I remember my college move-in day like it was yesterday. I got my room assignment, marched up the stairs, opened the door, and was disappointingly greeted with four walls of uninviting cinder blocks. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's a high chance your dorm room will be made from cinder blocks, too.
Although they might seem like a major roadblock for your dorm room decorating ideas, cinder blocks aren't as difficult to work with as they might seem. 'When you're up against raw cinder block, I get it: zero warmth, zero flexibility and zero charm! But I would argue it is actually the perfect blank canvas for some clever, high-impact moves that cost almost nothing but make the space feel like yours,' Danny Niemela tells me, a professional home remodeler and designer who knows a thing or two about working with cinder block.
From hanging wall art or curtains to even using wallpaper, there are lots of ways to reduce the cell-like feeling that cinder block walls seem to radiate. 'Forget trying to hide the cinder block, use it!' Danny advises. With that, here are five clever ideas to help you make the most of your cinder block dorm room walls.
1. Use peel and stick wallpaper
One of the easiest ways to decorate the cinder block walls in your dorm room is to apply peel-and-stick wallpaper. Adding wallpaper to any room can help transform the space, but in a cinder block dorm room, it can invite charm and softness onto the cold, unattractive, and uninviting walls. Plus, peel-and-stick wallpaper is easy to remove once the year is over.
Peel-and-stick wallpaper styles have the capability to invite color, pattern, and even texture into your dorm room. 'Use it to create a focal zone behind the bed or desk and layer your visuals in front,' Danny recommends with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Another idea? Apply it to your closet or desktop surface for an unexpected pop of color or pattern.
While peel-and-stick wallpaper will certainly be a nice addition to your dorm room walls, Danny advises against hanging things from it. This can cause the paper to rip, warp, or peel off the wall. Because of this, peel and stick is best as an accent wall idea in your dorm room.
This plaid peel-and-stick wallpaper is slightly faded by design, giving the wallpaper a textural appeal. It can certainly help personalize the walls in your dorm room.
With floral vines and a rustic blue background, this peel-and-stick wallpaper is charming and elegant by design. Use it to create a feature wall in your dorm room.
This wallpaper acts as a simple yet elegant pop of color. It can benefit your dorm room by inviting pattern onto the walls.
2. Hang a tapestry
If mounting peel-and-stick wallpaper onto your cinder block dorm room walls seems like too much work, here's another idea – hang a tapestry. Often, tapestries are lightweight, meaning they can easily hang from Command hooks mounted to your walls. Plus, they can be quite large, meaning they'll hide many of the unattractive cinder blocks.
Because tapestries come in many different shapes and styles, you're bound to find something that matches your dorm room decor. A macrame wall tapestry can invite some softness and texture into your dorm room, while a banner tapestry can bring color and cover more surface area. Regardless of your choice, a tapestry is bound to help distract any attention from the cinder block walls of your room.
Made from cotton canvas, this tapestry can bring a beachy elegance to cinder block dorm room walls. At 40" x 40", it's a perfect size to hang above your desk.
This floral tapestry is fresh and inviting – it can make your dorm room feel as if it exists in a field of wildflowers. Since it's large in size, hang it above your bed to decorate the room with color.
This macrame tapestry is small, but nonetheless a stylish dorm room decor feature. Since it's made from wool, it'll add an appealing texture to the walls. Plus, it can hang easily from a clear wall hook.
3. Mount what you can
Cinder block walls are tricky to work with because you can't drill into them as you could with drywall. Although frustrating, this encourages you to get creative with your design. Mounting boards or shelves can be done without drilling into the wall, and they can help make your space feel more complete.
Lightweight pinboards and shelves can be mounted easily with heavy duty double-sided tape. And as long as you don't decorate these features with anything too heavy, they'll stay mounted to your cinder block walls and add character to the space.
That said, if mounting simply won't work in your dorm room, Danny suggests leaning panels against the walls to decorate the space. 'Think 1-inch foam board cut to size and wrapped in fabric or printed vinyl. Prop it tight to the wall using furniture weight and friction. It adds texture, hides the grid, and gives you a visual break from the raw concrete vibe,' Danny advises
This frameless pinboard is sleek and elegant. Although small at 36" x 24", it can still add character to the cinder block walls in your dorm room. Mount it with the included 3M adhesive strips, or simply lean it against the wall if mounting isn't possible.
If your jewelry is taking up too much space on your desk, mount a jewelry holder to your wall. This style mounts with double-sided tape and features a pinboard from which to hang necklaces.
For books, a clock, or even a small plant, floating shelves are a good idea for your dorm room walls. This style mounts with adhesive strips, and with a few decorative objects on top, it can add some character to your dorm room.
4. Incorporate curtains
Incorporating curtain ideas in your dorm room won't only hide unattractive cinder block walls. They can also help stylize your space. Depending on the types of curtains you choose, they can establish the mood in your room. A sheer linen curtain might make your space feel light and airy, while a dark, velvet curtain can create a cocooning atmosphere.
Plus, curtains can be used in several different ways. Of course, you can hang curtains in front of the windows in your dorm room. But they can also be hung from a tension rod to hide a closet (if your closet is open to the room). Not only that, but you can hang curtains across a blank wall in your dorm room to hide the wall's surface. Curtains create the illusion of movement and invite texture into the space.
For the windows, curtains are a must. But consider their other uses, too, and how they can benefit a dorm room confined by cinder block walls.
This set of two linen curtains can create a fresh and airy feeling in your dorm room. Since they're long, at 96" in length, these curtains can make your dorm room feel bigger than it is. Hang these from a tension rod in your room to create softness against the cinder blocks.
If you're hanging your curtains in front of a window, it's always a good idea to have tiebacks for when you'd like to keep the curtains open. This set of two is magnetic and doesn't mount to the wall – ideal for those with cinder block walls. Plus, their gold color will add the slightest shimmer to your space.
You'll need a tension rod to hang the curtains in your dorm room. This one comes in a variety of different sizes – depending on where you need it mounted. And since it's white, it'll fade into the background and match your cinder block walls.
5. Create a gallery wall
Probably the simplest and most cost-effective way to decorate cinder block dorm room walls is to hang pictures. No frames required – simply apply double-sided tape to the back of some 4" x 6" prints, and you can create your very own makeshift gallery wall.
This is what I did in my first dorm room – I printed out 50 glossy photos, arranged them in the order I liked best, and taped them to my wall. Every now and then, a photo would fall off, but all I needed to do was tape it back up. This low-effort idea can easily enhance the overall look of your space, and depending on how many photos you print out, they can help hide those cinder block walls.
However, if you're looking for something a bit less arts and crafts-y, you can actually buy photo holders that can organize your images in a neat and orderly fashion. This way, you don't have to worry about the spacing between photos or the occasional photo falling off the wall.
At 31.75" wide by 27.75" high, this photo organizer is an ideal size to hang above your bed or over your desk. Plus, it can fit up to 30 photos. For a cohesive look, print out pictures with a similar color scheme to your room.
Now that you know how to decorate cinder block walls, don't forget about the rest of your dorm room. Read our dorm room checklist to find all of your college necessities before you head off to your new home.
