Here’s What The “Best Room On Campus” Looks Like At 4 Colleges

Decorating a college dorm room isn’t as easy as it seems. In most cases, you may be working with a limited budget, space issues, and even a roomie with their own unique style. Despite the various obstacles, these five college students managed to not only create a cohesive space but won contests at their schools for the best decorated rooms.

While prizes (think university bucks or dining dollars) and winning aesthetics can vary from university to university, each of these rooms is organized, has a distinct style, and was planned out in advance. Whether you’re an incoming freshman or someone just looking for a new look for the fall, it’s not too late to put together an Insta-worthy space of your own. Just let these prize-winning dorm decorators be your guide.

With budgets that range from just $40 to $2,000 and styles that go from cottagecore to school-spirited, these students from the University of California, San Diego; Carthage College; and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, along with two roommates from Vassar College are here to share their secrets.

In these five as-told-tos below, you’ll find where to look for inspo online, the best stores to shop at in the fall, and their must-have products.

I Created A Cohesive Cottagecore Space With My Roommate Using Pinterest Boards

Our room won because it combined coziness with creative decor. It had a mix of fairy lights, colorful posters, and our own trinkets, such as Lego flowers and stuffed animals, that made it feel warm and inviting. A standout that definitely added some personality to our dorm was also our hippo ottoman, which we liked to call “hippottoman.”

My roommate and I wanted to create a whimsical and welcoming atmosphere. We shared our Pinterest boards and discovered we both had a similar aesthetic in mind — our aesthetic was closely modeled after cottagecore.

From there, we agreed on a color scheme, and each bought decor that complemented the overall vibe while still reflecting our personal tastes. This way, our room felt unified yet unique.

I spent around $200 decorating my dorm, and some of my favorite stores to shop at were Target and Amazon. The best advice I’d give anyone moving in is to start by maximizing your space with storage-friendly furniture and coordinating colors with your roommate.

Add personal touches like photos to make it feel like home, incorporate rugs and pillows for extra comfort, and have some type of alternative, cozy lighting like fairy lights and lamps. Using the main overhead light can sometimes be too bright.

Next year, my roommate and I are excited to keep our current aesthetic while experimenting with new colors. We plan to introduce more plants and greenery to make our room seem more earthy. — Kaitlyn, 19, cognitive behavioral neuroscience sophomore at the University of California, San Diego

I’m A Maximalist Who Reuses Everything To Save Money

My creativity made my dorm space stand out from the rest. I’ve always been drawn to decor, and I love to make my space feel like home. To get started, I used Pinterest as my inspo.

I’d describe my aesthetic as maximalist with boho features, such as mushrooms, vines, plants, and fairy lights, so I searched Pinterest for ideas around that. Dorm rooms aren’t very big, so a tip I have is to not overdecorate. Start by adding a few unique pieces, and see how you feel from there.

My roommate and I had individual rooms with a shared bathroom area, so there weren’t any issues with decorating my space. I lucked out because both of our styles are very different from each other. I mainly shopped at Amazon, because the prices are reasonable and the shipping is quick.

I think every college student should have a mini vacuum, a small fridge, some sort of rug, an organizer, and whatever accent pieces make the room feel like your space. There are limitations on decorating dorm walls at my college, so I mainly used Command Strips for everything.

I’ve spent around $200 on decorations, which seems like a lot, but I reuse everything year after year. For my senior year, I also plan on sticking with the same aesthetic. — Stephanie, 21, social work senior at Carthage College

My Roommate & I Did Our Own Thing, But It Worked

My roommate (Gus) and I were able to display so much of ourselves in our tiny room, and we used every bit of wall space, which is why I think we won best dorm on campus. It also helped that we had other sources of lighting besides the bright, awkward overhead light.

I went to Pinterest for most of my inspo — I don’t really use TikTok — and looked at different styles. I like dark academia and anything cozy, and instead of trying to combine looks with my roommate, we just did our own thing.

I ended up spending around $250 on my room, including all of my trinkets, wall decor, lights, bedding, pillows, Command Strips, tape, and plants. I thrifted a lot of my decor and wall art at home to bring with me, or I collected it during my first few months at school. Local Goodwills, consignment shops, and garage sales are some of my favorite places to shop, but I also go to Target for basics.

Wall decor is a must. Blank spaces are not fun to look at; they make the room seem sterile and empty. Getting a lamp or string lights also really helps to make everything more inviting as well. I am starting to invest in furniture that I plan to keep after college, so next year, I’ll be getting things like bookshelves and coffee tables. — Catherine, 20, political science and French junior at Vassar College

My Roommate & I Were Inspired By Contrasting Characters In TV Shows

My roommate (Catherine) and I decorated with bright colors. Her side was almost entirely in greens, with a lot of beautiful plants. I love the color red, so my side leaned that way with multicolored posters. It was largely influenced by my quilt, which I sewed up the summer before going off to college. I wanted a space that would reflect that central piece.

By creating an intentionally complementary but distinct color palette with your roommate, you can create a cohesive space. We were inspired by half-and-half rooms in movies and TV shows where production design emphasizes the difference between two characters by having their shared room sharply divided down the center. For example, Wednesday and Enid’s room in Wednesday.

My aesthetic is if you turned an abandoned video store into a quilt. I got a lot of my decor from Spirit Halloween and JoAnn in the fall, which included candy corn fairy lights. Low lighting like that is essential.

Dorm rooms are small spaces. Leaving blank walls won’t make them look bigger, so decorating with carefully cluttered art is key. Also, putting things on your walls instead of your shelves makes the space feel bigger.

Between the fairy lights, posters, and other knickknacks, I spent maybe $40 to $60 on my decor. Next year, I’ll have a larger room so I’m looking forward to making some wall hangings. I plan to add more multicolored posters, but stick to my core red color. — Gus, 20, history and medieval and renaissance studies junior at Vassar College

I Went With A Color Scheme That Matched My University

My roommate and I focused on the details, so I think our room stood out. We also had a cohesive pink and red color scheme. My aesthetic is girly, preppy, and whimsical, which is where the pink comes in. And then, our school’s mascot is a badger, whose colors are red and white.

I also got a pink and red BaubleBar blanket as a grad gift and knew right away that was going to be the theme for my room. It was so cute and matched Wisconsin while still having my personality. From there, I looked on Etsy for different custom prints and wall art. I also went to TikTok and Pinterest for inspo.

My biggest thing was searching for dorm room essentials. I didn’t hire anyone to style my room. I know that’s a popular thing to do now, but I did it myself. From my research, I found things like a desk hutch that are true essentials for your dorm. They elevate the space and make it more than just a place where you’re staying to somewhere you’re truly living.

Other essentials that are lesser known include blackout curtains. We were really lucky to have three windows, which was great for natural light, but it was rough in the morning. To help, we used a tension rod to hang up curtains. I also loved having a headboard. That just makes your bed look like an actual bed and not dorm furniture. There are nice headboards out there that have charging cords in them, so they’re extra useful.

Aside from decor, it’s also important to keep your room clean. My roommate and I had our own vacuum that we used at least once a week. Having cleaning supplies and making sure you’re taking care of your living space is essential.

I probably spent less than $2,000 on my freshman year dorm. It’s important to realize the things you buy aren’t just for one year. I’m reusing everything I had this past year for next semester, and it’s definitely been something I will use for years to come. — Ava, 19, journalism sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.