Most dorm rooms are small spaces. So you’ll want to make use of big items such as rugs, wall tapestries, and bedding – instead of focusing on small decor items to create the bohemian style. Below are the bohemian dorm room ideas that will really transform your space.
The Bohemian Color Scheme
From the pictures in the mood board above, you can get a pretty good idea of the color scheme in a bohemian styled room. You’ll see a lot of dark and earthly tones: like dark blues, purples, and red. Add some green into the mix with plants.
Because the colors are deep shades, almost dull in nature, this lets you have a lot of patterns and textures mixing and decorating the space without it being overwhelming – from patchwork quilt blankets to dream catchers and macrame.
For outside inspiration, look to Moroccan and Turkish interior design.
The Focal Point in a Dorm Room
#1 Focus The Bed Area
The focal point in a bedroom is the bed area. The bed is the biggest item in the room, it takes up the most space, and is the area the eye is drawn to first. The bed area is where you want to focus your decorating and styling efforts. If you create the bohemian style here, you pretty much create it for the whole room. You have a lot to play with – from the bedding and pillows, to the side table and wall hangings.
To really create that bohemian and hippie style in the dorm room, you’ll want to get the perfect bedding. A patchwork quilt would be the best way to go – one that has dark colors with lots of patterns mixing together, just like in picture (1) – and you can get one in the shopping section below. While the pillow cases can have an India/Moroccan style pattern to them.
Soften the walls around the bed by hanging up a tapestry, just like the one in picture (1). There is also the tapestry in the shopping section below. Or how about hanging fabric overhead (if you are allowed to) to create a canopy. Having lots of fabric around, really softens the space, making it feel cozy.
If you are allowed to, see if you can hang up string lights on the walls around the bed – creating a soft and cozy glow at night.
If you can add in a side table, a Turkish one – seen in picture (2), or a DIY log table (visit The Mill for a tutorial) would blend in well with bohemian theme decor.
From the ideas above you can see how there is so much that can be done just with the bed area alone. Make the bed area your focal point when hunting down bohemian decor pieces for your dorm room. For me, the bedding would be the most important part of the bed area. Get that right, and you’ll have a well styled space.
Around the Room
Here are a few more main ideas for creating the bohemian dorm room:
- Dark hued and patterned Persian style rugs can really set the bohemian style in a room. Overlap a few together to create a informal and cozy vibe (3).
- Plants, if you can find the time and patience to take care of them, will add some charm and warmth to a dorm room. Check out the DIY macrame plant hanger in picture (4), you can find the tutorial here. Or use vintage style bottles to house them, just like the bottle in the shopping section below.
If you can change up your windows, then get some dark hue patterned fabric (5), lace, or macrame curtains. You can also hang a dream catcher by the window and the sunlight will cast a soft shadow in the room.
Cozy Lighting
When the sun falls, you’ll want to have some cozy lighting to create that bohemian inspired vibe in your dorm room. To do this, you’ll want to avoid using the ceiling lights. Instead use table or floor lamps, string lights, or how about flameless battery powered candles (like the ones in the shopping section below).
These flameless battery powered candles can be put inside of Moroccan lanterns. When they light up, they will create shadows on the wall. There are also shadow lamps just like the one in picture (6).
Bohemian Decor and Accessory Ideas
- If you need a mirror, try and get a frameless Middle Eastern shaped one – like the one in shopping section below.
- For any furniture pieces you need and can put in the dorm room, like a dresser, chipped painted wooden pieces would work best.
- Or you can store your things in a vintage trunk, or old vintage suitcases (Vintage Storage Ideas). For more storage ideas have a look at my post here: Make The Most of Your Space: Dorm Room Storage Ideas
- An alternative to hanging up tapestries on the wall is to use a mix of vintage wooden photo frames just like in picture (7). Go out and thrift for some artwork. Mix it up to make it look worldly – hang up classical paintings, black and white photos, along with with frameless printed out photos of your own.
- If you have bohemian or hippies chic style jewelry, see if you can hang them out in the open as they will double as decor elements in the room.
So that’s about it when it comes to bohemian decor ideas for a dorm room. If there were only three things you could get to style the room, I’d say get:
- Awesome bohemian bedding (patchwork quilt)
- A wall tapestry
- And a persian rug
Just with these 3 items, you are 90%-98% of the way there.
Going Shopping
When out shopping, if you can thrift for old design items these will add more authentic charm to a room. But for now, here are some boho style items you can easily get online:
Remember: For safety, different dorm halls will have different rules for what you can and can do to decorate your room. From how you can hangs things up, to what sort of items your not allowed in the room (real candles). So check out the rules for your dorm room before buying anything.
For more bohemian decor inspiration, check out these mood board posts:
- Creative Dorm Room Decorating Ideas That Will Make Styling Your Space So Much Easier
- The Free Spirit: Bohemian Bedroom Ideas
- Search all of my dorm room posts for more ideas
- Bohemian Mood Board Collection Page
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