Guest post- Creating A Dorm Room Fit For A Queen!

This post is authored by Kelly Kassen.

When you first step foot into your new college dorm room, you are given somewhat of a clean slate. After all, now is the time in which you can meet new friends, try new hobbies, distinguish your personality and shape the future you want for yourself; the world is your blank canvas to make your mark upon, not much unlike the plain, off-white walls of your dorm room. Making your dorm room go from drag to fab is not always easy, so here are some tips that will have you feeling organized and relaxed in your castle away from home.

Most dorms have what I prefer to call “the essentials” provided for you: a bed, desk, dresser, and chair. Now, if you are one of the lucky few that does not have to share space with another, you have the freedom to let your creativity loose to express yourself from floor to ceiling.However, if you are sharing this space with a roommate, the two of you might want to come up with a theme that includes both of your styles so it does not look like one side of the area is battling the other.

This space is going to have to be multi-functional. You will have to sleep, study, have fun, get ready, and sometimes eat in this area. Keeping clean and tidy is going to be your first order of business. Get organized, period! Making sure that you are not wasting space is always vital when it comes to smaller areas. One way to do this is to incorporate your study environment into a place that you can easily turn into a place to just hang out and relax. Your desk is obviously there to study, however, setting out family photos and a stylish lamp will quickly glam up the area. Make sure you take advantage of the opportunity to expand vertically rather than horizontally by purchasing two small sets of shelves that either sit above or below the table; hide unattractive things like your calculator in a drawer, but have aesthetically enhancing items like plants sit in plain sight.

Since colleges are often picky about what can and cannot be on the walls, hanging a geometric tapestry will add some much needed color to the room. A tack board can be helpful when it comes to keeping track of important items, but why not also cover it in fun fabrics and customize your push pins to make it even more unique?

One of the most important areas of the room will be your bed. Since the mattresses and frames have probably have been used in the past, they most likely would not be the most comfortable in the world. Make sure you get a comforter and egg crate bed pad. Sites like OCM specialize in dorm bedding and have plenty of great colors and patterns. Once you have your bed all comfy, how about really making it look fit for a queen? With 3M sticky hooks on your ceiling, string, and light curtains, you can create a luxurious looking canopy around your bed (instructions here).

Tired of putting your warm feet on that cold tile floor when you wake up every morning? Purchase an area rug that harmonizes with the preferences of both you and your roommate. Not only does this get rid of the “dorm room feel” but it also gives you some color in the room. We know everyone is sick of staring at the white walls by now! One of my favorite spots for these is Linens N Things, but thrift shops and garage sales are always good if you do not mind hitting the dust out.

Closet space is nothing to joke around about in a dorm. They are small and sometimes there is only one that two people are asked to share. To make the most of this small space, only bring what you are going to need for the current semester and, when you drive to your parents’ during the holidays, switch out your wardrobe. There are all sorts of products that enable you to make sure every inch of the closet is utilized, including shoe racks, vertically stacked hangers and holders for dangling storage cubbies.

Drawer space is going to be the same as closest, LIMITED! Use this space to store anything you do not want just sitting out for anyone who is walking by to see. For those articles of clothing you do not need to access on a daily basis, use stackable wicker baskets.

Laundry can pile up quickly when you are busy running to and from class, the gym, and school events. Make sure to bring a cute laundry bag with you; the benefit of this instead of a basket is when your laundry is clean and put away the bag can easily hang in the closet or on a bed post or even be folded up, where the basket takes up valuable floor space.

Another way to make your room feel more like home is to hang some curtains that reflect you and your roommate’s taste. (This also helps if you are not an early bird). Looks can often be changed quickly and easily to help give you more light or less light, or even change the theme of the room.

All of these suggestions are easy and simple fixes to make you feel like you are at home while not hitting the pocket book too hard. College should be fun and colorful, so should your dorm room!