How to Furnish a Dorm Room

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Rate: (12 Ratings)

You don't have to spend a fortune to outfit a college dorm room comfortably. Here are some strategies to make your dorm room home.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Aimable Lamps
Bedsheets
Bedspreads
Computer Desks
Desk Chairs
Furniture
Pillows
Towels
Plastic Storage Containers

Step1

Find out what furniture is provided. Then measure the dorm room if possible, so you'll know how much space you have to add whatever else you need, such as a computer desk, bookshelves or a printer stand.

Step2

Cover the floor with a large throw rug, or a remnant off a roll of wall-to-wall carpeting, which often can be bought at a discount. If possible, steer toward a neutral color for versatility, perhaps with a fleck in it to disguise stains and soil.

Step3

Look for ready-to-assemble furnishings, which are great for dorm rooms because they're inexpensive and easy to haul upstairs in a compact box.

Step4

Check the size of the bed provided so that you'll know what size bedspread and bed sheets to buy. Don't overlook pillows, towels and curtains to warm up your dorm room. Save money by checking online sources as well as stores for closeouts and overstocks.

Step5

Save your back by exchanging the dorm chair for a comfortable, ergonomic office chair with as many adjustable elements as possible.

Step6

Shop for an aimable-beam lamp if the room lacks one or provides inadequate lighting. These work better than an overhead or larger lamp when you're trying to study and your roommate is trying to sleep.

Step7

Maximize storage with under-bed boxes or drawers. These are especially useful for corralling out-of-season clothes, spare bedding and sporting goods.

Tips & Warnings

Plan ahead and coordinate with your roommate if possible. This will allow for cohesive decor and eliminate expensive redundancies - for example, you don't need two room-size carpets.
Purchase things separately rather than by halves. This leaves clear ownership of articles when the term ends and can ease next year's decorating if there's to be a different roommate. You'll still have two matching bedspreads, for instance, if you purchased both, and your roommate can keep the carpet.
Extra pillows, or wedge-shape pillows designed for sitting up in bed, can enhance comfort if you prefer to lounge as you study.
Consider secondhand furnishings. Garage sales and thrift shops may have bargains on desks, shelving, bedspreads or rugs.

Who Can Help:

Comments

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 7/22/2006 Command hooks put no holes in the walls and they don't tear dry wall. These hooks come in a variety of sizes and shapes. You can use them to hang up coats and towels, but there are lots of creative ways to use them, too.

Are you trying to hang a fabric tapestry in your room? Buy a dowel rod, staple the fabric over the dowel rod. Use two or three command hooks to hang the tapestry.

Hanging Italian lights or Chinese lanterns? Look for Command hoods to place on the ceiling or wall.

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 2/1/2006 You'll find that you spend a lot of time with friends in your room talking, eating, watching movies, and tons of other things. Seating can be limited because there's usually only the desk chairs and beds. It's really helpful to have a few of those big floor pillows or cushions. They're reasonably priced and can be stashed under your bed until someone needs a place to sit. You can also take it down the hall and use it yourself in someone else's room. Much more comfortable.

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 2/1/2006 Remember to build up. Having stackable boxes is good because they hold all those random things you need but have no place for, and they don't take up too much space.

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 11/22/2005 In my dorm we had one wall that was center blocks and it was really ugly. To help make it look better my roommate and I hot glued random buttons in the middle of each block. It turned out really cute and didn't damage the wall.

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 11/22/2005 Like most other dorm rooms, mine came with two ugly beds. I didn't want to have the beds in seperate areas of the room, because that would take up valuable living space. The beds in my room were adjustable, so I put bed "A" on the highest level, and bed "B" was on a lower level. All you have to do is push the higher bed against one wall and push the lower bed against the adjacent wall. Wiggle it under the higher bed. This takes up a lot less space in the room, and it looks great. I sleep on the lower bed every night, and it's great. I sleep with my legs under the higher bed, but if I'm awake reading and my roommate wants to sleep, I just turn around and use a book light. Since I'm under her, she isn't bothered. Try it, and enjoy your extra space!

View All