Dorm Room Ideas (Space-Saving Decor Tips For College)

If you’re a student, you don’t need me to tell you that back-to-school is right around the corner, which means it’s dorm prep season! In my college days, we did not have functional storage furniture, bed risers, or Command Strips. Freshman year, my college furniture consisted of an old couch from the Salvation Army, if I was lucky, old hand-me-down decor. It’s come a long way, but decorating a college dorm room is still a challenge. So I thought to myself, if I were a college student moving into a residency hall, how would I decorate my space? Let’s dig into some clever dorm room ideas to help make your new space feel like home. 

Dorm Room Decorating Ideas On A Tight Budget

While not everything in this post will be cheap, nothing listed here is out of this world expensive. Keeping sustainability in mind, most of these decor items should easily transfer out of your dorm room and into your first college apartment. While designing these spaces, I wanted to keep them modern, playful, yet clean. You don’t need a lot of stuff in your dorm room, but the stuff you have should be functional. Side note: a great way to create a cohesive space is to chat with your roomie and agree on a color scheme, but the dorm room designs below are fairly simple, so they should work even without a set color palette. 

Dorm Room Design Idea #1

1. Ella Vine Floral Duvet Set — This floral pattern is a great look for less option for my all-time favorite House Of Hackney Artemis wallpaper. For sheets, I’d grab some plain white percale sheets from Target (they also come in a pretty peach color that I think would look smashing with the duvet).

2. No Nails Pin Board—If your room doesn’t come with a bulletin board or if you want an extra-small pin board over your desk, this round no-nails one is the perfect option. 

3. Cotton Bed Skirt — This is slightly unnecessary, but if you want to hide the clutter under your bed, this is the perfect solution. 

4. Metal Table Desk Lamp—This lamp is great because if it gets bumped, it’s made of metal and won’t shatter into a million pieces. Plus, it has that mushroom decor vibe with a modern twist. If height is an issue, you could also go with this frosted globe lamp.

5. Tabletop Picture Flip Frame — If you take photos with an Instax Mini, this flip frame is perfect for displaying those special memories.  

6. Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — This portable wireless speaker has a battery life of up to 24 hours and a built-in microphone.  

7. Velvet Channel Back Chair On Wheels — This desk chair is incredibly comfortable and is available in 12 different colors. 

8. Bellwood Caddy — Keep your everyday essentials organized with this cute caddy. Perfect on your dorm room desk or dresser. 

9. Narrow Storage Shelf—I love its modern look and curved corners, and it comes in six different colors. 

When it comes to decorating your dorm room, you must consider vertical space. The first thing I would do is loft at least one bed (because every college experience should include scraping your head across a popcorn ceiling…ask me how I know). Move your desk underneath the loft for extra space, and add string lights for some evening ambiance. If you don’t want to build your loft out of wood, you can purchase a loft kit from Amazon. 

My roommate lofted her bed, and I placed my bed frame perpendicular to hers between the two desks under the window. My bed was used as a desk chair, giving us added floor space—so much so that we had room for a full-size sofa. 

RELATED: I’ve rounded up my favorite fall decor picks, which are on sale now during Wayfair’s Way Day Sale!

Dorm Room Design Idea #2 

10. Glam Storage Tower — Tall white cabinet with 7 drawers for extra storage and pretty gold pulls. 

11. Botanical Duvet Cover — This duvet covered in florals and butterflies has a sophisticated look and will hide any dirt marks. 

12. Tabletop Organizer — If you need to organize your hair products and cosmetics, I’ve got you covered with this three-tier organizer tower for your dresser. 

13. Modern Fluted Desk Lamp — This is one of those decor pieces that will grow with you from the dorm room to your student apartment and beyond. It’s young and fun but doesn’t look juvenile. 

14. Rifle Paper Sheet Set — If you want quality sheets and your budget is around the $125 mark, shop at The Company Store (they are presently having a sale with 30% off). I swear they have the softest sheets on the planet. Quality bedding isn’t completely necessary, but you do want to sleep comfortably. 

15. Velvet Swivel Chair On Wheels—This stylish desk chair is upholstered in performance fabric, which makes spills easy to clean and helps prevent stains.

16. No Nails Wireless Charger — If you need a quick charging space for your devices, try this wireless charger shelf. 

17. Marshall Wireless Bluetooth Speaker—This speaker combines a vintage look with modern sound and connects to your phone.

Wall Decor Ideas For Your Dorm Room

Your dorm room walls might be made of cinder blocks, but we can still jazz up a bare wall. Think beyond the bulletin board and hang lightweight picture frames with these Command Hooks. If you’re stuck with the standard residency hall bulletin board, get fancy by creating a canopy or frame around it— just drape the fabric of your choice around the board frame to make it pop. If you’re extra fancy, channel Sarah Sherman Samuels and make a wooden wavey frame similar to her mirror and Lulu and Georgia. 

Another clever dorm room idea is to Command Strip 12 x 12 peg board squares to the wall in a grid format over your desk space. Use it to hold small items like school supplies, inspirational art, and maybe a faux plant. These stylish pegboard cups (also available in a cup/shelf/wire bin combo) will hold your favorite pens and school supplies. 

Peel-and-stick wallpaper is an extremely stylish dorm room option. Although this renter-friendly wall decor can be pricey, it will give those drab cinder block walls instant character. Just make sure your roommate is on board with your choice. 

Utilize Your Closet Space

Closet organizers are a great addition to your dorm room, but there’s no need to go overboard and break the bank on organizers. I’d hang a second tension rod below the main rod to give you two levels of hanging space. One for shirts and one for jeans. 

Because a dorm closet can look cluttered, consider adding a curtain panel to hide the mess. If drapes are too pricey, ask your mom for an old flat sheet (you can also find these for cheap at the thrift store). Grab some no-sew hem tape and another tension rod. Voila, clutter be gone! 

Packing List of Dorm Room Essentials 

Last year, I started researching dorm room decorating ideas, and I was shocked at what was available. Companies like Pottery Barn Teen, Urban Outfitters, and IKEA have changed the game for college students. You will likely share this small space with a roommate. My roommate brought a George Foreman grill, and I think we used it twice (she made me grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were amazing, though, so it was worth it). BTDubs, if you and your roomie can each buy an appliance, this will save you so much on budget. Cuz lemme tell you, college is all about finding creative ways to save money. 

18. Rolling 3-Drawers Cart — This small space three drawer cart of wheels is perfect for a college dorm room.

19. Under Bed Shoe Storage (Walmart) — This shoe storage will keep the clutter at bay. You can also shop for similar shoe storage on Amazon as well. 

20. Bed Risers — These risers lift your bed frame a few inches, but they also have outlets in them. This will lift the bed frame a few extra inches off the floor giving you extra storage to stash a suitcase and more out of site.

21. Surge Protector Power Strip — This one has a 10-foot cord, 6 AC outlets, 4 USB ports, and 2 USB-C ports. As an added bonus, the plug is flat, so it easily fits behind the furniture. 

22. Under Desk Shelving — This two-shelf rack is perfect for holding a power strip and external hard drive for your laptop. To avoid drilling holes in the walls, use Command Strips to hang it.

23.-24. Mini Fridges — The smaller of the two is by Galanz and is under $100. The larger fridge is by Black and Decker, double the size of the Galanz frig, and has a freezer. However, its price tag is $300.

25. Bedside Caddy — Keep all your nighttime items close by with this handy dandy organizer that hangs off your bed frame and holds your tablet, phone, water bottle, glasses, journal, and more. 

26. Drawer Organizer Trays — I’ve tried a few different drawer organizers, and I like these best because you can adhere the non-slip pads to the bottom. 

27. Microwave — I love this chic microwave designed by Drew Barrymore. It’s $130 and also available in a light blue.

28. Slim Laundry Basket — Keep your closet space tidy with this laundry basket designed for small spaces. The removable inner bag pulls out so you can easily carry those dirty clothes home to mom.

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day when someone posted the best idea for a first aid kit that would last the entire school year. She bought a craft box and packed it full of everything from Band-Aids to Pepto to Pedialyte! This lady was momming hard, and I love the idea! 

College students at my school rarely ate at the cafeteria, so I ate a lot of Chef Boyardee and ramen. I had a couple of microwave-safe bowls and plates, along with silverware, that I washed in the bathroom sink. To make sure you wash them immediately, only buy one or two of each. No one needs bugs in their dorm room. 

More Cute Dorm Room Ideas — If You Have the Budget

This probably goes without saying, but when it comes to dorm room living, bring way less than you think you’ll need. However, if you have extra cash, a bit of know-how, and want an extra cozy space, consider building a custom shelf over the top of your mini fridge. This extra shelving will help give you more storage, and you can pop your TV on top — the perfect height if you have a lofted bed. 

Your friends will stop by, so extra seating is a bonus if you can swing it. Think bean bags or a storage ottoman. In the above dorm room designs, you see I swapped out the desk chair (give it back to the residence hall if possible or ask your parents if you can store it at their house). If you can afford it, buy one that is on wheels with padding on the back. Preferably, something a bit more ergonomic for late-night cramming. A lot of time will be spent in that office chair, so make sure it’s a comfy one. 

This is completely unnecessary, but if you have money to burn, grab yourself an area rug, cozy blanket, and throw pillows. An area rug will make the room feel cozier on move-in day and help solidify the color scheme for the entire room. 

I hope this roundup kick-started your small space creativity and will help you get a fresh start to freshman year! If you use my advice, I’d love to see photos! Tag or DM me on Instagram!