Moving into a sorority house is not something a live-in does lightly. It's a commitment to creating a near perfection, Pinterest-worthy room to impress all who enter, from the first week of recruitment and beyond.

The exterior of a house is one thing, but the lasting memory of the interior is what really makes a place unforgettable.

There is a difference between a house and a home. The bottom line is style. Each house and every chapter all have different rules when it comes to decorating, but don’t be afraid to express your own artistic individuality. The common misconception of flawless looking rooms, typically only seen via Tumblr, is that they are über expensive. Not all sorority bedrooms or study rooms are created equal, but the beauty can be replicated, thanks to some fabulous online DIY blogs and home décor retailers. Search the corners of the Internet to get inspiration, and once you are inspired to paint the town red, follow these simple steps to make that dream a reality! 

Photograph and measure your room before you move in. 

One of the best things you can do is take pictures from all angles of your room so you know how much space you have to cover. Measure! There is no reason to stress all year about living in your messy little box of a bed/study room because you didn’t account for its actual size and brought too much stuff. If you are really proactive, like me, you can use your Photoshop skills to create a projected image of how slammin’ your room will look. 

Choose an overall theme.

This is probably the most important thing to decide in advance. The theme sets the mood of the entire atmosphere and should reflect your personality because it’s your room and it’s personal to you. Some ideas of popular room themes are vintage Hollywood glamor, the world traveler, seaside on the pier, or just a simple color scheme of three to four colors. Collaborate with your roommates on a budget, and decide your theme from there. 

Themed objects are a must.

Some houses will expect you to deck the halls with a multitude of crafty, DIY sorority “ish,” so PNMs will know what house they’re in, in every single room. The amount of Greek life objects in your room should be proportional to the number of people living in the room. One person should own three to five objects; two people should own five to eight, and three or more should not go overboard. Objects can range from pillows from your little, your prized “wooden ornament” (no paddles, that’s hazing), scrapbooks of your alleged 21 Run, or festive, painted letters. 

Organization is key.

Ask any of my former roommates, and they will tell you that I’m guilty of throwing my clothes (clean or dirty) into piles in the corners of my room. While this system is perfect for an, “I know where it is when I need it,” attitude, house tours are often given and a consistently messy room reflects poorly on you as a member. Break the laziness cycle and start out right with cute and creative systems of organizing. Closets are the first place to start, since they have the most things that can litter the floor of your, otherwise, spotless room. You don’t have to go California Closet on your closet’s ass, but pick a system you think will work best with how you like to keep your clothes and laundry. 

Curtains.

These simple panels of fabric add so much character to a room and help you sleep later when the sun decides to infiltrate your bedroom at 6:30 a.m. every day. They can accent your theme and give your rotting window frames something to be happy about. 

Stay on a budget.

Once you know how you want your room to look, and you know how you have to decorate it, make a balanced budget. Some of the things you see on overpriced, consumer driven websites can be made using a glue gun, sewing kit, drill, and some blood, sweat, and tears, for good measure. You’ll have to get good at crafting at some point, in order to keep your little from disowning you. Your mom did it when you came to college, so save up all the Bed Bath and Beyond coupons you can to save even more on their already low prices. 

For more inspiration, check out these gems: 

Little Green Notebook- http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/

I Heart Organizing- http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/

A Beautiful Mess- http://abeautifulmess.com/

Honestly WTF- http://honestlywtf.com/