Girls' Guide to College: Part 3 Dorm Decor

 So I am back to post Part 3 to my Girls' Guide to College. As you can already tell  from Part 1 and 2, I am an "over-packer", "just-in-case-(insert crazy situation)-happens packer", and "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink packer." Needless to say my over-packing extended to my dorm decor packing too!

First off, I think every future college dorm dweller needs to understand the size of these rooms. Yes, you probably went to see a dorm room on your tour. How nice right?! Well in my experience, the dorm they school showed was definitely more of a "model" dorm. Before my roommate and I moved in we were thinking we would have room for a futon, and so much more. Move forward to move-in day in mid-August...tiny room, no A/C, and clunky dorm furniture. Did I mention I was on the eighth floor? It was the tallest building in Harrisonburg, VA. We lovingly referred to our floor as the Penthouse of Eagle (sounds fancy!) or the Dirty bird (because it was filthy). What a dream! (By the way...I realize I am extremely lucky to have the opportunity to attend college. I just want to shed light on dorm living reality.)

 It was hard to imagine how living in a room, about half the size of my modest bedroom at home, with another person was going to go. Luckily I made it through the first year, and I learned from my packing mistakes! Here are my suggestions on how to have a snazzy, fun dorm room, without all the extra clutter.

Going from top left: 1. storage container, 2. grey rug, 3. yellow throw, 4. chevron bedding set, 5. desk hutch, 6. "its beautiful here" pillow, and 7. command hooks

1. Soon after moving into my dorm, my roommate and I realized we need a place to store our snacks and plastic dishes/utensils. We ended up using this container the following year in our pantry too! It was a great thing to keep all food related things together and not scatter throughout the room.
2. A cheap rug is great to add to the floor of a dorm. Our floor was like tile? It was like whatever you walk on in the mall. Anyway we needed a rug, but we ended up spending over  $100 on it, only to throw it out by the end of the year. I say definitely get a rug, but try to stick to something under $50 - $60 so you do not feel bad tossing it at the end of the year.
3. A little throw at the end of the bed is great. I couldn't control the temp in our room, so I loved having an extra layer of covers on cold nights!
4. Stick with a bedding set that has a fun print, but isn't too busy. Also, this is another one of those things you will likely only use for a year (maybe two if you can live on campus sophomore year). And yes, definitely get the Twin XL.
5. A desk hutch is a lifesaver because there is just such limited space in a dorm. My desk hutch saved me from having my desk look like a tornado hit it. It was a great place to store books too!
6. A decorative pillow can really add a fun touch of personality to your dorm decor. I suggest just one pillow though. I had 4-5 decorative pillows on my bed freshman year, and it was just TOO much!
7. Command hooks are the best. Now they come in these funky colors that can match your decor. I used mine to hang necklaces or pictures, since we could not drill/nail into our walls.

Sticker frames

 If you're like me then you love pictures! The product above is really cool to use on your dorm walls. It requires just sticking them to the wall, and Voila! Gorgeous wall art! Frames on tables and desks get in the way, so these would be a great space-saver.

positive quote of the day:

"A rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day at the office."

-Unknown

Read Part 1 here.

Read Part 2 here.