How to Decorate Your Dorm with LED Rope Lights

Itching to spruce up your dorm room? Want to give your space a little flair and unique atmosphere? Grab yourself some LED rope lights and get decorating!

You’ll be doing more than putting your unique stamp on your home away from home. You’ll help reduce energy consumption while lighting your space.

Here are few ideas to get you started!

Frame Your Headboard With LED Rope Lights

Want to reduce eye-strain when using digital devices in bed at night? A little indirect lighting can help.

Run a strand of incandescent LED rope lights around the outside edge of your headboard. Make sure to secure it, especially at corners and keep the electrical cord close to the wall.

For a more exotic look, get colored lights and a controller. With a controller, you can dim the lights or have them flash at specified intervals.

Spell Out A Message

Do you have a motto or favorite saying? The flexibility of rope lights makes it possible to create illuminated words and shapes.

Use two-sided light industrial adhesive tape to keep the string of lights secured to the wall. Strategically placed mounting clips are also advisable as a safeguard.

Neon-style LED rope lights are a great option for DIY wall art.

Light Up The Closet

Are you often rummaging in the darkness of your closet or free-standing wardrobe? With a few strands of battery-powered LED rope lights, you can light up your life every time you get dressed.

Try running sections of lights along each side of the opening, starting at waist level and across the top. If there’s an inside upper shelf, attached a segment of lights under the shelf.

Battery-powered LED rope lights work best in spaces like closets where electrical outlets are uncommon. Off/on switches are large enough to find in the dark. Plus, many styles have an auto-shutoff feature to help preserve battery life.

Increase Overhead Lighting

Too many dorm rooms only have one or two small overhead light fixtures. If you want to brighten your entire room, add LED rope lighting around the room where the walls meet the ceiling.

Measure the total length of wall. Use a rope lighting calculator to figure out how many sections you need. LED rope lights have specific intervals when cutting is possible without causing damage.

Don’t forget to also measure the length needed to reach an electrical outlet. Often, having that piece run down a corner is a good aesthetically pleasing option.

An alternative is to get an extra long electrical cord when buying your LED rope lights. Depending on the color of your walls and the electrical cord, it can be more subtle than extending the lights.

Once you have your rope lights, use mounting clips to attach the rope lighting at the top of each wall. If possible, connect the lights to an electrical outlet that’s connected to a wall switch. It’ll make turning on your new LED lights easy.

For general purpose lighting, choose white or clear lights. To create a more distinct atmosphere, get lights in your favorite color. Or try multi-color lights for an even more unique effect!

Create Night Lights

If you share your dorm room, create unique night lights to avoid stumbles in the dark, if one of you comes home late.

Lighting close to the floor is the best kind of night light. It helps the person walking to see where they’re going yet doesn’t wake up anyone sleeping nearby.

Try installing a section of LED rope lights along the baseboard near the door. This can also be helpful during nighttime trips to the bathroom if it’s down the hall.

If you have a bathroom attached to your room, put a strand of lights along the unhinged side of the doorway from floor to waist-height. It can be an easy way to prevent nocturnal collisions with furniture and walls.

Window Decoration

Using sections of colored LED rope lights around window frames can add pizzazz to any dorm room.

Be sure to secure the rope lights with proper mounting clips. Secure the electrical wire against the wall near the floor, if there’s no nearby electrical outlet.

An added benefit of encompassing your window with colored LED lights? It can create a distinct glow that makes your room stand out to passersby!

Create a Better Mirror

Do you know why dressing rooms have light bulbs along each side and across the top? It provides the evenest lighting for applying makeup, shaving, or other activities where shadows aren’t welcome.

No matter the size of your dorm room, if you have a wall mirror, you can get the benefit of a “Broadway vanity mirror” with little cost and fuss.

Measure the circumference of the mirror. Add the distance between the lowest point and the nearest electrical outlet. Get the appropriate length of LED rope lights. Attach with double-sided tape and voila! A better mirror.

Note: If the mirror is in the bathroom, keep the lights and electrical cord away from water. And never turn on lights with wet or damp hands.

3 Important Facts About LED Rope Lights

To get the most from your rope lighting project, keep these things in mind:

• LED lights come in a range of brightness (measured in lumens) as well as “color temperature”.
• Use mounting clips every 6-12 inches and wherever the strip sags.
• In some cases, plugging LED lights into a surge protector is recommended. Check the product descriptions on our site for surge protection and other safety notes.

Get What You Need

Are you ready to put a personal touch on your dorm room through LED lighting?

We offer a wide variety of styles and colors of rope lights. We also have everything you need to prepare, shop, and install your new lights.

What are you waiting for? Click on the Shop link at the top of this page and start imagining the possibilities for transforming your dorm room through light!