Planning The Perfect Dorm Room From Home

For those of you who don’t keep up with my YouTube channel/vlogs, you’re probably a bit out of the loop so allow me to fill you in on what’s going on in regards to this upcoming school year. I will be going into my sophomore year at Kent State University as a  Fashion Merchandising student. Kent has not made all of their classes remote however over 75% of classes have been moved to online learning. All 16 credit hours that I am scheduled to take in the fall have been moved online. 

While technically I could begin the school year from my home in Maryland, as of right now I will be returning to campus mid-August to live in Ohio. As many of you know I am a member of Alpha Phi and will be living in the sorority house (aka “The Mansh”) throughout my sophomore year. The house used to be an apartment complex and so it is “apartment-style” meaning each apartment has a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. There are two girls to a room and I will be living with my friend Griffith who you’ve seen in previous blog posts and YouTube videos. 

Before you get too judgy, let me remind you that leases cannot easily be broken, especially on a college campus which is the reason I will be returning to Ohio and not learning from my hometown bedroom. However, I am aware that things are changing day by day and that those plans are subject to change at any point in time. I also know that every college is doing something different which is why I want to continue with regularly programmed content. 

Last school year I teamed up with Desenio, a wall art company, to decorate my dorm room. I created the perfect gallery wall thanks to them! In fact, I loved it so much that I brought those prints back home and hung them up in my bedroom here (pictured above).

Today I’m teaming up with Desenio yet again to share some of the cutest prints for my apartment. Desenio’s prints are so affordable and come in a wide variety of sizes. You will see I got quite a range of prints to ensure that I create the best gallery walls possible. I also want to share a few tips on planning your bedroom/dorm decor from the comfort of your own home. 

5 x 7

line poppy // choose happy // dandelion no 2 // perfume one // black lips // eyes

8 1/4 x 11 3/4

when you stop trying // when there is sunshine // hello sunshine // kitchen calls // water color makeup // girl in window // highland cow // sunflower

11 3/4 X 15 3/4

walking in the dunes // fashion books // lemon garden lines // sunny veranda lines // woman in blue dress // vernazza sunset

19 3/4 X 27 1/2

highland cow close up // madam fleur

As of right now, my plan for these prints is to create a few different gallery walls. I’m thinking of doing one in my bedroom, one in our living room, and another one somewhere throughout the apartment. I haven’t 100% decided if these are the layouts I will be using since I don’t know the exact measurements of the wall space, but I spent some time brainstorming a few ideas on how to pair these prints with one another. My mom will be using her master creativity to perfect my ideas. 

I wanted something chic and black and white for my bedroom. This gallery wall is rather simple and is very similar to what I had in my freshman year dorm. I love all things girly and so the lips, perfume bottles, and old photos are perfect. I also have a Mapiful of my school’s town that I plan on hanging beside these. 

Our living room only comes with a couch and so the room itself is rather bland. My roommates and I are planning on grabbing pink pillows for the couch and a cute area rug to make the space a bit more “homey”. I figured adding a bit of color to the wall through some Desenio prints would do just the trick in bringing the room to life! I chose some fun quotes and a few other images that caught my eye to brighten the place up. I am obsessed and love the variation in sizes!

I absolutely had to have these cow prints! I’m not 100% sure if I’ll keep the sand dunes with this wall as my mom and sister claim they don’t really go together, however, I love the hazy, laid back look of this wall. It’s simple, and in my opinion, relaxing to the eye. I hope I find the perfect spot to hang these. 

A few tips for planning your room

1. Be honest— When planning a dorm room or any bedroom that you intend on sharing it’s important to be super honest with your roommate with what you want. There’s nothing worse than ending up with something ugly because you were too afraid to speak up. Tell your roommate what you’re envisioning for your space but be mindful that some compromises will likely need to be made. 
2. Choose a color scheme— You don’t have to get everything matching with your roommate. Although both last year and this year, I got the same comforter and headboard as my roomie. Although, that’s definitely not necessary. Setting a color scheme will help you plan a cohesive room without having to get matching everything. It also helps in making your room feel more “homey”. I like sticking with neutrals— white, gray, and black so that I can reuse items from year to year, and adding a pop of color for things like throw pillows and a rug. This will really bring the room together and make your Pinterest board dreams come to life.
3. Less Is More— In reality, you don’t need a lot of decor. In fact, less is more. For me, creating a gallery wall was the perfect decision. Not only does it look sophisticated and polished but it fills your wall entirely without looking like a bunch of random things just thrown together on the wall. I love the order and cohesion gallery walls provide which is why Desenio is perfect!
4. Call Your Roomie Frequently— Check in with your roommate once a week and give them an update on what you’ve purchased throughout the week. My roommates and I have a shared note that has a checklist of all the “communal items”. This makes it super easy to see who purchased what, and what we still need to grab before the school year begins. This is also necessary to make sure you both aren’t buying items that you only need one of. 

Even if you’re not going back to campus this fall, it never hurts to give your room a little refresh. Check out Desneio for all your wall decor needs. I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

Which gallery wall is your favorite? I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of the way the colored wall came together. I cannot wait to move in and start hanging these up. Make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel to get all the details on my apartment!

With love, McKenz

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*This is a sponsored post. Desenio kindly gifted the prints featured in today’s blog post for reviewing and styling purposes. You can read my full disclosure page here.