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| Photo: Getty Images/James Woodson (seen on Tree Hugger) |
August has already begun to wind down and it’s time to begin the back to college countdown. Whether you are a freshman or upperclassmen, there still remains plenty of work to do before you head back to your dorm room. How exciting is it to set the mood of the upcoming year with great dorm room styling? It really can make a huge difference in how you study, and how much you will look forward to coming back to your new home. Before you begin heading to department stores for your affordable finds, create a game plan with a furniture layout? Furniture what? Yes, we said furniture layout J
A good layout is just how it sounds, it helps to organize your room and make it more functional. Having a preliminary layout is essential as it lays the ground work for all of your furniture and decorative accessories. Without it, a room can look off balance and/or over saturated with unnecessary pieces. No layout, no good design. Here are a few tips that will help you get your room organized.
Work with your roommate – We know how excited you must be to finally get away from the folks, but remember that you are sharing a space with someone else. The last thing you need to do is alienate your year (or college) long roommate by making decisions without him/her.
- Make your existing furniture work – Chances on you will have most of the following: two bunk-able beds, two dressers and two desks. Now they may not be the most stylish pieces (we will get to that later), but think of them as free furniture to use. Never throw anything out as you are on a budget and need to make your dollars stretch.
- Organize your furniture to fit your lifestyle – Do you plan to use your room as a place for friends to gather? Or will it be a simple room intended for studying? How you plan to interact with the room will determine how you should lay out your furniture plan. If guests are inevitable, extra seating (e.g. ottomans, poufs, storage cubes) will be needed. Orient your sofa to be the focal point in the room with your desks either grouped together, or at opposite ends of the room. Create multiple zones for rooms that will have people lounging to read, sitting at a desk to study, or hanging out on the couch to catch a daytime talk show.
- Hidden storage will go a long way – You’re more than likely going to accumulate excessive items (e.g. clothing, etc) throughout your stay inside of the dorm. Tiny closets will not be able to hold all of your items, and drawers will soon become full. By adding hidden storage in the shape of accent furniture, you will instantly gain extra space. Under the bed compartments and wall shelving units are awesome pieces that can hold more of your accessories and items.
- Always remember you don’t have to have it all – The most important organizing tip of all is to remember while you try to make your room accommodate all of your needs, not everything will fit. Your little dorm room will never fare to a studio apartment so pick and choose what you need wisely. No need for a large refrigerator in your dorm room, you will have one in the kitchen on your floor. Forget trying to add large seating items as it will make your room feel squishy. There are plenty of places to hang out both in your residence hall and on campus.
Layout Ideas
seen on College Fashion
