Decorating a single dorm room is not so different from decorating a double dorm. You just need to use different skills to breathe life into the smaller space you’ve been given. Skills like organization, seeking out multipurpose furniture, and living by the rule “less is more.”
So how do you decorate a single dorm?:
- Find Out What the Dorm Looks Like
- Find Out What Comes With the Room
- Choose a Color Scheme
- Choose a Style of Decor
- Organize to Maximize Room Space
We both know single and double dorms aren’t created equal, so if you try to use the same decorating styles that are popular with double dorms, you may end up overcrowding your space. That’s why I sprinkle tips on how to avoid this problem throughout this post.
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Find Out What the Dorm Looks Like, If Possible
Finding out exactly what your single dorm will look like is better than having to guess. It’ll help lay the foundation needed to start decorating and prevent you from bringing anything unnecessary, or forgetting anything necessary. To quickly find out what one looks like, try googling the name of the dorm hall you’re thinking about staying in followed by “single dorms”.
If that doesn’t work, try visiting your school’s website and looking for the ‘Housing’ section of the site. From there, look for something along the lines of “Housing Options”.
From here, your school might have the option to view freshman housing, sophomore housing, upperclassmen housing, etc. Click on the year you’re in. From there, you should be taken to a list of different dorm halls. Browse through each one, or the hall that you’re interested in, and look for the single dorm rooms. From here, you should get some info about what these types of rooms look like, as well as what comes with them.
If your school doesn’t provide a lot of information and there’s no way for you to see the room beforehand, don’t worry, you’re not out of luck. You could either try to find out the dimensions of the room through the school website and/or get a general idea of what it will look like through pictures of other single dorms. Google has plenty of them.
To get you started, here’s a picture of 2 empty single dorms:
Find Out What Comes With the Room
Looking at a picture of the dorm may not give you the full idea of what’s actually inside. Finding out what your school already provides will keep you from bringing more than you need to, or less than you need to. For a basic overview of what typically comes with a single dorm, check out my post called “The Complete List Of Everything College Dorms Provide“. This post also lets you know what usually comes with double and triple dorms too.
In case you haven’t fully decided on where to live, you’ll want to learn about all of your options before choosing one. This post called “Pros And Cons Of A Single, Double, And Triple Dorm Room” will give you an idea about what it’s like to live in each one. Check it out if you need help deciding on a dorm.
Choose a Color Scheme
Now that you’ve found out the basics of your dorm, you’re ready to transform it into your new home. In a room as small as this, I’m going to assume you want to make it feel much bigger. White is perfect for increasing the size of a space (it’s no coincidence most dorms are painted white), so try picking color schemes that pair nicely with white. Some schemes to consider are…
White and Blue
White and Black
White and Texture
I know, what do I mean by “white and texture?”; it’s when you offset the white with dashes of color through decor items, posters, and other things that don’t scream color like a bed sheet, throw pillows and a carpet can. Just be careful not to go overboard when picking how many items to offset the white with.
Tip: use bright lighting to maximize the space even more
Choose a Style of Decor
To get a full tutorial on how to choose a decorating style, check out this post!
If you want some decor that’s under $25, check out this post!
Organize to Maximize Room Space
I know you’ve probably heard me say “don’t overcrowd your dorm” enough by now but all of that advice will go to waste if I don’t mention the best way to keep your dorm looking spacious. Have a designated place for everything to keep the dorm from looking more and more disheveled as the semester goes on. The best way to do this is by using organization methods and hacks.
One of the most common and helpful ways to keep the clutter to a minimum is to utilize the space under your bed. Buying bed risers on amazon…
…to create space and using bins or even shoe storage cases on amazon…
to store your stuff in will keep your potential clutter out of sight, out of mind, and organized.
Another organization space to consider is your door. You can attach a hanging shoe pocket,…
…towel rack,
shower caddy,…
…or any kind of hanging storage device to hold your things.
And while we’re talking about vertical storage space, consider buying command strips…
…and using your wall to store your things on by hanging them or using them to install a new shelf to create even more space. You can buy the right shelves for the job on amazon!
While we’re at it, let’s use the space next to your bed to organize your things by replacing an ordinary nightstand with a rolling cart!
Bonus: If you buy a white rolling cart you can paint it any color to fit the style of your room.
Hanging bedside pockets…
off the side of your bed will make your bed even more storage handy!
Speaking of hanging storage, if you plan on getting a mini fridge, you can purchase an over the fridge storage caddy…
…that will help you take advantage of more vertical storage space.
Even though the drawers that already come with your dorm already serve as a storage space, disorganization can quickly turn into clutter and render them useless if you don’t have some kind of structure in place. Drawer organizers…
divide your drawers into sections so that you can fit what you need into the space, which helps you avoid stuffing random things in there until it’s full, jumbled and unusable. Check some out on amazon!
If you’re not in the mood to buy an array of pockets, bins, and organizers, you can still make sure your dorm is organized through the power of D.I.Y. Check out these useful dorm organization D.I.Y hacks to get started!