25 Dorm Room Decor Essentials You Need To Cross Off Your List

Decorating a dorm room can be difficult! Trying to coordinate with roommates, and working with tiny cramped spaces is not easy. Dorm rooms usually come with a standard ugly wooden bed, desk, and dresser, and not much else. With a bit of effort and dorm room décor essentials, the space can become efficient and stylish. Learn how to maximize your space!

1. Twin XL Bed Sheets

Dorm room mattresses are usually Twin XL. This size is made to accommodate even the tallest of college students. If previously owning a twin bed there is a good chance that it was just an average length twin size bed, so when shopping it is important to pay attention to the length of the sheets!

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

2. Microwave

Some dorm rooms already come with a microwave, but several do not. This is a must. There will be several times you do not feel like venturing down to the dining hall. The microwave and a pack of ramen will save your life at some point!

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

3. Miniature Fridge

A mini-fridge is right up there with the microwave. You will be grateful to have it. Having a mini-fridge in the room is nice for keeping drinks cold, and is a good space to store leftovers or snacks that need to be refrigerated. Even if it does just end up being a skincare fridge, it will come in handy at some point.

Shop This Item : 

Advertisement

4. Clothes Hamper

A clothing hamper has so many benefits. This does not exactly count as cute décor but is totally necessary. Invest in a durable hamper, so that when you wait two weeks to do laundry, a strap won’t break when going to pick it up. There are even some on wheels.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

5. Power Strip With A Surge Protector

Dorm rooms do not typically have a ton of outlets. There is a good chance that there may only be like four outlets, which is not nearly enough. A power strip allows for a curling iron, a laptop, a phone, and a lamp all to be plugged in at once. You never realize how many outlets you need until you are put into a situation with limited outlets. There are ways to make even the biggest of eyesores cuter, try decorating a box, or buying one on Amazon to hide the cords. Power strips even come in cute colors or patterns.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

6. Extension Cord

Buy an extension cord. Honestly, by like 5 they will get used. There is no harm in having extra extension cords. Outlets can be placed in inconvenient locations, and your cord may not stretch. Be prepared, and buy an extension cord.

Shop The Item: 

Advertisement

7. Mattress Topper in Twin XL

It will be a rough transition from the Tempur-Pedic mattress at home, to the thin dorm room plastic mattresses. This is the saddest part of going away to college, not being able to bring your own bed. Making the bed comfortable is important. A good way to make a bed more comfortable is to get a mattress pad. Remember when buying one make sure it is the proper size, usually a twin XL.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

8. Body Pillow

Body pillows are great for decoration and functionality. Older dorm rooms have cylinder block walls. The walls are not comfortable to sit up against. If you like to do homework in your bed, this helps a ton. Purchase a cute pillow cover to match your dorm room decor!

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

9. Pillow With Armrest

A pillow with attached armrests, are like body pillows. If you hardly leave your bed, invest in one of these bad boys. They decrease back pain from slouching. Now you can do homework in your bed upright, or just about any other task that can be completed from bed.

Shop This Look: 

Advertisement

10.Lap Desk

A lap desk is the pillow with arm rest’s counterpart. The two go together great. A lap desk is convenient when having to write while sitting down, or even balancing a laptop and textbook. This is a good flat surface to eat a bowl of ramen on in bed. Keep that in mind, because the scenario will arise.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

11.Lamp

Dorm rooms are poorly lit with fluorescent light bulbs. Not the easiest on the eyes. Having a lamp will brighten the room. It is nice to be able to turn a lamp on for some light when a roommate is trying to sleep. This way the light will not bother them as much!

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

12. Bed Risers

With limited space in a dorm room, some creativity needs to be involved to fit everything necessary into such a tiny space. This is where bed risers come into play. Bed risers lift the bed higher off the ground allowing for more under bed storage space. Use this space!

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

13. Decorative Lights

Decorative lights add a warm touch to a bare dorm room. A string of lights are cheap and make a dorm room have a cozy feel.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

14. Picture Frames

Picture frames are perfect decorations. Parts of pre-college life can be in the dorm room and not forgotten. Pictures can be comforting to look at when feeling homesick. They serve as a good conversation topic with the roomie too.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

15. Tapestry

Decorating in college is hard since more than likely, holes cannot be drilled into the wall. A tapestry is a quick and easy way to decorate. Depending on the size of the tapestry it can cover a lot of bare wall space. Tapestries add a fun flair to the room. They come in fun prints or sayings on them.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

16. Fan / Space Heater

A fan or space heater is the best friend to any college student who lives in a dorm room. Rooms can either be freezing or hot with no in-between and sleeping in a room that is too cold or hot is not ideal.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement

17. Under Bed Storage Container

Dorm rooms do not have a ton of space for storage. It can be hard to not take everything in your closet when moving to college. Under-bed storage containers allow for more storage. The containers are long and can fit any folded clothes, or shoes.

Shop This Item: 

Advertisement
See Also

18. Command Hooks

Dorm halls have strict policies on damaging the walls when decorating. To avoid the hassle, try command hooks. At the end of the year, the command hook comes off the wall leaving no damage behind.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

19. Desk Organizers

Buy desk organizers to hold folders, books, and school supplies. This will help keep your study environment orderly. The days of struggling to find a pen be gone if kept in a designated location.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

20. Small Trashcan

Some dorm rooms come with a trash can, but it can never hurt to have another. There are always tons of trash in a dorm room. Having a small trashcan will reduce the mess in the room.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

21. Essential Oil Diffuser

Candles are a no go in a dorm room, so the next best thing is an essential oil diffuser. An essential oil diffuser will not catch on fire and will make the room smell amazing. This should on the top of the dorm room décor checklist.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

22. Coffee Pot/ Keurig

Tired of spending money every day at the campus Starbucks? Maybe, try making coffee in the dorm room. A Keurig is a good option if willing to spend more money. The hot water from a Keurig or coffee pot can be used for other uses besides just coffee.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

23. Hanging Shoe Storage

This is awesome for maximizing space. Hanging shoe storage can be hung on a hook, or over the back of a door. All shoes can be stored away, without taking up the whole closet space.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

24. Hanging Mirror

Hang a mirror on the back of the door. This way a quick outfit check can be done before leaving the room to go out. Make sure you are looking as fresh, as your dorm room decor will be after including all the essentials from this article.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

25. A Television

Television is not a necessity but is nice to have. Netflix or Hulu hits differently on television than it does on a laptop screen.

Advertisement

Shop This Item: 

These dorm room essentials are everything and more that could be needed in a dorm room. This dorm room decor list checks all the possible boxes to help maximize storage while keeping it aesthetically pleasing. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Featured Image Source Via Pinterest: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9a/a4/8d/9aa48de8ac31fb01421dc106eeab1cc4.jpg