This year I’m finally getting the chance to live on campus and get that full college experience before it’s too late. While I am going into my third year of university I am just extremely grateful that the world is turning in the right direction again. In my Freshman year, I attended a community college and lived at home. The following year when I transferred, the pandemic hit and we all know what happened from there.
For the last however many months since high school, I’ve dreamed of decorating my dorm room and how I can finally customize a space that is my own. I’ve gone through many different websites and added hundreds of dollars of items to my cart before quickly closing the browser so I am feeling well prepared before that August move-in date!
I’ve collected several websites and places on where to find the best items to decorate and create your perfect room.
Bedding
This is what gets me the most excited–the bed. Because hellooooo it’s the centerpiece and probably where you’ll spend the most amount of your time. In my opinion, this is where you’ll want to invest the most of your money and not skimp out since it’s the most important part of the room. When it comes to bedding make sure you know what you want. Think about the colors and styles that make your heart happy. Do you like things that are really bright and colorful? Or maybe you like neutrals with earthy tones?
If price isn’t a concern to you then I would recommend Dormify and Urban Outfitters. They always carry the dream vision in my brain and offer everything from Headboards to sheets.
I get the most bedding inspiration from Dormify and their bed visualizer. It quite literally lets you bring your bed to life with the many different colors and options they have available. While their products tend to be on the pricer side, it’s always a great place to get some inspiration or snag a thing or two.
My next favorite option is Home Goods because the price can go either way. This place is my version of adult candy land. This is the best place to find throw blankets and special throw pillows. Almost everything is between $10-35 along with having both really trendy items and unique things. Now, I’ve only ever shopped in person and every location carries different things so it usually requires having a bit of luck but you’ll always find something perfect.
If you’re looking for the most affordable option then 9/10 times IKEA is the answer. My school is very lucky to have an IKEA right down the road. Their bedding is extremely affordable and also offers varying price ranges for those in different budgets. Then even offer various duvet and pillow inserts, not just sheets!
Decorations
This can be anything you want it to be from the art on your walls to little trinket dishes or books. Decor has the biggest variety of where it can be collected. From handmade small business places like Etsy, cute sale items from Urban Outfitters, and cheap essentials from Target you can get them anywhere.
If you don’t know what to use, here are some of the most essential college decor items:
- Lamps
- Mirrors (Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart)
- Plants (Target, Home Goods, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Local Nurseries)
- Candles (Thrift Stores, Target, DIY, Etsy, Supermarkets, IKEA, Home Goods, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie)
- Artwork (Home Goods, Etsy, Society6, Desenio, RedBubble, Your own photos printed, DIY)
- Rugs (Home Goods, Urban Outfitters, Target)
- Curtains (Home Goods, Urban Outfitters, Target, Your own home!)
Your dorm or apartment room will definitely be needing some extra lighting so I would always recommend going with a lamp that either provides extra storage or charging abilities.
Some of the best forms of simple decor are candles and plants. These are things you can find anywhere and you might even have at home to bring with you. Target has awesome little decor elements like $5 fake plants you won’t have to worry about and mix-and-match candle displays. Live plants can easily be found at local nurseries or home development stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot. They vary between $5-25. Plants bring new energy and vibe to the room to help make it feel more alive. Feel free to add more personality to the decoration by changing up the vase to something colorful or getting a macrame hanger!
Over the door mirrors or any long standing mirror I can guarantee will be so frequently used. You’ll check yourself before going to class, going out with friends, or maybe when if you decide to have an impromptu dorm workout.
Storage
The best places I have found for storage items are Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Walmart, and Dormify. Since space is so limited in on-campus rooms you’re going to need to maximize vertical storage like nightstands with lots of drawers, under the bed space, and maybe put in shelving in your closet.
The most popular place to store things is under the bed. These kinds of flat rectangular containers are fairly cheap, under $20, and can store a lot if you don’t choose to rise your bed. If you do lift your bed higher, you can get stackable containers and make mini dressers underneath the bed!
Personally, for me, I have a lot of clothes and know I will need more than one closet rack and a 3-drawer dresser. I found this additional closet space system on Amazon for $19 and it’s perfect for someone who needs additional space to store their towels and hang extra clothes while leaving some space in the closet as well. Make sure you also have some shoe storage under your bed or put a rack in your closet as well!
Dormify truly has some of the most creative and perfectly thought of storage items. They do a really great job at making their storage items multi-purpose for exactly what you need. This over-the-door hanger could easily be hidden away behind your closet door for a more seamless look. It would also eliminate the need to find a vanity mirror for a desk if that’s what you’re interested in.
Now a lot of companies essentially have the exact same items and mark them up however they want. Don’t be afraid to copy and paste the item name into other resources like Amazon, Walmart, Facebook Marketplace and search for a cheaper alternative. I’ll give you an example:
I have my heart set on this nightstand from Dormify as the storage space looks perfect and the charging ports! Say no more. However $139 is really pushing my budget for a nightstand that might not get much use after this year. I copy-pasted the item name in google and found similar items across other companies. At first, I found the exact same being resold by an individual moving back home for $80, but then I hit jackpot. Walmart has nearly the exact same product for under $50.
Obviously, there are differences in the color and the types of charging ports so it’s up to you which you’d prefer to invest in.
I want to encourage you to be open-minded and don’t feel pressured into just buying the first thing that you see. The entire dorm experience with all the roommate picking and the shopping and the moving aspect can be incredibly overwhelming so take your time and make sure you’re really getting what you need. Make sure you check out your school’s recommended packing list and also check in with your roommate (if you have one) to see if there are items you can share together. My best advice is to start by packing lightly and buying the things you know you’ll need to use right away. Then once you have your essentials moved in feel free to start buying the extras once you know how much space you have left.
This is such a fun and exciting time in your life so congratulations, you did! Go make some crazy memories, mistakes and learn from them, and study hard 🙂
