Make the Most of Your Dorm Room

freshman year of college brought many lessons…

How to live in a 10 x 15 foot box was the first thing I had to learn. I brought everything I owned & stuffed it all into whatever open space I had in my dorm room.

Last year’s room worked but heading into my sophomore year, I was determined to bring less stuff & create a space that was aesthetic & minimal.

My roommate (also my best friend) & I went into a coffee date/brainstorming session to figure out exactly what we wanted our new room to look like.

When considering how we would style our space, we took a few things into consideration:

- Budget

- Functionality

- Aesthetic

Budget:

As college students, we didn’t have thousands of dollars to drop on decor pieces for our room. Instead, we embraced DIY decor & set aside time to create & build pieces for our room.

The shelf above our desk & our coffee station were both DIY projects that add function & style to our room.

Functionality:

Sometimes girls will come into our room & question if we actually live in it. WE DO! With some simple storage bins and thoughtful placement, we have been able to hide away the majority of the things we own.

Flat bins under the couch hold laundry detergent, stationery, extra toiletries, etc.

Under the bed, we store extra towels, blankets, & craft supplies.

On top of the closets, we store snacks, books, & clothes that are out of season.

Things that we use every single day are stored in easy to access locations. We put detailed thought into the layout of our room to ensure that everything could be easily reached whenever it was needed.

This circular mirror from Target brightens up the room by bringing in the natural sunlight. (Reality check: this mirror fell and shattered on the third night. We replaced it eventually. Command hooks can't do everything.)

Aesthetic:

I believe that everyone has a style that best promotes productivity & clear head space. With some brainstorming, my roommate & I came to an agreement — modern & white with yellow accents.

We wanted something cheery & bright that would spark joy & creativity in our room. Small pops of yellow achieved this.

If you need inspiration, head to Pinterest or Instagram. Figure out what you like & brainstorm how you will style your dorm to fit your specific needs & wants.

Getting Started:

We created a document with the specific things we knew we needed/wanted for our room (bedding, a rug, hanging lights, etc). For us, the rug became the focal point of our room. It set the shade of yellow & allowed us to style everything else around it. Throughout the summer, we started slowly collecting & creating items that would also fit well.

I built custom hanging shelves to fit the spaces & my roommate made a coffee stand to hold our mugs and coffee supplies. (I can go into more detail about how we created these pieces in a later post).

When it comes to styling your room or apartment, be sure to sit down & really consider what you want before you purchase anything. Most things can be thrifted or DIYed for far less expensive than retail.

I’d love to see your dorm room or apartment! Head over to Pinterest & share your photos with me!