Lighting up your dorm to make it a home

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Photos by Anna Baker

Living in a dorm can be great. Your commute is short, you get a meal plan, and best of all, you get the dorm living experience! But living in a dorm can be… not always the most comfortable thing. The floors are hard and cold, and the lights are harsh. It can be hard to feel at home in your dorm but there are a lot of things you can do to make it a home. Here are some ways to cozy up your dorm room using light.

String lights

String lights are a great way to make your dorm feel a little more personalized. They act as great wall decor, while also making the space feel more warm-- especially if they emit a more orange hue. Plus, you can turn all the other lights off and just have the string lights on for some ambience. String lights can make you feel cozy, while also acting as a fun decoration!

Warm Bedside Lamp

Having a lamp next to your bed is not only useful but also relaxing. At night, it’s nice to turn off the overhead light and turn on your lamp. The dimness can help bring your energy level down while the warm lighting can allow you to feel more sleepy. Fluorescent lighting, which is often used in dorm lighting, can actually delay melatonin, which induces sleep, so it’s good to turn on a lamp at night to make sure you can sleep.

Warm Desk Lamp

If you’re working late into the night, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still feel cozy. Having a desk lamp with warm light can be nice. Be sure to buy bulbs that are 2700 to 3000 Kelvin. These types of bulbs give off a warm yellow light which gives a warm and hopefully comforting feeling when you’re burning the midnight oil.

lot of work at your desk, it can be nice to move it so that it faces your window. That way when you’re doing homework, you can roll up the blinds and enjoy the natural light! This can also help prevent you from straining your eyes.

Whether you want to bathe in the natural light or set the mood, the way you light your room can be very effective. Find what works for you. The important thing is to feel at home, in your new home.

Face Your Desk Towards the Window

This doesn’t involve any actual electricity, just rearranging furniture to make sure you get more light in your room! Sometimes dorm rooms can feel dark, even with the overhead fluorescents on. If you do a