It was quickly apparent to my 12 London flatmates that I’m a little obsessive. This morning, one of the girls jokingly asked me if I’d taken the Cosmo quiz to find out if I was a control freak. So, unsurprisingly, my first task upon arrival was to unpack my suitcases and get everything organized. A whole month later, I think I’ve finally optimized my room! Here’s my take on how you can “bling out your bedroom” or just decorate your dorm, if you prefer.
Here are the two suitcases I brought with me, jam-packed full of clothes, purses, shoes, accessories, anything included on my London Preparations Packing List. Of course, you know you’re going to have to buy more stuff when you get to London. So even though my room was decently functional the first few days I was there… it quickly became cluttered with stuff.
I know I’ve shown a lot of these photos before, from my “What To Know After A Week In London” post, but I’m reposting them here for comparison’s sake. First: my bed, luggage underneath, dresser, and cracked window.
Actually, a lot of that remains. I’ve taken some things out of my drawers and re-homed them though, so my nightstand is less cluttered and can hold my laptop! Since there’s no desk in my room, it’s important to have the things I use often nearby – because I spend a lot of hours in this bed. You will notice the addition of an ironing board… this I am hiding in my room, because my roommates like to play flip cup on the ironing boards and then not wash them. Since I’m the only person who actually irons some of my shirts, I’m just claiming it (until everyone starts their internships and have to dress professional). Also there are some new window decorations, that we’ll come back to!
Laundry bag I brought with me on the floor, along with my camera bag.
Jewelry really well hung on the back of the door, with towels hanging precariously from different hooks.
Now, things are de-cluttered. I bought a small laundry hamper from Poundland for… you guessed it, £1. My camera bag actually doubles as a doorstop, since I haven’t been able to find where I can buy one of those in London. And the back of my door now just holds bags – which squish pretty well between the door and wall when I want to prop the door open.
My closet was one of the worst parts… Having little bags inside it and face washes with other bathroom items, just hiding away where I’d surely forget about them.
I moved some items that I don’t need yet/use frequently out of the way by storing them on top of my wardrobe. Gotta make use of every inch of flat space available.
My shoes were feeling a little awkward, like they were out of place. But there just wasn’t enough room to move them to the shelves in my closet, like some roommates had experimented with. So I just lined them up and called it a day.
Of course, the clutter quickly started to get to me. The jewelry clanging every time the door was opened/closed. No place to put my purses. A bunch of make-up and other supplies just packed away still, essentially. I splurged a whole £35 and bought this bad boy from Argos. I love it! My jewelry that can be hung is on the side, while the rest sits on the top (which I cut a piece of cardboard from the box to fit, so nothing falls through the wires). Health and beauty supplies are on the second level, with some hair accessories. School and paperwork: aisle three. And shoes on the bottom, stacked a bit so they take up less space.
Now, done with the organizing, on to the decorating! I found this idea on Pinterest, knew I wanted to do it in London, and finally finished these tissue paper tassels a few days ago. :D I had to alter the supplies a bit to what I could easily & cheaply get here, but it worked perfectly!
To keep them in place, I strung them onto a piece of string that has a knot tied every so often (the length of an iPhone 5, specifically) – just in case they’re hanging at a really steep angle and don’t want to behave.
Here’s another angle. They’re perfect, I love them! Along with my clean, organized room, I’m feeling very content and happy!
In my last dorm room, I decorated by taping scrapbook squares on the walls of my side of the room – I did alternating black and white for a checkered appearance. It was cheap, easy, and adorable! Unfortunately, I never got a picture of it. What great dorm decorating ideas have you seen or done?
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