box and stick your notes on the pinboard, be it a timetable, a very complex diagram of your writings or notes. Get a pinboard that suits your style; there are many options.

12. Invest in a mirror

Average cost: $20-$120

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Ensure to cross-check with your landlord if you can hang a mirror; if you cannot, buy a full-sized mirror. Since your room will be filled with posters, wall hangings and rugs, a full-size mirror will balance the space and make it look bigger. 

13. Use lights to Create a Fairy Atmosphere

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon, IKEA or your local store

Dangling lights are a perfect choice to lift the mood and light up the atmosphere. Different modes of light, colours, and ornaments will help to realise your student room decoration ideas and make your dorm room stand out from the rest. You can combine them with other student room decoration: ornaments, small bells, drawings, candles, candy canes, and figurines. All you need is just to find something dear to your heart to start decorating your dorm room.

14. Use scents and diffusers

Average cost: $5-$20

You can buy it on Etsy, Amazon or your local store

Specific scents that remind you of yourself or your own character will be helpful. Candles or diffuse essential oils that smell like pine, gingerbread, cinnamon, and citrus will help to keep the cosy and warm atmosphere in your dorm room. Still, be very careful, as strong odours can trigger headaches or allergies. You can use essential oils that will help you create a refreshing atmosphere. It is one of the best ways to start decorating your dorm room by adding new smells.

15. Add Neon Signs

Average cost: $50-$200

You can buy it on Etsy or Amazon

Our study or work corners are our places of worship, and therefore, we can use some aesthetic study room decoration options to help them stand out. You can explore neon lighting or Neon signs throughout your table and walls along with the roofs so that not only lesser electricity consumed, but you also get a nice thematic look out of it. 

Find your aesthetics

Our room depicts our personality; everybody has a particular style or aesthetics they go for when decorating a student room. If you still have not figured out what suits your style, we have listed down a few sections which deal with different aesthetics; find yours!

1. Minimal student room decoration

Suppose you like a simple, clean, crisp and clutter-free approach to styling, whether your room or your outfits. You can experiment with this approach to the student room decoration. It does not need much, so it's probably the easiest budget bedroom decoration idea. Minimal room decoration deals with a cohesive colour and empty space to create a sense of zen with areas for your eyes to rest.

2. Soft room decoration

Soft Room decoration deals with a very soft, pastel and high-comfort environment. It represents a place for you to rest and get a mental break. A hint of pink and plush materials and organic objects will brighten your student room decoration.

3. Grunge room decoration

With grunge room decoration, you achieve a classic look on a budget. If you like to mix and match, there are no limits, only the budget and your journey to find your aesthetic. Grunge room decoration is a mix of rustic, ethnic and hippy feel. 

4. Dark academia room decoration

If you like earthy tones with a touch of colour, you might want to go for dark academic aesthetics. You would want a home where you feel comfortable sitting down and letting go after dealing with exam stress. You might want to check out our blog on how to deal with stress as a college student.

5. Cottagecore room decoration

In the digital world, do you still prefer letters and writing poems? Instead of watching a series, do you like reading a book? You might be a part of the cottage-core room decoration aesthetic. Experiment with woody browns, floral pastels and sage green for this style.

6. Vintage room decoration

To beat the loneliness of living abroad, you need to create a space where you feel welcomed. This style is self-explanatory. Vintage room decoration experiments with furniture, fabrics, and colours that were popular decades ago and that sense of nostalgia can make you feel at home.

DIY hacks for bedroom decoration

1. Cord Holder - got a bunch of cords lying around the desk? For this DIY hack for the bedroom, do not throw away your toilet tissue rolls; instead, use them to hold your cables in place neatly. You can paint the rolls or decorate them with washi tapes.
2. Hanging pictures without nails - if lighter things like paper, poster boards and smaller frames, buy command strips and command hooks to hang heavy stuff like mirrors or racks for student room decoration.
3. Wall Art - add some colour to your wall by making your own tissue paper flowers. You need paint, scissors, and tissue paper, and get crafty!
4. Wallpapers - but not for the walls; for this DIY hack for bedroom decoration, you can redecorate your mirrors and picture frames according to your room's aesthetics.

We hope the budget bedroom decoration ideas helped you find your aesthetic and envision your potential bedroom. Your student accommodation should be a room where you can rest after a long day studying and working n the new city, so get creative and make your home away from home! If you are looking to get a quick jist of all the decor ideas, then you can check out our webstory on home decor ideas for homesick students!