Whether you are a soon-to-be college student, nostalgic parent, or undergrad yourself, I bet you are frantically searching Pinterest, artsy blogs and home décor magazines every chance you can get, trying to figure out the essentials for the perfect dorm. Having a très chic ‘hole in the wall,’ ‘shoebox,’ ‘closet’ – whatever title you prefer for this uuber-small room – is basically a necessity when it comes to your college experience. More likely than not, you will enter college knowing next to no one, and lets face it, being the girl with the dorm that everyone envies will grant you instant popularity. Creating this space, as I’m sure you’ve gathered from your endless research, involves a lot more than a cute comforter from Urban Outfitters, a few posters and some jewelry stands…. You’re going to have to get creative with this one, girls!
Luckily, I just survived my first year of college, and I am also transferring to a brand new University fall semester, so while I am faced with the same stressful dorm room pressure, I know the do’s and don’ts of the ever-so competitive game.
They always say its best to get the bad news over with first, so I now present you with the big fat NO’s of college living. Unfortunately, there are a lot of rules when it comes to dorm rooms. A difficult one to accept is that you will have to endure a white, often faded or yellowed albeit, wall for a long time. Two, puncturing your walls with nails, no matter the price of the picture frame you are trying to hang, is definitely a no no, so invest in some mini command hooks. Three, your university worries that you will catch one of their multimillion dollar structures on fire during your stay. Therefore, all of those absolutely delicious smelling Anthro, or in my case Henri Bendel, candles that you just hoarded will have to stay at home… devastating, I know.
So now you know what you can’t bring, but what can you? Well basically everything, the biggest challenge is narrowing down your favorite items so they will all fit. Luckily, I have made that task easy, making a list of the absolute necessities. (And remember, it may seem like a lot, but its not like you’re throwing it out after two semesters. Repurpose these items for your room during breaks and summer!)
1. Choose a color palette. While a rainbow of bright hues may work in your oversized bedroom, they will clash and compete in a small dorm. I would suggest one pop of color mixed with neurals like slate grey— I went with pastels for my room, it was subtle, but also dreamy.
2. Your bed should be overflowing with decorative pillows, that way not only will you cover up the ugly walls, but you will be able to create a make-shift in high-capacity situations.
3. Get some great art prints to decorate your walls with. If you don’t have an artist in mind, research fashion photographers, modern artists etc. for inspiration… Certainly better than your old Britney Spears poster.
4. While this typically falls through the cracks, you NEED a rug, after all you will never know who lived/didn’t clean their room last year. Besides, stepping out of bed onto plush (faux) sheepskin is much better than scratchy carpeting.
5. Get creative when it comes to your jewelry storage. I’m talking vintage cake plates, birdcages… you name it.
