Decor Guide

Just because it’s a barracks does not mean you can’t feel like home. If you have a roommate, you could coordinate items in your space. One could get a TV and the other a couch. Just keep in mind you’re likely to move around a lot and could have another roommate easily enough. 

Rugs. Every room I have ever been in at a barracks, people forget to get a nice rug. Most barracks floors are stone or poured. Keeping your feet warm is the last thing you may be thinking about. But airing out your stinky toes after a long day of work, a nice rug will feel like heaven. You likely won’t have carpet, but if you vacuum often.

This guide will show you tips to prepare yourself before you move in or if you already live the life. I will also give you my top picks that you should consider for your barracks or dorm.

• A hundred square feet is more than a box. It is your home. Be creative, but try not to be over the top.  You live with your co-worker and possibly your boss. They will judge you, and if they come for a chat and you have a questionable poster on your wall,l things will get weird. Keep those inside your closet if you want to have them around. People will be in and out of your space, keep it tasteful. That goes for your roommates. It’s a shared spa,ce so their questionable or cluttered decor may look poorly on you, if an NCO walks in.

• Small rugs that are easy to dust, clean, and store will serve you best. Stay away from large rooms that will take up half your room. Think if it’s bigger than your bed,d it’s probably too large for our space.

• String lights and LEDs are tempting to give your room some flair, but they are awful for trying to sleep. If you must have them, keep the switch near your bed and try to hide them from sight as best you can when not in use. If permitted by your unit, use safe glass jarred candles. The light is more than enough to fill your space, and anything to help with odors is a plus.

• Invest in pull tab wall mounts. Poking holes in your walls to hang something is likely not permitted, and you will need to fix it before you leave.

• Barracks tend to be covered in flags. State flags and others. Keep in mind that you share your home with many people, and your unit may have a policy against specific types of flags. No one says you can represent your state or cause, but you are not back with your parents or in your own apartment. Think, if hanging it will cause issues with your barracks mates, who you also need to work with. If you’re prepared to argue constantly about it, then go for it, but this might not be the hill that you want to stand on. I would suggest keeping smaller ones in your closet doors. Anything that can be stored should be stored,  and it can be there for you, not your roommates. Barracks are a melting pot of people from everywhere; a little curiosity could save you a fight. But, you do you.

Click on the Guide Hub for all the other Barrack living guides, and be sure to check my top picks for items that you can get for your room right now.