Making hostel rooms inhabitable

It’s that time of year again, the academic year will start soon. The time has come, for those of us who live in hostels, to pack our bags, and go to the place we will call home for the next year. I’ve seen many dorm rooms in the past year, my first time living in the hostel, and they ranged from looking like the Sahara desert, or worse, a garbage dump, to looking like paradise. Mine was quite barren for the most part of the first semester. I stuck to the essentials, and it looked more like a sterilized hospital room (thanks, OCD!) than it did like an eighteen-year-old’s dorm room. I never really felt comfortable there, it was like I was a guest in my own room, until I decided to make some changes. After having spent hours surfing Pinterest, and Tumblr (I do many things to avoid studying), I came up with a few ideas, to make my room cozier than before. Suddenly, several people were interested in what I’d done; many of these people started visiting and making inquiries about how they could implement similar things themselves. Someone even offered to pay me to make something for her room! I also noticed what others in the hostel tried out last year, and I’d like to share the ideas I found most appealing!

1. Lights: To be honest, I was quite obsessed with lights in the last semester. I experimented with different kinds of lights in my room, and they seemed to work quite well. Yellow lights are a personal favorite, but any kind can be used in their place, to avoid the washed-out look that’s provided by the tube light. My roommate liked blue lights, and although it seems like an odd combination, our room ended up looking quite nice!

   

   My friend, Aditi made this hula hoop chandelier, and hung it from the ceiling of her room!

   

   The white balls were made from wool, and then attached to fairy lights, which I absolutely adore!

   

   The lantern I made from wool

   

   This is what it looked like, in the end!

2. Posters: Being a huge TV show buff, I thought putting up posters from the shows I’ve watched, would be the best way to personalize the space. It was a colorful, yet cost-effective way of filling up the blank space on the wall.

   

   I watched some of these shows as a kid, do not judge! xD

3. Fabric wall fixtures: I improvised on an idea I found on Pinterest, fervently hoping that they’d hold up, when I fixed them on the wall. I was overjoyed that they lasted the entire semester! These practically cost nothing, because all I used to make them, were Styrofoam pieces and unused pillow covers!
4. Original artwork: My roommate was a really good artist, and she had put up pictures that she’d made on her side of the room, which looked amazing!

   

   This was one of the paintings Shilpa made!

5. Photographs: This was, by far, the most popular choice among my peers. Many people brought pictures of sentimental value, and put them up on the walls.

   

   Aditi arranged her pictures on the wall with fairy lights interspersed

6. Gallery wall: This was yet another idea that I found on Pinterest (I really love that site). It’s basically framed photographs and other objects that have a central theme, put together in a specific arrangement. I’ve planned to try it out this year. My theme will be “Places I’d like to visit”, and the pictures will all be black and white. Also, instead of framing them, I’ll use thick black tape around them, for ease of handling and storage.

   

   Image source: Tumblr

7. Miscellaneous: I saw one room that had a colorful plush carpet, which I thought looked beautiful. Also, TV show and movie merchandise seems to be a popular choice. My future roommate and I have decided to get a Game of Thrones clock, although we haven’t settled on one yet! Tapestries which give off a Bohemian vibe, also seem like a really nice addition! Another popular choice that I’ve noticed, is quotes on the walls.

These are just a few ideas, which barely scratch the surface of all that can be done to spruce up the tiny living space, that we call our hostel rooms. Being at ease in our place of stay is paramount.  While nothing can replace the comfort of living at home, I believe personalization can be effective in making our rooms our very own “happy place”.