My first semester of college has been hectic, but I’m back! This has been requested since I started college. It’s been sitting in the back of my mind, and it’s finally here! Welcome to my artsy aesthetic dorm room! Send me any questions you have, and don’t forget to let me know what you think!

Turning a blank room into an artistic dorm room & art studio

An empty room is like a blank canvas, ready for you to do whatever you want with it… that is, taking into account the dorm regulations. For my room, I wanted to create a space where I felt at home, where I would enjoy hanging out with friends, and most importantly, an inspiring place to create in. 

I was up till 3 am the first night I got to my new room, decorating it, and more things have been added along the way.

Here’s how I decorated my dorm room, the artist way…

This is on the front of my door. Apartment 221B. (Sherlock reference – get ready, there will be more)

Now let’s go inside!

Wall decor

This wall is the first thing you see when you come into my room, and it’s one of my favorite parts of my room. I printed some of my photography, as well as some photos from my pinterest page, and topped it off with quotes from my favorite tv shows and some vintage postcards from all over the world. But let’s not forget the fairy lights…

Pro tip:

Using white tac or removable double sided tape is great for sticking things on the wall without leaving a mark. I used them for sticking the different photos and postcards, and used white tac to put up fairy lights. If you are using white tac for something heavy, like fairy lights, make sure to put enough of it, wrap it around the fairy lights and  spread it on the wall to make sure it doesn’t fall down. I didn’t do this at first, and one time in the first week, one of the edges got loose and 

Fairy lights

I have fairy lights going around all my walls. I have three sets. I decided to use warm lights everywhere (except one part which I’ll talk more about later), to give my room a warm and cozy feeling. 

Another one of my favorite parts of my room is the fairy lights and flowers hanging across my window. This was the reason I was up till 3 am that first night, and I don’t regret it one bit…

I just love the look these give to the room.

I used fairy light with a white wire for the walls, and black wire for the window (this way the wire sort of blends into the sky outside at night, and makes the light stand out, same thing with the white wire on the white walls).

Window

On the side of my window, I have a few books, my little (fake) candle bed light, a mug, and a little music box from my trip to Paris. It plays La vie en Rose (the most cliché Parisian song) but I love it. I pick it up and play it every once in a while and get the same feelings I get when I’m traveling – calmness and excitement simultaneously.

An now, on to the throw pillows…

Can you ever have too many throw pillows?

Beds are the best.

If you haven’t noticed yet, the color scheme I decided for my room is gold, pink, grey, and white. And throw pillows were probably the first thing I bought. I got these from different places and dip dyed one of my pillows. It was my first time dip dying and it was both easy and fun! 

I love how cozy and aesthetic throw pillows make the bed look. Plus, when friends come over, I lay the pillows against the wall side of my bed to lean against. 

I also used a a grey throw blanket with a simple pattern to add some color to the white blanket, and make the bed extra cozy.

Platform 9 3/4

If you know me, you know I’ve watched each of the Harry Potter movies around 20 times. Yea… It’s a problem… 

I was Bellatrix for Halloween this year, and I made my own wand. This wand is Bellatrix’s second wand, the wand she got in 1998, the year I was born. 

Pro tip:

Using gold (or another color based on the room) washi-tape to make frames around photos or posters makes them stand out more.

Harry Potter continues...

I always wanted a Hogwarts merch but I never actually found any…until recently. 

I saw this beautiful blue Hogwarts throw pillow and It was the last touch of movie reference I added to my room. 

I must say, I found it in the kids section of the store, and I jumped. Ain’t no “Kids” sign keeping me away from Harry Potter. 

Rugs on rugs

I decided to get rugs after designing the rest of my dorm room, because I wanted to make it look more homey. My floor was already grey so it wasn’t as much for aesthetic as it was for making the room more cozy. Being Persian, having rugs in our home is essential. I considered pink & gold, but easily decided to go for grey. This way the throw pillows would stand out more, and the rug would blend into the color of the floor. 

Treat yo' self corner

Moving on, being Persian, you know I gotta be ready for guests at all times. Haha…no, seriously. These snack jars were another one of the first ideas I had. Whether for a study snack, study break, or movie night, I’ve got it covered.

It’s not really for me, I just love it when my friends come and immediately hug the jar of gummy bears and all their stress goes away…

Hugs from mugs

Disclaimer: Half of these mugs were gifts, and these are only half of my mugs. Why do I have so many mugs? I do not know. What I do know is that I love them all for different reasons. And how cute is this penguin cup cap?

Green and gold

So you might have noticed these Sherlock books around the room. These aren’t actual books. In the true spirit of Sherlock, these are secret storage book boxes. There’s not actually anything in them though haha..

And in front of that, you see my glass jewelry box. I love mint green, so my room also has some mint green accents. 

I love this vintage-looking mint green desk lamp. It’s so convenient because it can be bent in different ways. I love vintage.

This mini easel was a gift, and instead of using it, like a normal artist, I have this big notebook with an atlas design permanently on it that says “Grand schemes and masterplans”.

Also, notice another Harry Potter reference in there? 

“I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good”

My desk

Books, art supplies, mugs, a polaroid camera, sand art, a cap I’ve had for around a decade, a figure pointing to Iran on the globe, postcards, quotes, a small easel with a notebook permanently on it that says “grand schemes and masterplans”, color pencil shavings, and mini statues., because how else would my desk look like. 😀

And finally, my art. I put some of my drawings around the walls (and event brought my easel from home!) to make a little art studio for myself in my room. I also put golden washi tape frames around them to make them stand out.

That’s it for my room! I’m curious to know what you all think of it! Let me know what you think of the room design, and if there is something you want me to post about? 

Also, here’s a challenge, can you find all the references and which show/movie/book they’re from? Let me know below, or message me!