It’s easy to walk down the aisles of Target or Walmart, put any dorm accessory in your cart and then create a typical college room look. Creating a unique living space for your “home away from home” requires a little more effort though. Instead of washing your room out with one color or style, these simple tips will help you transform your space.

Picking three decorating colors that reflect your personality as well as complement each other will make your dorm room appear larger than it really is. Those three colors will be the background for choosing accessories to decorate the room with.

Choose colors that reflect the mood that you would want to retreat to after a long day of classes. Remember: You are going to be spending time in there relaxing, hanging out with friends and doing homework.

Usually students pick their colors based on a certain item in the room that they will be bringing. Some students pick their duvets as their inspiration for a color scheme, others pick their colors based on what matched the common room futon. Even something as small as a cherished picture frame or wall poster will work for the focal point.

“First off, I chose my bedroom color scheme because of my pink polka-dotted blanket from home,” junior Kimberly Serrapica said. “But I decorated around it with bright cheery colors that accented pink and made my room to reflect my personality.”

One or two of the three colors chosen should be white, beige, gray or black, because it will break up the primary colors and create a natural atmosphere. A neutral color will work well with two other bright, vibrant colors.

After the colors are chosen, a cheap way to shop is going to the dollar store for borders or decals to make the room stand out. Quinnipiac students have a range of stores in Hamden that will provide accessories such as Dollar Tree, Walmart and Michaels. Wall art can be as simple or detailed as you chose. There are letters to spell out your name or the name of all your roommates or cute pictures with inspirational quotes on them you can hang along the walls.

A curtain is another detail that accents a dorm room. Curtains can either be in the boundaries of neutral colors to flow with the room or even one of the safe zone colors. Sheer curtains are a popular choice among students. Another reminder for curtains is to take into account both roommates’ colors before picking yours because it’s a reflection of both tastes coming together. This is why neutral may work best because it’s not too overwhelming or dizzying.

There is always room for a “splash color” to make the room stand out. The splash of color should be a bold color. Examples would be a bright red picture frame, bright yellow lamp, a couple of brightly colored decals on the wall, etc. If you have a kitchen in your room, bright colored bowls and cups work well too.

Finally, add items that make a room feel like home. Big comfy pillows, a favorite blanket or a picture of family members will make more of a difference than any color scheme. Over time more pictures taken with friends from Quinnipiac hanging on the wall will make a dorm room feel like home. Balancing a work space and a living space may seem daunting at first, but using background colors and accessories you like will really help you get moving in the right direction for creating a space that is truly yours.