A Boho-Chic Dorm Room Makeover You Have to See to Believe

Stylist and mom Jenny Reimold transformed her daughter's dark and gloomy dorm room into a bright and cozy bohemian-style retreat. Talk about a glow-up! Snag her smart tips and DIY decorating hacks to recreate the look in your own college living space.

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August 19, 2020

By: Jenny Reimold

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Photo By: Evin Photograhy

Photo By: Evin Photography

Photo By: Evin Photograhy

Home Away From Home

When I set out to create a welcoming dorm room for my daughter’s freshman year at the University of Alabama, I wanted to style a space that felt like home. This milestone moment is often filled with a lot of emotion. To ensure a smooth transition, I designed this coastal-inspired, boho-chic room to be an inviting and peaceful place to begin the next chapter of her life.

Photos by: Evin Photography

Color Inspiration

My first tip? Start with an inspiration piece to influence your color palette. My daughter and I found these coastal, watercolor art prints on Etsy for under $6, then sent those images to Smallwood Home to be framed. The three most prominent colors — ivory, blush and hints of aqua — inspired the overall mood of the room.

SEE MORE: 65 Chic & Functional Dorm Room Decorating Ideas

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Coastal Beach Art Prints

Layer, Layer, Layer

My signature style always involves a mixture of textured whites and neutrals to create a space filled with light and comfort. Here, I filled a tufted dot duvet cover with a medium-warmth down insert to create a welcoming spot to curl up. A tasseled, white throw blanket was layered at the end of the bed for a stylish look that also serves a purpose on cooler nights.

SEE MORE: 5 Dorm Room Bedding Combination Ideas That Make a Statement

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Tufted Dot Duvet Cover

Ivory Knit Throw

Faux Headboard

Whether you’re styling an over-the-top dorm space or plan to keep it simple, a headboard really transforms the look of the room and makes it feel more put-together. I ordered this upholstered, stick-on headboard from Room 422, but you can find faux headboards from a variety of online retailers. Peel-and-stick strips allow students to safely adhere these to the wall behind their bed. Alternatively, you can just rest the headboard on the back of the bed frame.

BUY IT: Pottery Barn Teen, $159

Pile High With Pillows

Pillows are a great way to add comfort to your bed while providing enough back support to study. An oversized 28x40 pillow serves as the foundation for this look while two larger taupe and white accent pillows (with zippers for easy cleaning) add to the layered feel. For a pop of color, we added small, boho-inspired, tasseled pillows in one of the richer hues in our palette.

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Rumi Shag Throw Pillow

Add Style Underfoot

A rug is the easiest way to transform the look of a dorm room and disguise industrial-grade carpet or tile. This textured, bohemian-style rug complements the blush color in the inspiration art and adds visual appeal with its fringed trim. Don’t forget to bring a roll of rug tape to help secure it in place.

SEE MORE: 24 Budget-Friendly Rugs Perfect for Your Dorm Room

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Isidora Hilo Tufted Rug

Carpet Tape

Double-Duty Desk + Vanity

With so many shared spaces in college, grooming areas are often crowded and unpleasant. The solution? Have your desk pull double duty as both vanity and workspace. To create a vanity on a working desk, I rested a mango wood round mirror against the wall, stashed skincare and makeup products in acrylic drawers and organized brushes in a geometric, metallic canister from the craft store.

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Minu Round Wall Mirror

Acrylic Cosmetic Organizer

Upgrade Bedside Furniture

In a small dorm room, every inch of space is valuable, so it's important to pick furniture that's both stylish and functional. As an alternative to the common square cubby system seen in many dorms, we chose this Alex 9-drawer unit from Ikea to serve as both a nightstand and a dresser. Although we had to put it together ourselves, it was large enough to hold undergarments, socks, rolled T-shirts, leggings and small electronics. Worth it!

HGTV Photos

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ALEX Drawer Unit

Skirt Your Storage

Disguise the storage space under your bed with an adjustable, three-paneled bed skirt. Many dorm room beds are often raised to accommodate large items underneath, so a standard bed skirt won't cut it. Seen here, an extra-long Room 422 bed skirt tied easily to the bed frame and allowed us to customize the length to evenly hide a small chest, empty bins, a foldable dolly, tool kit (much needed during move in) and suitcases. We also added a bit of double-sided hook-and-loop tape to keep the skirt from sliding.

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Foldable Dolly

Extra Long Dorm Bed Skirt

DIY Chandelier

Naturally, my daughter was nervous to move out of state to attend college, so I wanted to create a statement piece in her room that really made it feel special. To combat the many negative side effects of overhead fluorescent lighting — including migraines, melatonin suppression and eye strain — I created an easy DIY light fixture using battery-operated puck lights, a trick I learned from my mother, an art teacher. These inexpensive lights cast a warm glow and are often used on desktops or as accent lighting.

SEE MORE: 100 DIY Dorm Room Decorating Ideas

Let the Light Shine

To create this pretty chandelier, I used hook-and-loop tape to attach a remote-controlled puck light to the hardware inside a seagrass pendant. Then, I tied white rubber-coated electrical wire to the pendant and hung it from a brass screw hook (twine and removable hooks would also work). In less than 10 minutes, this easy DIY lighting project took the space from a basic dorm room to a stylish retreat.

SEE MORE: 11 DIY Ways to Light Up Your Dorm Room (Without Burning It Down!)

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Battery-Operated Puck Lights, Set of 2

Bamboo Woven Pendant Light

Desk Decor

To continue the serene color scheme, I ordered two complementing, modern prints from Forn Studio on Etsy and had them framed to fill the wall above the desk.

SEE MORE: 20 Totally Removable Dorm Room Decor Ideas

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Geometric Art Prints, Set of 2

New Chair, Who This?

Be prepared to replace the desk chair, especially if it's broken or stained like the one in Grace's dorm room was. Instead of covering the old chair, we swapped it for a chic, bamboo accent chair from HomeGoods for under $50. To complete the look, I styled it with a textured, fringed throw and accent pillow. For events or sports games requiring clear bags for entry, a Purseption purse is easy to hang on the chair and is required at most collegiate events.

Reduce Stress With Plants

Dorms are often small, sterile spaces that feel very institutionalized. Style a faux plant, like this fiddle leaf fig, in a dark corner or add a real plant next to a window. Research has proven that indoor plants can boost your mood, increase productivity and reduce stress.

SEE MORE: 30 Indoor Plants for Low Light

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4' Faux Fiddle Leaf Tree

Laundry Smarts

Make the long walk down the hallway to the laundry room easier with a rolling hamper. A taller laundry cart can also store detergent and dryer sheets in a small bedroom.

BUY IT: Amazon, $34.91

Closet Solution

While waiting on closet doors to arrive, I hung tufted shower curtains on removable hooks to create a more polished armoire. Various neutral, textured baskets and file holders hold important documents and smaller items while a hanging organizer stores shorts, T-shirts and jeans.

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Tufted Dot Shower Curtain

6-Shelf Hanging Fabric Storage Organizer

Mini Mudroom

To free up space on the desk area, a multi-hook wall shelf and mirror is a perfect spot to keep those last-minute items needed before heading off to class. The hooks can hold keys, a light bag, necklaces and scarves while the shelf is the perfect spot for a small jewelry box or diffuser.

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Ella Mirror Multi-Hook Wall Shelf

Dress Up Windows With Drapes

In addition to adding softness to a space, curtains can block out light and serve as an extra privacy barrier. We hung a geometric curtain rod and textured, neutral curtains that coordinate with the bedding. If screws are not permitted, rods can be hung with removable stick-on hooks. Alternatively, spring loaded curtain rods can also be used within the frame.

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Linen Curtains

Common Space Design

Many dorms now offer four-bedroom suites where students have their own bedrooms but share a common area. Using the same ideas and principles as I did in the bedroom, I hung a set of three coastal water color prints in the living room and used those colors to inspire the rest of the design.

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Coastal Beach Wall Art

Common Space Details

An inexpensive rug, textured throw blankets, a faux plant, neutral curtains and decorative accents were added to create a space where new friends could gather and cheer on Alabama!

Sweet Goodbye

Watching my oldest daughter walk back into her dorm after our final hug was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a parent. To let her know that I am always there in spirit, I left a secret note in permanent marker on her pillowcase. She found this shortly after I left and it's comforting for both of us to know that I’m always the last one to say goodnight.

Follow Along!

For more family-friendly design tips and tricks, follow Jenny Reimold on Instagram.

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A Boho-Chic Dorm Room Makeover You Have to See to Believe

Related To:

Shop This Look

Home Away From Home

Color Inspiration

Shop This Look

Coastal Beach Art Prints

Layer, Layer, Layer

Shop This Look

Tufted Dot Duvet Cover

Ivory Knit Throw

Faux Headboard

Pile High With Pillows

Shop This Look

Rumi Shag Throw Pillow

Add Style Underfoot

Shop This Look

Isidora Hilo Tufted Rug

Carpet Tape

Double-Duty Desk + Vanity

Shop This Look

Minu Round Wall Mirror

Acrylic Cosmetic Organizer

Upgrade Bedside Furniture

Shop This Look

ALEX Drawer Unit

Skirt Your Storage

Shop This Look

Foldable Dolly

Extra Long Dorm Bed Skirt

DIY Chandelier

Let the Light Shine

Shop This Look

Battery-Operated Puck Lights, Set of 2

Bamboo Woven Pendant Light

Desk Decor

Shop This Look

Geometric Art Prints, Set of 2

New Chair, Who This?

Reduce Stress With Plants

Shop This Look

4' Faux Fiddle Leaf Tree

Laundry Smarts

Closet Solution

Shop This Look

Tufted Dot Shower Curtain

6-Shelf Hanging Fabric Storage Organizer

Mini Mudroom

Shop This Look

Ella Mirror Multi-Hook Wall Shelf

Dress Up Windows With Drapes

Shop This Look

Linen Curtains

Common Space Design

Shop This Look

Coastal Beach Wall Art

Common Space Details

Sweet Goodbye

Follow Along!

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