Celebrating Friendship

When I was in high school, I filled my room with photos of my friends. I had a digital camera when I was a kid and later on I just used my phone. I’d print out the photos on regular printer paper and hang them up, and pretty soon I had a great collage going. Now that I’m in college, I want to celebrate my friends (new and old), but I’m not so sure that I want to have a big printer-paper collage on my wall this time around. What other ways might I decorate my room in a way that celebrates my friends--without looking too juvenile or going with too low-quality of a solution?

Your plan to incorporate a celebration of your friendships into your room’s decor sounds like a wonderful one! And as far as your question, never fear: we have the expert advice that you need to get this done right.

For starters, you can upgrade from printer paper. There are plenty of high-quality photos papers out there, including glossy and matte finish papers, and they’ll be perfect if you’re looking for a higher-quality version of your old collage idea. Just pick out the right photo paper for you and get printing!

If you want to class things up a bit, you could consider just framing the photos (after printing them on quality photo paper, of course). You could still create a collage effect (albeit a bit fancier version of one) by hanging the photos close together, arranged carefully to create a puzzle-like effect. Matching frames will look good, but so would a mix of unique frames, which could give your high-end collage some bohemian vibes without making things look low-rent. Or, of course, you could make the collage first, then then frame it all within one large frame!

You could also choose to hang a few larger photos, rather than a lot of smaller ones. One option, say the pros at Simple Canvas Prints, is a canvas print--you can opt to have a custom one made, and can print out your favorite photo of you and your friends on a quality canvas material.

Part of the joy of living in a dorm, of course, is the social life. So you could also consider creating something interactive--you could have your friends sign a nice canvas print when they stop by (or you could use something less permanent, like a chalkboard or dry-erase board, to create a temporary version with a similar aesthetic).

No matter what you choose, your friends are sure to appreciate the joy you clearly take in your relationships. Regardless of how you choose to display it on your walls, it’s clear that you have wonderful and important friendships!

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” -- Linda Grayson