One of the most exciting things about going to college is getting to decorate your dorm room. A few things you need to keep in mind when shopping for your dorm is lack of space, your roommates taste, and to make it feel comfortable like home.  Your going to be living with your roommate for the whole school year so you want to be able to get along well with each other. What a better way to start that relationship then to decorate your dorm together?  If you don’t already know your roommate then try to find them on a social networking site such as Facebook and ask if they already got thier dorm stuff. If not, then try to coordinate the colors together or go shopping together the first day. It would be a great bonding experience and you will get to know your roommates style. If your one of the lucky ones that doesn’t have a roommate then you want to focus on making your room comfortable and homey. There are a few essentials you will need while living in a dorm like a bath tote, twin XL size sheets, and storage solutions.

Bath:

A lot of colleges have one community bathroom in the dorms. You will need a way to transport your bath stuff to and from the bathrooms.  A bath caddie or bath tote is an essential for dorm life. Stuff it with everything you will need to shower such as shampoo, shaving cream, lotion, face wash, etc.  A great and cheap way to store all your beauty and bath products you don’t need in the shower is  is to hang a overdoor shoe holder on the closet door and fill the shoe holders with your beauty and bath products. This is great for things like your nail polish, hairspray, and curling irons. It maybe obvious but make sure to bring your own bath linens, as these will not be provided. The college showers can hold a lot of bad bacteria that can cause foot fungus so for sanitary reasons purchase a pair of flip flops to use in the shower.

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Bedding:

There are bedding basics you will need such as Twin XL sheets, comforter, and pillows. A mattress pad and blankets can help soften up the bed to make it more comfortable. Most dorm room beds are sized twin extra long so make sure what size bed you have before purchasing anything. If you can coordinate your bedding decor with your roommate then your room will look very cohesive and put together. Even if you have very different style you need to find that balance with each other. Since dorm room is in such a small space and likely your bed takes up most of that room so use big fun patterns on you bedding to make the room appear larger. Your bedding will be the focal point of the room so choose something you love.

Study:

If you have room for a desk you need to make the most of it. You will have very little space but lots of books, notebooks and other supplies. If your an art student or in an interior design then a drafting table maybe a better option for you. Try to choose a desk that has lots of storage options such as built in shelves, or drawers. If the desk does not have built in storage then purchasing storage solutions may be needed. In order to have room to study your desk needs to be clutter free and organized. Staying organized is key to passing exams and making it to social events so a calendar or cork board is a necessity.  There are ways to decorate your cork board so its trendy and matches the rest of your decor.

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Storage:

Dorm rooms are very small so you must find ways to store things you don’t use everyday and the best ways to utilize the space effectively. Utilizing every inch of space available will require creativity. Purchasing a closet solution like the one below are great for storing items that can be folded like t-shirts and jeans.  Utilizing the space under the bed is also essential. You can purchase bed risers if the bed is not high enough to slide storage under neath.

Containerstore.com

Containerstore.com