Moving into the dorms is a major downsize, but with these helpful hacks, you can troubleshoot the shortage of space! These top dorm styling hacks include cute ways to save space and still have the cutest dorm in your hall!
1. Add bed lifts to make more space.
When you’re in the dorms, you need to create space in whatever way possible! Get bed lifts so you can store more things under your bed. Get cheap drawers or shelves so you don’t have to stuff everything into your small, shared closet space. Some bed lifts even double as power outlets and usb ports to make charging your devices that much easier!
2. Loft your bed.
In light of bed lifts, if you can, loft your bed! When you loft your bed, you can save so much space and open up a very cramped area. You can put your desk, dresser and vanity under there, your dresser, or make a cozy hangout area. The possibilities are endless!
3. Hang curtains around your lofted area to create personal space and privacy.
Dorms can be crowded and it can be hard to have no personal space or privacy. To combat this issue, hang curtains around your bed or lofted area to create your own space!
4. Hang a tapestry.
Tapestries are everywhere right now in room decor and they are so easy! They come in pretty much any color, image or style you can think of and if you get one large enough to cover most of the wall it will instantly make your room feel so much homier.
5. Make a headboard out of cardboard and fabric.
This hack will make your room instantly more trendy! Cut out a cardboard shape that you desire your headboard to embody then simply hot glue on some cute fabric and push it up to the wall and voila! You have your very own, homemade headboard.
6. Use an over the door shoe holder.
Over the door shoe holders can be used to store anything and everything, not just shoes! Store your lotions, perfume, brush, food, and more in this convenient dorm hack to open up some extra drawer space!
7. Use Mason Jars for cute desk storage.
Mason Jars are cheap, easily customizable and a great way to store extra items. You can store makeup brushes, jewelry, pens, pencils anything really. Paint them, add stickers, keep them plain, do whatever you want to stylize these cute little jars.
8. Decorate a shower caddy for added storage.
Shower caddies are great for keeping all of your bathroom essentials together for easy transport. Grab an extra so you can also hold all your school supplies! The caddy can be decorated however you decide; have ribbon tied to hang things from the hooks, put cloth and cardboard over the face of the caddy to make a pin board, the possibilities are endless!
9. Use binder clips to keep organized.
Binder clips can be clipped to the side of your desk to hold or organize all your electronic cords. Paint them, add washi tape, or add stickers and make the plain black clips a little more fun or buy these cute colorful ones from The Container Store! Simply clip them to the side of your desk and thread your cord through the opening to have no more tangled up cords.
10. Get stackable hangers to save space.
Stackable hangers will save your closet space and your sanity. Hook all of your little tank tops on one hanger and reduce your closet clutter dramatically!
11. Put command strips on the back of clothespins.
Command strips are a must when you’re in the dorms. You don’t want to pull off all of your wall decorations and rip off hundreds of dollars of paint with them. So, add command strips to back of cute clothespins to hang pictures, tapestries, and more!
12. Use Washi Tape to customize.
Put Washi Tape on both sides of your charger cords so you can easily unplug and know which ones belong to what!
13. Decorate with a cute ottoman.
Get yourself a little ottoman that you can hide and store your belongings in! They can have fun patterns or be a simple color that goes with your dorm room; whatever is best for you!
14. Buy a hot iron holster.
Honestly every girl needs a hot iron holster in their life – dorm living or not. Get yourself a hot iron holster to hold your straightener after use. This convenient holster hangs from the sink and provides the perfect place to store your straightener or curler while it cools down!
15. Add a stylish rug.
Last, but certainly not least, we hate to be brutally honest but dorms can be gross. You have no idea who lived there for years before you! So when you inevitably find those nasty stains on the carpet, use a cute rug to cover up the stains and make your room even more cute and cozy.
Now that you know all of our top dorm styling hacks, read our post on Making Your Sorority House a Home for five additional hacks and you are set to move into what will be the most fun you’ve ever had! Dorm life is such a fun time to be surrounded by friends, so make the most of it, as it goes by quickly! And if you haven’t completely decided on whether or not you want to live in the dorms, an apartment or commute, read The Ultimate College Survival Guide: Choosing Where to Live; to help make the decision easier!