By Tara Walker
When it comes time for your first dorm room, be prepared for a tight space with absolutely no design. However, sharing a cramped amount of space does not have to cramp your sense of style. There are all sorts of ways to make your dorm room a comfortable and fun spot to sleep, study and of course hang out!
One of the most useful tips dorm residents will come to appreciate is learning how to consolidate space. There are plenty of functional items you can purchase such as trunks and pieces with shelves that will help keep you organized. Do not be afraid of using your creativity as well. Once you are all moved in, you will soon realize the lack of horizontal space for all your things. For instance, need a television stand? Try stacking it on top of the mini-fridge.
HGTV lists these essentials to help make the most of your much needed space: Big storage bins. Storage with pull-out drawers. Hampers. Shoe rack that can hang in a closet. Organizational material for desks such as letter sorters. Small trash cans. TV wall mounts. Bed risers. These can sit under bed posts, lifting them high enough to create storage space underneath. Something to hold dirty dishes until you’re ready to wash them. One or more fans for rooms without air conditioning. Totes for toiletries.Initially these items may seem a bit unnecessary in comparison to all the other things you will need for college, but you will appreciate the extra space and organization they provide. Most if not all of the items can be purchased rather inexpensively from retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc.
Color, color, colorit is one of the easiest and most common ways to go about making any space come alive and dorm rooms are like a blank slate just waiting for some kind of color. Of course you cannot paint the walls or any of the room’s furniture, but a combination of creativity and imagination is the perfect substitution. Don’t you consider yourself the creative type? There is no need to worry, because with all the vibrant colors that can now be found at your favorite retail stores, you can just pick a color and run with it. Gone is the day where the main source of color in the room comes from your bed comforter, because now you can find everything from telephones to microwaves in your favorite shades.
Another way to make your dorm room more interesting is to incorporate a theme. This is something you and your roommate can collaborate on, because ‘Hawaiian Paradise’ and ‘Pink Paradise’ would not exactly be the most pleasant color arrangement to see each day. Plus coming together to decorate the space you will share with one another for the entire school year could help you get to know one another better. You and your roommate can also cut costs by agreeing to split the costs of whatever your buy for your themed room. However, HGTV suggests really thinking things through before deciding what costs you split, because remember only one of you can take the item when it is time to move.
In terms of decorating, chances are females are going to be more conscious of the colors and patterns that brighten the room than males. That does not mean a guy dorm room has to be drab and unexciting. Guys may not want to bother with coming up with a theme or anything too intense, but they may want to purchase things in simple solid colors to avoid completely clashing on a color scheme.
So do not allow decorating the first space of your own to become overwhelming or stressful. There will be plenty of time for that once classes begin. Have fun with this process, and you fall short on ideas you can gain inspiration from other rooms on your floor, visit websites such as HGTV.com or About.com and type in dorm rooms, or just take a trip to your favorite retail stores. Happy decorating!
