Room Makeover Ideas: Inspiration Boards

Odds are, if you live in a dorm room or apartment right now, there’s at least one wall that is completely blank. Landlords don’t let you put nails and hooks in the wall to hang shelves or decor, so that’s out of the question. Posters from magazines seem too “early 2000s vibe” for many. Tapestries are a hassle in my opinion and command hooks sometimes just don’t do the trick for hanging wall art. So, your only option is an empty–and probably bland colored–wall.

I struggled with this problem a lot when I moved into the apartment that I’m in now. There’s a ton of wall space everywhere, but I don’t know how to properly decorate without having it look too cluttered or tacky.

Then, as I was scrolling through Pinterest for ideas, I stumbled upon one of my own boards that gave me an idea: A vision board.

Once the idea formed in my mind, it was stuck there. A regular vision board with goals and pictures of my future didn’t fit the aesthetic that I wanted in my room though–I’d save that for the Pinterest board.

Instead, I started creating an inspiration board.

It was a lot easier than I thought, and dirt-cheap to put together as well. Total, I spent about $10, and depending on how large you want yours to be and the supplies you already own, it could come to less than $5 total.

Below are the pieces of my inspiration board that, when put together, made the perfect statement piece for my bedroom walls. Every time someone new comes in, it’s always the first thing they notice. The best part is, it’s not necessary to include all of these things to have an aesthetically pleasing collage. Pick and choose what works best for you!

• 8 X 10 Prints

For less than $2 each at Office Max, you can take photos off of the internet that fit the color scheme and vibe of the room you’re decorating and print large images of them to hang. I chose mixes of art work and photos to add to my walls.

• Pictures of You

It’s important to realize that the common denominator in your successes is you, not anyone else. Find your best mirror pictures, selfies, and candids and print them out at Walmart or Walgreens for about $.23 a piece. Seeing pictures of you living your best life will be the best inspiration you can get.

• Vinyl Stickers

This is where your personality really shines through. There are literally millions of stickers out there to fit every interest you might have. Collect the ones you like–or maybe you already have some–and disperse them around the photos and prints. They’re a great pop of color too. Don’t worry about getting them off the walls though, if you hang them up with one rolled piece of scotch tape they’ll come off with no trouble.

• Memories

Looking into your future means assessing what you’ve done well in the past, so don’t be afraid to take some physical reminders of those moments and add them to your inspiration board. For my own, that was the encouraging notes people left in graduation cards. I also included business cards from unique shops I’ve visited and place cards from events. Tickets and postcards also are great additions.

• Something 3D

Adding texture and dimension will make your inspiration board stand out in the room. This is the hardest step to incorporate, because you don’t want to mess up the look of it with hooks and heavy tape. You should pick lightweight items such as handheld flags, plastic Christmas ornaments, and fairy lights. Clothespin tacks are always helpful–and cute–for hanging purposes as well.

• Album Covers

Photo shops let you choose from an array of different sizes for photos, and 4 X 4 prints out perfect squares that can look just like albums. All you have to do is take screenshots of your favorite albums, crop the extra background out, and print them like a normal picture. It really elevates the collage and gives some insight into your personality. I chose specific ones that held at least three of the songs on my main playlist, but any criteria works. You can also search for album covers that are certain colors on the internet to match your color scheme.

• Polaroid Pictures

This is where you add in the photos of loved ones because the picture-taking process itself holds the memory. Polaroid cameras are fairly inexpensive and last a long time. They’re also a lot of fun to experiment with. Adding these onto your inspiration board will keep you smiling every time you look at it.