The “Timeless” Trend We Spotted in So Many of Our Most Popular 2025 Dorm Tours

Anytime someone asks if I want the house tour, my answer is yes. I can’t help but want to see how people decorate their spaces, which is a big part of what makes working at Apartment Therapy and Dorm Therapy such a dream. And I’m never more inspired than when I’m going through our Dorm Tour submissions, where current college students share a look into their rooms and show how they transform tiny spaces into personality-filled homes on and off campus. 

In the dozens of Dorm Tours we published this year, I saw so many trends — from bows and pennants to collectibles and garlands — but there was one type of decor I spotted over and over again: vintage details. 

Of our most popular tours of 2025, 60% of them feature some type of vintage touch, and almost half of the students identify with having vintage style specifically. In the latter group, they all paired with other styles, like eclectic, bohemian, or colorful. It goes to show how well older decor finds blend in with newer ones, which reminds me of a TikTok video I recently saw from user Talia Mayden (@there_y0u_are), an art and design consultant. 

“Without even seeing your space I’m pretty sure I can tell you why it doesn’t feel finished, or it feels off, or it doesn’t have that style je ne sais quoi that you’re looking for,” she says in her video. “Every room needs something with patina.” She clarifies that she’s not referring to the literal chemical process that turns metal green over time (think: the Statue of Liberty), but rather the general “appearance that something gets when it’s been well-loved over time.” 

Vintage is widely defined as something 25 to 99 years old (after that, it’s antique) that’s representative of that era. In our top Dorm Tours of 2025, we spotted vintage details like old maps, art, posters, records, mirrors, and frames. When decorating your room, really bringing in anything with history can lend your space that retro, undeniably cool vibe.

That can mean something passed down from family that you brought from home, like your mom’s old quilt; something you bought off Facebook Marketplace, like a cute lamp; or something you picked up on your latest thrifting spree, like a trinket dish, picture frame, or even a vintage bag hanging on your wall as decor. 

Looking for some inspo for ways to add a little old-school charm into your room? Check out this guide to the best dorm decor to buy thrifted, from art and frames to mirrors and lamps. While there are plenty of dorm room essentials it makes most sense to buy new, this vintage trend makes a strong case for supplementing your college shopping cart with secondhand finds. 

You’ve probably seen this trend yourself if you’ve decorated a space recently. According to a 2025 statistics report from Capital One on thrifting, “64% of Gen Z search for an item secondhand before buying it new.” Whether you use Google Lens or another kind of reverse image search to find a lower-cost option for a brand-new item, or treasure hunt in person at thrift shops, considering buying something secondhand can open a door to cheaper prices, unique finds, and a very cool eclectic style. 

With the “patina” design principle in mind, it’s no surprise, really, that many of our most popular Dorm Tours shared that quality of mixing the old with the new — there’s something visually compelling about a space that feels lived-in, curated with intention, and full of stories.