7 Student-Approved Ways to Decorate Ugly, Concrete Dorm Walls

Nothing motivates a study session like coming home to a space that comforts and inspires you, and truthfully, an empty concrete wall in a dorm room is not going to do that.

Decorating dorm walls comes with its set of struggles— from the difficult-to-work-with material of the wall itself to the strict set of rules you need to follow in order to avoid hefty fines.

No stress though— plain walls are also the perfect blank canvas to work with, and these four students are here to share some clever, college-friendly ways to bring color, dimension, and personality to your dorm room walls.

Hang Posters and Photos

Putting up posters, photos, and artwork may be some of the first things you’d think of when bringing personality to your dorm walls, but Victor Castel, a student majoring in marketing at Adelphi University, proves this tried-and-true technique is anything but basic.

“I decided to use frames because they provide contrast between the wall and the posters, all designed by myself,” Castel explains. “Since I could not make holes in the dorm walls, I put up the posters using Command hooks with velcro.”

Elevating your selected artwork with intentional framing, creating a collage of prints—or taking personalization to the next level and designing your own posters for a gallery wall like Castel did— will instantly add dimension to a drab wall.

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Install Neon Signs

The combination of harsh dorm lighting and plain concrete walls can often make your space feel clinical instead of cozy. Take inspiration from Jocelyn Kreis’s freshman year dorm and solve two problems with one item by creating another atmospheric source of lighting for your room with a neon sign.

Kreis opted for a sign with her name in blue to complement the green tones in the rest of her decor, but if you order a custom neon sign, you’ll have endless possibilities.

Depending on your budget— because the prices of neon signs increase with the number of characters used— you can also order a sign with your sorority, school name, or even a favorite quote for a spin on this classic decor element.

Try Dorm-Friendly Wallpaper

Consider Miriam Cousin’s, a Tennessee State sophomore, dorm as your sign: you do not have to wait until you move into an apartment to put up peel-and-stick wallpaper and create a chic accent wall.

“The wallpaper ended up being the perfect pop of color and pattern,” Cousin says. “My school’s mascot is a tiger, so I tried to find something similar and landed on these leopards.”

Cousin had to properly figure out how to hang the wallpaper by measuring it and making sure it would stick which took a bit of trial and error.

Bring in 3D Elements

Bring your walls to life by adding three-dimensional pieces of decor that pop out like Addison Sapp, a student majoring in biology, did with these dainty golden butterfly decals and floating shelves in her grandmillennial freshman year dorm.

“I focused my decoration planning mainly on trying to hide the boring grey walls,” Sapp shares. “I love butterflies because my late grandmother also loved them. Adding them to the walls helped me remember her but also covered up the mundane wall color.”

Install floating shelves on your walls with Command hooks for large picture frames or opt for an adhesive picture ledge— just make sure you double-check the weight limit during installation and stay mindful of how many items you display to ensure your shelves last through the entire school year.

Consider Cohesive Color Schemes

If there’s one thing every single college student with a well-decorated dorm knows how to do, it’s creating a color scheme that brings every piece in their bedroom together.

Coordinating your bedding, accent throws, chairs, and rugs with the pieces of decor on your wall will instantly create the illusion of a more colorful space even if there are only a couple of posters on the wall— all without touching a can of paint (or your security deposit).

Create Extended Clothing Storage

Bringing interest to the borders of your room doesn’t have to just be through the walls themselves, as Castel shows through his curated clothing rack he coordinated to his wall art.

Having some of your favorite pieces from your wardrobe out and acting as a decor element lets you show your sense of style, while also providing extra clothing storage space in a dorm room where closets are tiny or nonexistent— a win-win. Make the room’s theme even more seamless by using the colors in your artwork to inspire the clothing on display.