If you’re a Bob Marley fan, that’s awesome. But displaying his face all over your dorm room walls? Not so awesome. Falling into the cliche dorm room decor trap can appear to be inevitable. After all, finding a “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster is not that difficult, and really, what’s so wrong with advertising your belief system?

However, if you stray away from the decor found in about 10 other rooms on your floor, you might discover something that truly shows your personality (unless you’re actually an avid reggae-listening “Pulp Fiction” enthusiast who needs to be reminded of BP rules on a daily basis). 

Step 1: Choose a color scheme.

You want everything in your room to match, and deciding on a few main colors is the best way to ensure this. One of the easiest ways to set the mood in a room is deciding on a few accent colors. Rachel Cohen, freshman in DGS, did exactly this before moving in.

“I always was looking forward from a very young age to decorating my dorm room,” Cohen said. “During high school I was looking at bedding, and then I found a green and pink floral design and went off of that.”

From there, Cohen decided on a rug that highlighted her two main colors, green and pink, and continued to choose decor that fit the theme. 

Taylor Holmes, freshman in Education, also based her dorm decor off of a color scheme. The colors she chose for her room inspired the art pieces she created for the walls as well.

Step 2: Don’t use a unilateral perspective.

Just because you wouldn’t necessarily find something in the decoration aisle doesn’t mean it’s off-limits. In fact, objects like this are often what take your room out of the cliche dorm room category.

One of Cohen’s favorite pieces in her room was actually her roommate’s. Though they may not actually be meant for a wall, Cohen’s roommate found black, circular designs to hang on the wall near her bed. On her side of the room, Cohen used a clothesline to hang up pictures of her family and friends.

Kathleen Stark’s room also featured recycled pieces for decoration. Above the freshman in Media’s futon are two pictures. But these aren’t just ordinary paintings. Stark’s roommate used Photoshop to revitalize her old paintings. By posterizing them, she was able to achieve a completely different look. 

Step 3: Find what you like. 

While this may appear obvious, it can get forgotten in the college-shopping frenzy. 

“Stick with something you like. Don’t just get a poster because you think everyone else will really like it,” Stark said.

For roommates Ryan Johnson and Nick Schmidt, both freshmen in Business, this was not difficult. One day their suitemate put a picture of Shaq on his wall, and from then on, they decided they would start a trend of putting the face of an inspirational individual on their wall every day. Though they haven’t kept up with it as much as they’d like to, it’s what gives their room a “baller” personality.

Schmidt’s favorite item in his room is the picture of Steve Urkel’s face.

“He’s such a nerdy, but funny guy … and when I see his face when I wake up in the morning, I’m just like, ‘I need to be the best that I can be,’” Schmidt said. “That’s just what I think when I think Steve Urkel.” 

No matter if it’s Urkel, Shaq or a color scheme that inspires your décor, don’t hesitate to fill your room with items that students on your floor might not have. And if Bob Marley truly is your icon, a poster or two isn’t a huge offense. But any more than that, you might want to give Hot Topic a call. 

Alice is a freshman in Media and can be reached at [email protected].