So much stuff, so little space! Design your dorm room right!
I just got back from a girl’s getaway.
Two of my girlfriends are getting ready to send their oldest off to college for the first time.
Talking to them brought back so many memories.
I’ve been through this twice already.
Sending your child off to college is stressful enough without adding the stress of decorating their new home.
Decorating a dorm room can be really difficult because you have so much STUFF in a, most of the time, shared, small space.
There are plenty of clever ideas and tips that can organize all the STUFF so it still looks nice.
There are all kinds of blogs that give you lists of what you HAVE to HAVE for college.
After talking with several current college students I’ve determined that to make your dorm feel like home you definitely need –
PHOTOS FROM HOME –
Every kid gets homesick,
even mine that could not wait to go far away to college and NEVER thought she’d miss home.
Photos from home can help.
Make a big collage on the wall, have some printed on pillows or throws, or frame a few to prop on the desk for inspiration to study. Who wouldn’t study with mom staring back at you!
COMFY BEDDING AND LOTS OF PILLOWS –
The dorm room acts as a Living Room, Family Room, Bedroom and Study.
Therefore the bed acts as a sofa, bed and study space.
Pillows will help make a dorm bed more comfy.
An armed pillow, or husband pillow, is great for propping you up to study on your bed.
A full body pillow can act as a backrest along the concrete block wall.
And throw pillows can be used on the bed or thrown around to wherever you need them, plus they add color to an otherwise generic space.
AN AREA RUG –
Dorm room floors are either generic floor tile, or boring, and kind of gross, carpet.
Either way you need an area rug for several reasons.
One, it adds color and softness to the room.
Two, the floor is probably gross.
Three, your friends can’t all fit on your bed and there’s very little room for other seating furniture, so they need a place to sit on the floor.
Four, it helps with noise absorption. For boys, or messy girls, you can even get a throw rug that can be thrown in the washer when needed.
A LAMP –
Dorm room lighting is probably one big ceiling light.
Adding a floor or table lamp adds some softer, homier light to the room.
Plus, if one roommate is studying and another is sleeping they can use the lamp instead of having the big overhead light on.
ORGANIZERS –
Dorms are SMALL, and most of the timeSHARED, spaces.
Staying organized and having a place to put all the stuff is essential!
So here are a few ideas to keep your stuff organized and put away.
THE NUMBER ONE ITEM IS COMMAND HOOKS!
These removable hooks are so versatile and can be used for WAY more than just hanging your wet towel and robe.
(Although they can be used for that too.)
Hang them around the top of your wall and hang your pretty twinkle lights on them.
Hang them on either end of the window and use them to hold up a curtain rod.
Hang a few by the door to hold your umbrella, keys, sunglasses, etc.
Hang them on the inside of a cabinet door and hang your hair appliances
Use them to hang small baskets on the wall to hold all kinds of stuff.
You can even hang a few on the wall at the size of your iPhone and hang your iPhone on the wall for an alarm clock on the top bunk!
If you want to get really crafty, you can spray them with spray paint before you head off to college. They even have spray sparkly paint!
(I may need an entire blog about Command Hooks!)
OVER THE DOOR SHOE ORGANIZERS –
These also have tons of uses!
AND you can hang them on Command Hooks instead of the over the door hooks!
Hang one on the inside of the dorm room door to hold keys, sunglasses, sun block, etc., anything you don’t want to forget when you leave the room.
Hang one on a closet door to hold accessories or toiletries.
Or, wait for it……..genius idea coming………!!! (via Pinterest)
Cut it in half and push half in under the mattress, leaving half hanging over,
like a bed skirt. The half showing can be used for storage. You could even store SHOES in it!
AN ORGANIZED CLOSET –
Dorm room closets are also SMALL!
So you need to keep them organized. Otherwise, you’ll never fit all of your STUFF.
Adding shower curtain rings to a hanger is a great idea.
You can use each ring for a scarf or a belt or even tank tops. And it takes up much less space.
Adding a piece of chain to the top of a hanger allows you to hang several more hangers on the chain and doesn’t take up rod space. You can buy special hangers that do this, but a length of chain is cheaper.
Adding a small shelf to the floor of a closet gives you more space. Whatever was on the floor can go on the shelf and you have more floor space. This is great for shoes or purses or even bulky sweaters.
Here are some NON ESSENTIAL items that are fun to add to dorm rooms to make them homier –
A FABRIC HEADBOARD
If you don’t want to go to the expense of buying an upholstered headboard,
you can make your own by adding fabric to a thick piece of foam core,
or foam insulation, cut to the size of the bed.
The foam headboard is light and can be attached to the wall with Command Strips.
DRAPERY PANELS
Most dorm windows have some sort of shade, but it’s not pretty.
Hang inexpensive drapery panels using Command Hooks to hold the rod, or Command Hooks on a grommet panel.
Hanging draperies will soften up the room, make it prettier and homier, but they’ll also help with noise.
UNIQUE PERSONAL ART
If you have old T-shirts that you’re not wearing anymore, why not staple them onto canvases that you can buy at any craft store?
This is a great decorating idea for guys too!
It’s also fun to buy blank canvases and some bright paint, in your color palette of choice, and decorate the canvases with geometric shapes or splatter the paint.
Anyone can be that kind of artist!
My two BEST decorating tip for dorm rooms are –
1. DON’T use too many colors.
Dorm rooms are so full of stuff that if you use too many colors it can get really busy.
Stick to a color theme and try to get items in those colors.
If a certain item isn’t available in that color, and you need that item, get it in black or white.
Keeping it to one or two colors keeps the eye from getting too overwhelmed.
2. DON’T try to save money by buying the cheapest organizing items.
These organizers, bins and racks need to last 4 years, hopefully.
If you’re re-buying them every year it’s not cheaper.
As a side note, not included in the decorating category, you do NOT need –
Your entire wardrobe from home and a pet fish
These two are from my daughter.
Both of these things she HAD TO HAVE freshman year of college.
BOTH of them she regrets.
And, Gilbert the fish probably regrets it too.
Also as a sidenote, not included the decorating category, you DEFINITELY NEED –
1 FORMAL DRESS OR SUIT – Events do come up where you need formal attire, but 1, not 20
BICYCLE – If your campus is large, a bike comes in handy
DISINFECTANT WIPES – The easiest way to clean a never cleaned dorm room
AIR FRESHENER – Dorms are smelly, even girls dorms. A clip-on air freshener on a heating vent can work wonders!
CLIP ON FAN – Most dorms get hot, even in the winter; a fan that you can clip onto your desk or bed can be a lifesaver.
FULL-LENGTH MIRROR – Many dorm rooms don’t have these and you can pick one up for under $10 and hang it with the Command Strips.
STEP STOOL – A lot of dorm rooms have walls of cabinets that are nearly impossible to reach the top of.
Plus, how are your going to hang all of your decorations without a step stool! 😉
The last thing you’re DEFINITELY GOING TO NEED is tissues!
Leaving your child in a strange place with strangers is HARD!
But it’s a right of passage. It’s something they (and you) NEED to do.
It’s just one more step toward independent adulthood, which is what you’ve been working toward since their birth. Right?
Hopefully, making their dorm into a comfy home will make you, and them, feel more comfortable about leaving them.
If you happen to decorate your teen’s dorm room and use any of these ideas I’d LOVE TO SEE THEM!!
Or, if you have any ideas to add –
Post them on our Facebook Page – link at top of page