The Best Ways to Arrange College Dorm Room Furniture

College dorm room furniture can be arranged to offer maximum floor space in small living quarters.
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The college dorm room is a living space where students study, sleep, and entertain friends. Dorm rooms are typically small, and arranging their furniture to accommodate multiple uses can be challenging. But the more floor space you preserve, the easier a dorm room is to live in. Here are some tips you can follow that will help you develop the perfect floor plan to your dorm room.

1 Desk and Chair

Your desk and chair are vital pieces of dorm room furniture. After all, you are in college to study and you need a suitable study area free from distractions. Place the desk in a corner that defines the area as a study zone. You can even pick up a decorative screen divider from a thrift store to physically separate the study area from the rest of the room. Try to get an ergonomic chair and make sure it sits 16 to 21 inches off the floor, the suggested height for average-sized people. When you sit at your desk make sure your elbows rest on the surface at a straight angle. An ergonomically designed workstation will reduce fatigue, aches and will help you stay focused when you study.

2 The Bed

Most dorm room beds are also used as sofas to seat friends. The bed should be placed up against a wall to offer more floor space and preferably near a window to access natural light for reading. When you shop for bedding remember that dorm beds can be sized very differently than the bed you have at home. They are sometimes longer and narrower in order to allow more space in the room. You will usually need twin or twin XL size bedding to get a good-looking, proper fit. Consider buying a few different colored bedspreads so you can rotate them out every other month for a fresh new splash of color in the room.

3 Storage Shelving

Buy shallow stackable compartments that wont extend out and monopolize too much floor space. These shelves will utilize dead space up your wall, offering more room. Also, out of sight is out of mind. If you can purchase colorful shelves with sliding drawers your items can be hidden from plain sight and make the room feel tidier.

4 Appliances and Dead Space

The dead space under your desk is perfect for those small must-have appliances. When it comes to dorm room appliances, small and efficient is key. We all know that students can get hungry studying into the wee hours of the night. Having a refrigerator in the dorm room will prove to be convenient. But you don’t want something taking up loads of valuable floor space. Measure the dimensions under your desk and find a refrigerator that will fit off to the side away from your feet. You can even get a small microwave and set it on the floor or on a shelf under your desk on the opposite end.

Jen Saunders is an entrepreneur and veteran journalist who covers a wide range of topics. She made the transition to writing after having spent 12 years in England where she studied and taught English literature.

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