Ah, summer—those beautiful days where you can sleep late, play out in the sun, dress in a way that would make your mother gasp without worrying about freezing and don’t need to cram a week’s worth of studying into one sleepless night for tomorrow’s exam. That feeling of walking down the boardwalk or sinking your feet into warm sand can get easily swept away by your cold, boring dorm room, so make sure you hang onto your favorite parts of vacation by adding some summer fun.
Hit the beach in your dreams with these chic and fun room decorations.
1. OCEAN WAVE RUG
Miss those days where you could hit the beach as soon as you rolled out of bed? Set up an ocean print rug next to your bed. Stepping onto the sand in the morning will remind you of all the times you’ve just woken up from a nap on the beach. “When I was younger, I was afraid of the ocean water because I couldn’t see what was beneath the seaweed. It’s so rare and beautiful though when there’s no wind and the water is completely still and clear,” said William & Mary senior Riley Cruickshank.
2. CRAB PILLOW
You’ll never wake up crabby when you’ve got this dude decorating your bed. (Okay, that was a really bad one, I’m sorry.) Throw a bright, comfy splash of color into your room with this pillow; not only does it look ridiculously cute, it’s also guaranteed to be 1000 times cuddlier and easier to bring with you wherever you go than any crab you’ll encounter in the real world.
3. JELLYFISH SUN CATCHER
You definitely don’t want to run into them in the ocean but jellyfish make some cute room decorations. Liven up your window with a jellyfish-shaped sun catcher. Not only does the colored glass throw off beautiful sea-colored lights all across your room, the sun catcher itself looks cute AF—the perfect reason to draw your blinds and welcome the morning sun. “I love the beach and the summer because I love being outside and being in the sun and swimming,” said William & Mary sophomore Audrey Hoeg.
4. SEASHELL RING HOLDER
What better place to store your pearl earrings than exactly where they came from? Tuck all your favorite little pieces of jewelry into the clam-shaped jewelry box. With gold paint and little crystals along the edges, it looks both classy and quirky on your shelves. “I have a huge collection of rocks and shells from Cape Cod that I used to add to every summer. I would pick up everything I found pretty,” said Cruickshank.
5. FISHING NET PHOTO HANGER
When you put photos of you and your besties up in your college room, it needs to look perfect. One-up the clothesline style and pin your photos on the fishing net you hung up against the wall. Not only does it provide so much more space for that enormous album that’s taking up most of your phone’s storage but you can twist it and fold it any way you like to make an artsy AF display.
Price: $11.59
6. OCEAN SUNSET TAPESTRY
Remember those perfect days on the beach, where you could only feel a light breeze and the ocean was so calm even your mom wouldn’t freak out when you waded too far? The only thing better than that was watching the sun set later that night, especially when you got to stay up past your bedtime. “A really good memory I have from the ocean is going to a drive on beach with my family and bringing my dog,” said Hoeg. Add some chill vibes to your room with a sunset tapestry next to your bed, so during the throes of essays you can remember what you’re looking forward to: Spring Break.
7. FLIP FLOP CANDLE HOLDER
Miss stretching out on your towel and basking under the sun as you read your favorite book? Tuck some small, beach-scented candles into these flip flop candle holders and let summer fill your room. “I love the smell of the ocean,” said Cruickshank. “It’s nice being surrounded by people but not necessarily talking to them… it’s comforting background noises to hear children playing and people laughing and enjoying their vacations.” If you live in the dorms, you can still join in the reminiscing, since the flip flops will hold LED candles. Just add some ocean-scented body spray and summer will come back.
8. SEA GLASS LIGHTS
Light up your nights with the shapes of the sea. It’ll definitely beat the harsh overhead lighting of your dorm. Whether you want to string little green turtles around your desk, gold and white shells along the top edge of your tapestry or even turn a string of seaglass into a glowing mason jar, you can brighten up your room with reminders of the summer.
9. NAUTICAL WALL ART
Need a little positivity to jumpstart your day? Mix inspirational quotes with a cute nautical theme when you hang the sign up on the wall. Plus, the anchor filled with rocks and shells will remind you of your shell-collecting days along the beach. “I enjoy running on the beach and sitting out and reading too,” said Hoeg.
10. KITTY CONE TEE
Remember strolling across the boardwalk with an enormous cone of ice cream in your hand? Now mix that with your love of cats to get a Neapolitan-themed kitten cone shirt. Loose and perfect for layering, you can throw a warm sweater over it for the winter and wear it over your favorite bikini to the beach in the summer. “My family and I would go downtown a lot and grab ice cream at this local place in Charlottesville called Chaps. My siblings and I would always get certain flavors and it kind of became a fun tradition thing,” said William & Mary sophomore Hannah Keith.
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