Helllooo my beautiful readers.
Today I have decided to create a post for all the girls going to college for the first time in the fall. Decorating an 8x11 space can be challenging and the stress from trying to figure out the perfect layout is not something you want to deal with.
I have gotten a lot of interest through Pinterest regarding my personal dorm room! So I have included pictures from my dorm and a few helpful tips and tricks from how to decorate, to where to shop. And I may even do another post later listing what you need to bring with you to survive the dorm experience.
:-)
Tip #1:
Set A Budget and Communicate with your Roomie
The budget is the most important thing, people (besides talking to the person you will live with for the next 10 months!!). How much are you willing to spend on your temporary home? Is your roommate going to spend the same amount as you, or contribute to the decorating at all? Will you do a matching color scheme? (I really hope so)
If you are like me, I'm detail oriented and very specific on what I like and do not like. I am also a very visual person and appreciate design. Therefore, I was willing to spend more time and slightly more money to get what I wanted.
My roommate and I decided early on that we didn't want to spend too much money.
Also figure out your needs.
For the basics I spent:
Bedding: $65 total- comforter, sheets, mattress topper [Target]
Pillows: $30 total- fabric & stuffing [DIY pillows made by our Moms]
Rug: $20 [IKEA]
Lamps: $20- floor lamp & desk lamp [IKEA]
Curtain: $20 [Target]
Fridge: Free [thanks Jared!]
Printer: Free [thanks Daddy!]
Fan: $15-$25
Alright so those are the basics for you what you will see in the pictures below. This does not include our christmas lights, monogram canvas, command strips and storage.
Tip #2:
Make the Most of Storage and your Layout
It helps to know the layout of your dorm ahead of time. Most schools have some kind of orientation so make sure you try and find a room similar to the one you will be living in! You don't want to be overwhelmed (like we were) when you get there.
Also know what all comes in the room. Most traditional college dorms will include (per person) 1 chest of drawers, 1 tall wardrobe, 1 desk and chair, and the bed.
Decide if you want to loft your bed. Lofting can be a scary thought, but it allows for much more room if you do the layout right. We opted for an L-shaped layout which allowed for our chest of drawers under the bed and us each having our "own side." Having your own section of space is important, especially in your shoe box dorm room.
We totally guessed when it came to layout and luckily it worked out the best for us! Many people changed their's throughout the year, but we stuck with ours because we loved it so much.
Picture of the layout. Our wardrobes were both next to the door.
Tip #3:
Bring the Necessities. NO CLUTTER ALLOWED.
See that picture above? Notice how everything has it's place? Here's another of my roommate's side.
Everything has it's place.
DO NOT BRING EVERYTHING IN YOUR DRAWERS AT HOME.
It's not necessary. You can live without the 5 bottles of Bath and Body Works lotion and 10 different journals and notepads. I promise.
Clutter=stress. You will already be stressed enough taking on a new place, new people, and classes. Bring what you know you will need [post on that to come later.]
Also, try to keep everything compartmentalized. This will cut back on clutter immensely!
Remember: the longer you are there, the more stuff you will accumulate over time! Keep this in mind when deciding what all you need to bring on move-in day.
Tip #4:
Make your Dorm Room feel like Home
Besides the budget, this is on of the most important things! You have to try and make your temporary home feel like an actual home.
Add personal touches...
Monogram anything that doesn't move. Bring your favorite stuffed animal(s). Add a rug and pictures from home. Paint your favorite quote on a canvas. Stick to a calming and warm color scheme.
My room at home has always matched so when I came to school I knew I would have to have the same. Again, I'm slightly OCD so I love a good color scheme. We finally decided on blue, yellow, and grey which we loved!
My favorite part of the room would have to be the christmas lights. We knew from the beginning we wanted lights and we searched Pinterest for months before my clever roommate found something we both liked. We took 2 strands of regular white lights and our excess fabric from our pillows, cut them into strips, and tied them in knots around the strands. Our original idea was to have them go around the whole room but we were happy enough to have them draped along the wall. We got the most compliments on our lights.
Added lamps and lights creates a nice ambience and reminds me of home.
I hope you all found this post helpful! I will be posting a list of what to bring soon! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comments below.
Thanks for checking up with me :-)
Here's some more pics of our little shoe box!
My side: the lovely fridge and printer.
Our Ikea rug!
-k
