Designing a dorm room should always be a fun and exiting experience for all students. It's the perfect chance to create a personalised space that reflects your style and personality. But due to how much freedom you have, it may be a little daunting when deciding what you want to do.
In this post, we'll give you the key components to consider when designing a dorm room that can hopefully give you confidence before you move into your new home. Dorms can be pretty small, check out our post on maximising small spaces HERE.
Planning Ahead
A common mistake people make that they don't realise until later, is what they actually need/want to have in their space. Everyone tends to have a different lifestyle at college, but don't consider if their dorm fits in with that.
You might want to focus your dorm as a place to chill, unwind from your day at college. Designing a space around your comfort with a sense of calmness could include a larger bed, with comfy pillows and blankets screaming at you to cuddle up in.
Another purpose that peoples dorms have is being a place to socialise. If this is something you think would be perfect for you, consider having as much of an open feeling space as you can so no one is left out of the conversation. Of course people need places to sit; beanbags can act as a comfy alternative to simple chairs, creating a warmer, more inviting place for you friends to come over to.
There are some things that you need to consider no matter what purpose you give your dorm, such as storage, study space (if you want it), and places to keep your personal items. However, depending on the purpose, you can base your decisions about these elements around the said purpose you choose.
Choosing the Right Colours and Textures
The colours and textures that you choose for your dorm room will make the biggest of difference when it comes to how it looks and feels. Due to dorms usually being pretty small, meaning the colour palette effects are amplified.
If you're looking for a calm, open-feeling dorm, opting for light colours like white or cream can no doubt give you that tone. If neutral colours are a little boring for you, pastel colours will create the same effect, whilst adding a little colour to represent your personality. Adding small pops of bold colour through accessories, creating depth in your dorm.
If you're thinking of using bold colours, it's a great way to truly put your personality on show. Be careful though, it may make your dorm feel much smaller if you fill it completely with bold vibrancy. Experimenting with patterns is also a super effective way of using bold colours; finding items like rugs and wall art are some of the best options if you're interested in this idea!
Collaborate with Your Roommate:
If you have a roommate, it's a good call to collaborate with the design of the dorm. To prevent your dorm from having 2 polar opposite styles, discussing your idea sand preferences will go a long way in creating a space you're both as comfortable as possible in. Sharing a Pinterest board/ mood board with each other can make it clear where both of your ideas are, making it easy to visualise how your space will turn out.
Compromises will most likely have to be made if you have a roommate, but it will without doubt be worth it when the 2 sides of the space blend together better. If needed, you could consider using dividers in the space to prevent two different styles from taking anything away from each other.
Communicating will be key when designing a dorm with your roommate. Being open and cooperative with them will without doubt allow you to create an interesting, welcoming space that you both can enjoy together.
Make it Personal
The best way to fully make the space your own, adding in personal items/decor that mean the most to you. It doesn't usually matter what design style you decide on with these things due to the meaning they have to you. These could be pictures of family/friends from home, or physical items you've brought with you.
If your personal items go too much against the rest of your space, there are some routes you can take to minimise this. If you've gone for a simple/neutral colour palette, consider dedicating a space to hold these items together. This can be done through shelving or a cabinet in your chosen colour scheme; having all your personal items together will act as feature for your space. It won't take away from the colour flow due to them being together.
There are different ways that you can implement your personal items into your dorm. If possible, fitting them in with your design style with of course continue to the correlation with the rest of the room, but as they all have so much meaning to you, if they don't blend as well as other items, the meaning behind them just about eliminates the lack of correlation.
As you'll be in your dorm for the next chapter of your life, creating a space that truly represents you as a person will raise your mood whenever you're there. Although the space will be a a little smaller than what you may be used to, but that doesn't stop your creativity from flourishing!