Designing an Affordable and Stylish College Dorm

Written by: BeddingStyle

How would you build the perfect dorm room? Shelving is a good idea to start with, because there is never enough space, but you’d need to consider designer bedding and furniture too. College is as much a lesson in schooling as it is in budgeting. If you’re leaving for college soon, it’s a good idea to consider what your dorm room will look like.

Bedding

You don’t need to go designer for college dorm bedding, but it’s nice if you can afford to. Mainly, you want to be conscious of thread count. The more threads there are in a particular set, the softer that set is usually. There are also softer fabrics, so you may be able to reduce thread count if you upgrade the fabric. It’s probably best to have at least one full set of everything, and then maybe a few odds and ends to fill in gaps on laundry days. Two fitted sheets with one comforter is usually enough. If you plan to go to college in an area with four seasons, be sure to invest in some warm pajamas.

Furniture

Your local thrift store usually has a lot of great furniture you can use to stock your dorm. You probably want to avoid things like mattresses, even though all padding is cleaned thoroughly before it hits the sales floor, but you can find bed stands and coffee tables too. College furniture doesn’t have to match, but choose a style you like and work on getting pieces that fit the look you want. Modern pieces, for instance, are very angular and square.

DIY and Refurbishing

Aside from thrift stores, you can shop garage sales on weekends to find pieces you can refurbish. Refinishing a piece of furniture usually requires little more than sandpaper, and either paint or stain. Sand the wood down until it is smooth, then apply the new coat of paint to the wood.

There are pieces online that you can build yourself too. Items from blogs like Lowes or Home Depot come with schematics, so you go to the store and ask the associate to cut pieces of wood to size for you.

Money Saving Tips

If your old teen bedding still fits your bed, consider bringing it with you. The retro appeal might score you some social points, and you can use the money you saved on something else for your dorm (like a cool lava lamp).