Whether you’re heading off to college for the first time, or you’re returning to campus after a summer away, your dorm’s style is essential to your feeling at home.

That’s why we’ve rounded up some of our favorite dorm room styles as inspiration to you while you start shopping for your dream dorm aesthetic.

Feel free to mix & match, taking some ideas and leaving the ones that don’t resonate with you. Above all, infuse your own style into these ideas!

Some general notes on dorm life

While we know you want to decorate with your whole heart, there will likely be a few non-negotiables when you arrive at your dorm. These include things like your bed size (it will most likely be a Twin-XL, that you may have the option to loft to various heights if you wish), and the fact that your de facto desk may not be the world’s cutest (but we’ll get to that!)

There are plenty of things you can’t change, such as the wall color, the furniture that comes with the room, and the size of your closet. However, with the tips below, you’ll be able to maximize your space and creativity!

One last thing that’s a big deal is whether you’ll have a roommate or not. If you will, you will probably want to ensure that the two of you are on the same page when it comes to decor trends, or at least a generic color scheme. Worst-case scenario: opt for white bedding, featuring designs and pops of color in your pillows and sheets. You’ll be besties before you know it.

Some Dorm Aesthetics You Can Copy

Here are some of my favorite dorm room ideas, particularly in terms of themes and aesthetics.

Modern Bohemian

Curated chaos meets the coolest chick on campus. You love mismatched throw pillows & the scent of palo santo. Your idea of a good time is thrifting on a Tuesday, sipping lavender tea while journaling about your dreams and past lives, and mood-boarding on Pinterest. Plants trust you. Babies smile at you. Strangers overshare with you. You’ve never met a tapestry you didn’t want to hang on your wall or a crystal you didn’t want to charge on your windowsill. You’re the kind of person who can take treasures from your worldly travels and make them all just “vibe” together.

Your shopping list for this look:

• Textures are a must; like this weighted chunky-knit blanket
• Fairy lights like these prove you don’t have to spend a lot to get the vibe
• Light-filtering curtains (your sleep cycle will thank you after your first all-nighter)
• Plants, whether faux (like these from Target) or real (like these from Costa Farms), can add a lot to your space
• A fun colored rug is great for tying together everything
• All the baskets for storage
• More baskets for storage
• Under-bed storage
• Tapestries and posters to hang
• Moon-phase wall hanging
• Earth-toned or jewel-toned bedding
• Fun throw pillows
• An Anthropologie-inspired throw blanket for lounging

Coquette Inspired

You love ribbons and bows, as well as romantic comedies. If you had a Hollywood spirit animal, it would be Elle Woods. You treat your dorm like it’s a Parisian apartment, even though it’s barely the size of a shoebox. You write doodles in the margins during class, sleep in silk pajamas, and keep fresh flowers next to your LED mirror. You believe in beauty for beauty’s sake. You’re probably a flirt, and everyone knows it. You probably have Lana Del Rey lyrics taped to your vision board in a curlicue font. Your phone is full of screenshots of poems, outfits, and soft-lit selfies. You’re made up of sugar and secrets, ballet flats and existential dread. You romanticize everyday life, drink iced lattes religiously, and if it’s not blush pink, you don’t want it.

Your shopping list for this look

• Light pink (or perhaps light blue) bedding; or you can do one color and your roommate can do the other, or you could go for a pink & white pattern like this look from Target
• White or floral sheets
• Monogrammed pillow cases
• LoveShackFancy x Pottery Barn Wall Bow
• Fairy Lights with photo clips
• Standing vanities to make your desks do double duty
• Faux succulents to add in pops of green
• Bulletin boards
• Printable art from Etsy
• A neutral rug to not overwhelm with the pink color palette
• Blackout curtains (Like these bow ones)
• Closet storage
• Underbed storage
• LoveShackFancy x Pottery Barn Bed Corner Florals

Monochrome Black & White

You love clean lines, and for your surroundings to match your soul. At least that’s what you tell all the girls from Tinder. You own exactly one throw pillow, strategically placed on the floor as if it could potentially serve as a manifestation perch. Your pens match your notebooks, which are also black and white. You take your coffee black, your sarcasm dry, and your water, carbonated and out of a can. You’re the human embodiment of Helvetica Neue. You light candles for the vibe.

Your shopping list for this look

• Black, grey, and white bedding
• Fun, patterned black & white throw pillows
• Black & white throw blanket
• Black & white printed art
• More black & white printed art
• Even more black & white printed art
• Plants (again, these can either be faux like these, or you can buy the real deal)
• Peel & stick black and white striped wallpaper
• Grey sheer curtains
• A shaggy grey rug

Coastal Cowgirl

You love your denim like you like your hair: sun-bleached, and smelling of salt. Your style is a blend of beach shack and rodeo daydream. You’ve got a cowgirl hat on the wall, a conch shell on the nightstand, and enough turquoise jewelry to open a boutique. You live for golden hour, and you line-dance unapologetically. You say “y’all” with a twang. You’re soft but tough, like a cactus by the sea. You’ve never met a sunset or a mechanical bull you didn’t love.

Your shopping list for this look

• Raffia rug
• Beachy wall art
• ‘Aloha, Howdy, Hello’ sign
• White bedding with pops of color
• Bright blue throw pillows
• Bright pink throw blanket
• Seaglass-colored lamps
• Cowboy hat
• Teal blackout curtains
• Beachy storage bins

Classic Preppy

You love crisp collars and keeping your Google calendar organized. Your dorm looks like it got a degree from an Ivy League school, even if you attended a state school. Your maid has always ironed your pillowcases. What will she do until you’re home for Thanksgiving with a new identity of Greek letters on your chest? You 100% have a monogram somewhere on your bedding. And your towels. And your clothing. You’re loyal to stripes, obsessed with sundress season, and you just know that Lily Pulitzer would have killed to be your friend. You were born to write thank-you notes and dominate a to-do list. Your walls have framed art, not posters, and your idea of rebellion is mismatching your pajama set. You believe in tradition with a twist. You wear your pearls as if they were an extension of your personality.

Your shopping list for this look

• A white shag carpet
• White sheer drapes
• White linens
• Monogrammed throw pillow
• Fun throw pillows
• Bright throw blankets
• Fairy lights
• Plants (AGAIN, they make some really good faux plants these days, but also there’s nothing like keeping your real, live dirt babies happy!)
• Bright artwork for the walls
• Monogrammed cutout of your initals
• Underbed storage
• Colorful picture frames