Decorating A College Dorm Room – Is there a student in your life looking for advice on decorating their dorm room? Read my top tips!
College season is upon us and I’ve been asking more than once for dorm room decorating tips in the comments of my last post where I started a mini series on decorating vintage inspired kids rooms!
Decorating A College Dorm Room
It seems like a lot of people have adult/kids rooms in college that need decorating too, and I’m excited to share how you can add the vintage vibe we love to a simple dorm room.
Inspiration From 10 Super-stylish Real Dorm Rooms
One of my favorite ways to find inspiration for smaller spaces is to look at RV conversions! There are some really creative and beautiful renovations full of great ideas for tight spaces like bedrooms and other small living spaces. My friend Cami from the blog Tidbits put together this great roundup of RV conversions if you’re looking for some inspiration!
I also have some tips for decorating solutions for especially small spaces in a blog post from last year.
Today I’m excited to share my top three dorm decorating tips, but before I do, I think we should celebrate the fact that this is the best time in history for dorm decorating!
I don’t think that any of the previous generations were able to make these smaller spaces cozy and comfortable now.
Beautiful Dorm Room Decorating Ideas
Some design companies are really taking advantage of this market and offering a full design line for bedroom decor! Here are some companies I found while preparing this post:
If you know someone heading off to college this season, be sure to check out these pages to see what’s available!
The most important tip to keep your dorm room looking professional is this: Choose a color palette and stick to it!
Color throughout the room, even down to the household items where possible, really helps the space look intentional and cohesive!
11 Dorm Decor Ideas For Guys To Create A Personalized Space
This is a very well done example! The mix of cream, white and black creates a calm, clean and beautiful, friendly space!
The biggest and most obvious piece of furniture to tackle first in any bedroom is the bed!
This great graphic from U-Loft shows dorm beds and configurations, but also gives a great overview of how to place the largest dorm furniture to best suit your student’s needs.
What I noticed with the different configurations is that the bed serves a dual purpose with each option.
20 Fabulous Dorm Room Ideas For College Girls
Whether that means downstairs storage with the ‘twin’ pictured above, or a ‘full open loft’ with a desk or other useful space underneath –
To make the most of your space and use the furniture for dual purposes, a great tip for dorm rooms!
I saw some smart, dual-purpose design decisions: the long pleats that added charm and concealed under-bed storage, and the use of the ottoman as a pull-up chair, both seen here:
I think the loft bed option gives you a lot of flexibility in using the space underneath as well.
Dorm Decor Essentials For Every Style
A smart college girl decided to hang a hammock under her attic and I think it’s so fun and convenient! And you just know I love the boho vibe!
In this example, they also created a place to sit and do homework – this cool trunk was used as a desk, as well as a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave.
If you decide to go with a single bed against the wall instead of a loft bed, there are these really ingenious headboards that you can attach to your dorm wall with velcro!
Pottery Barn has faux leather, carved wood, and white colors that look amazing in many spaces!
Emily’s College Apartment Tour- {girl’s College Dorm Or Apartment Decorating Ideas}
In addition to the mini appliances that I mentioned above when I introduced the living space loft bed below, I must reiterate that
I’ve covered dormitory beds before, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the textiles needed to furnish the beds!
One of my favorite places to get bedding is a website called Bed Threads. Not only do their sheets look amazing (A MUST for self-proclaimed fabric snobs), but they’re customizable, meaning you can mix and match sheet, flat sheet, and pillowcase colors to best match your space!
I know some dorms have standard desks, but if yours doesn’t have one, or if you have the chance to replace it, adding something great like a vintage or vintage secretarial desk would be a great option!
Dorm Decor At Boston College
If you can’t switch tables, a fun way to add character is to pull in a really cool chair.
The possibilities are truly endless and of course depend on your style and the overall feel of the room, but my personal favorite that I’ve come across is a cool mid-century modern swivel chair to help complete the look. spaces.
One of the tricks of dorms is that there are often rules about what you can and can’t hang up, or at least what methods you can or can’t use.
For the record, we’re assuming you can’t hang anything on the wall that requires screws or nails.
Every Decor Piece We Bought For My Sister’s College Dorm Room! (aesthetic, Cute, & Trendy) — Nikki Lo
I think sometimes we forget the power of putting things against the wall. If you can’t hang a mirror, put a full-length mirror on the floor and lean it against the wall, or get a smaller one and place it on a table, dresser, or table for good placement. height.
There are also angled shelves that can be used for dual purposes of storage and decoration. These metal baskets are attached to a fake ladder shelf that simply leans against the wall.
They are chalk full of functional space, but also have room for some creative pieces and pops of color.
For larger wall surfaces, you can use removable wallpaper and contact paper, similar to how we did the faux white brick in my daughter’s boho teen bedroom.
Parents Detail Process And Costs Of Designing Dorm Rooms (exclusive)
Speaking of boho – this ooliviajane bedroom is FULL of character and coziness thanks to the lamps, macrame, plants and posters on the wall.
I have a tutorial for making a similar wall poster from a Cavallini poster that gives you the freedom to create a similar look but with any poster you want!
Another thing I noticed about this cute room is that it uses my beloved Command Hooks so it doesn’t damage your dorm walls!
Another product I’ve found to work well for hanging without nails is Nano Tape. It’s like super strong double-sided tape!
13 Swoon-worthy Southern College Dorm Rooms
I learned about it for the first time a few years ago when I was working on church decorations for our children’s camp. They advertise that it can hold a brick – but I haven’t tested this yet and I’d rather use it for decoration!
This is another great wall decal from Pottery Barn Teen that would be perfect for a football loving college student.
And this literary quote will be transferred to a scarf, which will be a great wall decoration if you have a lot of space to fill!
I especially love this wall hanging because it reminds me of the matching quote on my book wall!
Try These Design Hacks In Your College Dorm (and Avoid Breaking Any Housing Rules)
Storage is one of those resources that is usually limited during your dorm stay, so we need to do everything we can to make the most of our storage space.
One trick is to use a storage shelf above the toilet behind a piece of furniture such as a mini fridge. The floor space of the shelf does not take up much extra space, but it increases the storage space above the refrigerator to make it much more useful.
Strollers like these are extremely popular right now, and for good reason! It’s nice to have things close at hand when you need them and out of the way when you don’t.
You can use the trolley as a bedside table and then push it away during the day when you need other things!
Making A Dorm Room Your Room
If you have free wall space, a shelf made of these boxes can be both an original piece and a great storage space!
Additional small storage and system elements to add to your bedroom to enhance your style
If you’re looking for more dorm room inspiration or other temporary decorating solutions, I cover them in specific classes as part of my Elite Decorating Academy! All items are highlighted on this page