If you haven't already, it's almost time to move into your dorm. This glorified broom closet/jail cell will be your home for the next nine months, so you might as well make it a little more cozy. Here are some ideas to inspire you!
1. Loft your bed.
If you can loft your bed, for the love of God, do it! It opens up so much more space in your room for your desk, dresser, chairs, or even a futon!
2. Get creative with space.
OK, so I'm not a fan of the pink, but my roommate and I were close enough that we put our beds and dressers like the ones pictured above. Not only did it give us a ton of room by putting four pieces of furniture where one was, but it actually stabilized the top bunk and made it way less sketchy.
3. Meet the hammock chair.
First semester, I lofted my bed and hung this old hammock chair I'd found at a little store downtown. I cannot describe how wonderful it is to come home from classes and just swing under your bed. Not to mention, whenever I had my door open, anyone walking by would come in and ask me where I got my hammock chair. If you ever see one of these, get it! Also, putting up string lights underneath your bed gives this warm, Tumblr-esque glow that will make your dorm room the envy of the floor!
4. Add some privacy.
It's always nice to have a little privacy when sharing a room with someone. If you go to the fabric store and get a few yards of cheap lace, you can have your own little hide-away.
5. "The L-Shaped plan."
Another way to maximize space (and avoid having to climb a ladder to get into bed) is to use this L-shaped plan. Just be careful with this one.The girl who lived in the room next to me moved around a lot when she slept, and sometimes she'd roll on to her desk in the middle of the night!
6. Use your corners.
This is a slightly different take on the L-shaped bed arrangement, but I love the idea of having a little corner I can curl up in. Plus, you could hand pictures on the bars of the bed next to you to make your space even cozier!
7. Mega-desk.
Another reason to loft your bed: the mega-desk. What is the mega-desk, you ask? iI's when you put your desk and dresser next to each other so you have essentially one long desk. It's perfect if you're like me and like to have everything laying out where I can see it. It also gives you room to put a coffee maker so you don't even have to leave your desk to get coffee during those all-nighters.
Just remember, when you go dorm shopping, hit up the dollar store first. Yes, I know Bed Bath and Beyond is a magical place, but you're already putting yourself in tons of debt, you don't need to spend $10 on a trash bin when you can get one for $1 (by the way, always get trashcans that are solid, not grate. If you or one of your friends parties a little too hard and frantically grabs your can, you'll have much less of a mess if there aren't tons of holes in it).
Also, I highly recommend downloading CollegePackingList.com's app. It gives you a ton of things you might need to pack for college in an easy checklist that you can check off or customize as you please.
Another tip is ordering your textbooks online at Amazon or Chegg.com if you can. I worked at my University's bookstore, so I know how expensive books can be. Thankfully, I found a $240 book that was one edition older (it was word for word the exact same as the brand new one, I swear) for only $18. When it came, it came with a $20 gift card to Shutterfly and a $3 coupon for laundry detergent. I literally made money with them.
Now, go into the world and make a little piece of it home. With all that will happen in the next year, you'll be thankful you have it.
