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So you want to decorate your dorm but your school has restrictions on what you can do, now what? Well, fortunately there are many ways to hang artwork and decorations in your dorm without tearing up the walls. First you want to get a copy of the restrictions from your college. What you really want to ask the RA is whether or not you can use nails or hangers in the walls. If you can use nails but want to minimize the risk of damaging the wall, there is a technique used by art galleries that may help.

Picture hanging chains can be attached near the top of the wall with one screw allowing for any length of chain to be used. This allows you to attach more than one picture frame to a single chain. Space the chains every 4 feet to cover a wall in artwork.

If you are not allowed to tap into the wall but still want to hang things up, you can use hanging strips and hooks. You have probably seen these adhesive backed hooks before. Simply peel the adhesive backing off and stick the hook to the wall. There are also several types of wall putty that can be used on lightweight items such as posters. Another option is to go from the ground up. Leaning a full length mirror against the wall in a safe spot can look quite appealing.

Breaking it all down

The key is to make your room look great without damaging the walls. You might have to get innovative and try different techniques for decorating the dorm room such as placing furniture in spots that will please the eye. Use floor lamps and stackable shelving to make use of the open wall space in the room.

Helpful Ideas

Use these items to decorate your dorm:

• Picture hanging chains

• Adhesive hanging strips and hooks

• Tacky wall mounting putty

• Go from the ground up with decorations

• Strategically place furniture

You might have to get innovative and try different techniques for decorating the dorm room

Sharing a dorm room with another person doesn’t mean you have to give up on your own personal style. You can make it your own and call it home with just a little pre-planning. Make sure to talk with your RA ahead of time, even before arriving on campus, and give yourself time to come up with a plan for decorating success!

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Tags: College, Dorm