Heading off to college is an exciting time—new friends, new experiences and a new space to make all their own. While dorm rooms may all look the same when they’re empty, students use them as a blank slate to express their personal style and fill with the comforts of home. Here are some of our top dorm room picks for inspiration.
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At Home superstores have a large selection of stylish and affordable bedding sets in bold colors and patterns, like the ‘Arrow’ geometric pattern pictured above. Sets include a comforter, two pillow shams, decorative pillow, soft throw, storage bag, wall organizer and power bank.
Photo: At Home
Long nights of studying require just the right light to keep students on task. PB Teen’s Penn Task Lamp features an articulating joint and pivoting head and is available in eight great color options.
Photo: PB Teen
Most schools won’t allow frames to be nailed onto dorm walls. Butch & Harold sticker photo frames, available online at bedbathandbeyond.com, are easily removable, so students can display favorite photos of family and friends in a fun and stylish way, without damaging the walls.
Photo: Bed Bath & Beyond
A simple area rug helps make a cold dorm floor feel warm and cozy and ties the room together. The website dormco.com has a huge variety of affordable, stylish options, like the 5’ x 7’ Continuum College Rug in teal. It provides a nice pop of color, a subtle pattern and is also available in silver and red.
Photo: dormco.com
Dorm rooms are tight, so any ancillary furniture should be multipurpose and not take up much space. Yogibo Max is the ultimate bean bag; it functions as a chair, recliner, couch and spare bed all in one. When stretched out, it’s 6 feet long, yet it folds to just 4 square feet.
Photo: Yogibo
Dorms can be hot and stuffy in the late summer and early fall. Keep their room cool with Decobreeze tabletop fans. They’re both fun and practical and come in a variety of animal shapes and phrases like ‘Cool,’ ‘OMG’ and ‘LOL .’ The single-speed fans are easily portable and feature a whisper-quiet, 20-watt motor.
Photo: Decobreeze
Coffee provides fuel for late-night study sessions or early morning classes, but coffeehouse prices can break a tight student budget pretty fast. Café Valet’s single-serve coffee system is a handy and affordable alternative at less than a quarter of the cost of other single-serve brewers, and its tiny footprint makes it ideal for small spaces.
Photo: Café Valet
Additional storage is always welcome in a dorm room. The Honey-Can-Do 3-drawer rolling cart in chrome/pink, available at Target, keeps extra stuff organized and out of sight. Wheels let them easily move it around the room, and the top can double as a mini-nightstand.
Photo: Target