College is a pretty life defining time. You learn new things, meet new people, discover yourself in different areas of your life. You could say you’ve grown into a new person by the end, a more mature and professional version possibly. Well, this new and improved version might not agree with that old boyband poster or throwing away drawers full of highschool and middle school memorabilia you’ve been stowing away and “collecting” since you were ten. But coming home to a space that doesn’t meet your current and new standards of living means it’s time to buckle down and make some changes. 

So that’s what I did. I moved back home the summer before my fifth (and final) year at school. I was in the midst of student teaching and wanted to save some money by living at home. But my room was horrendously unorganized and full of things I haven’t thought about or cared to look for since college started. So I did what anyone else might have done as their first major change in life, I decided to paint my room. It took awhile to figure out what color I wanted and if I wanted to do anything “spicy” (a.k.a. Anything a little out of my comfort zone).

I don’t have a FAVORITE color, which made it a little harder to choose than I expected. I truly enjoy the feeling that different colors give me and was constantly taking that into account. Green is vibrant and energetic, burgundy was a little too dark and moody, lilac was soft but it was too close to the light blue I had at the time. To find all of these different colors I went to two different stores. You can imagine my anxiety spiking through the roof every time I thought I had decided on a color and then finding myself glancing at the wall a few hours later only to find I liked a new color.

I personally really like a clean bedroom look, with it’s flair coming from the little accents you put in it. After watching too many “I redid my bedroom” videos on Youtube, I took the plunge. I finally chose my colors, a nice light cream color and this rusty red-orange from Sherwin-Williams. Since I had just moved back home, my things were still scattered across the house and I only had to box up what was in my room.  In an attempt to organize and keep things easy post-painting, I went and bought a pack of collapsable boxes from Staples and labeled each box: books, jewelry, notebooks, tech, music. When all of them were full, I proceeded to move my clothes into the guest bedroom.

 Here’s a little tip: When at the store, if the color you found is a bit too pricey, grab your color swatches and take them to Home Depot. They will color match with a machine they have and whip those paint cans up ASAP.

Now all that was left was a clean space. Well, as clean as it could be with my furniture pushed into the middle of the room. 

I won’t bore you with the painting details, but remember if you do paint your room, wipe down the walls and make sure you have everything ready to go. Paint, rollers, brushes, paint can opener (I used a screwdriver) paint mixers (the wooden sticks will help you keep the paint fresh and the edges clean when you pour into the pan), etc. Put down some newspaper to save your floors from any unintended paint splatter, tape over any trimming and start painting the outer edges of each wall. This will insure every wall has a nice clean finish! I decided to put two to three coats on each wall since my new color was so light. I decided to have three walls my light cream color and use the rusty orange color on the wall behind my bed. Overall, it took me about a full day to prep and paint the entire room. I did my second coat towards the end of the day, after the first dried completely. 

My room is now transformed and feels warmer, and brighter, than before. I love my burnt red-orange accent wall behind my bed. I’m not much of a dark colors kind of person, but it really gives the room character and is my favorite part of this transformation. (So much so – that I have been debating repainting my bathroom the same color! Maybe another time, though.)

Hopefully, this inspires you to be crafty and try new colors in your home. It’s really interesting how a simple change of color can change your mood and energy levels. I went with these warmer, softer colors because they gave me more energy. (Energy I need to get things done at home so I don’t go out too often and spend unnecessary money at gorgeous, but expensive coffee shops.)

Come back for part 2, where I sort through all my old stuff. To be honest, it is still a work in progress, BUT that means it is constantly improving. I can’t tell you how excited I am to really make this room feel more like me.