Top 5 Design Ideas for Cramped Dorm Rooms

College life can be difficult, especially if you’re cramped in a 9 X 9 room with two roommates. When this happens, it’s hard to think about what mood you want your room to invoke. For many, that mood is often “stressed out.” So for those of you still feeling a bit cramped, the following post is for you. Get inspired

Top 5 Design Ideas for Cramped Dorm Rooms.

Idea 5: Use Wall Decals or Stickers

Wall decals are a great way to add style to any space without adding to the clutter. Moreover, they’re affordable, completely customizable, and—most importantly—removable. When summer time rolls around, and you’re cleaning up the dorm and heading back home, you’ll be glad that you don’t have to repaint your wall.

Idea 4: Let There Be Light…and Loads of It

If you don’t have room to place a standing lamp, desk lamp or light fixture, remember to keep the colors in your room light. It adds an openness quality that may save you from depression when mid-terms roll around. This photo may be over-kill, but you get the picture.

Idea 3: Get Lofty

Who said you had to keep your desk and bed at the same level? Creating your own loft is a great way to stay above all the clutter. Be sure to ask for help when building, though. And if you’re buying from a store, make sure your loft is “college proof.”

Idea 2: Hiding creates space.

Assuming your low on storage space, stylish sheets and beads make for great room dividers and storage separators. And adding in an extra shelf (as seen in the picture above) is an even more space saving idea. Find ways to add to your dorm’s overall artistic value, without detracting from its size.

Idea 1: Buy Multifunctional Items

Everyone knows how vital the futon is for the typical college experience. It’s a coach and a bed, and it’s all it one. It doesn’t get much better than this.

There are, however, other items that you could use in a variety of ways. Take, for example, a filing cabinet, which can provide storage for your award-winning thesis and double as a vintage lamp table. Furthermore, as these pieces are often unique, they usually are the type of furniture that you’d keep after college. Be on the look-out for pieces that could double as a bed, coach, or other unit. Not only are they cool looking, but they will also save on space.

Conclusion:

Most of us have dealt with the small “college dorm” issue. You don’t have much space, you don’t have much money, and you have a bunch of roommates. The following 5 ideas are all affordable, but do much more than save you money. They save you space, and they save you from the hassle of dealing with you roommates. Are there other ideas that should make the top five? Let us know in the comment section.

Cleo Kirkland is a writer for Granite Transformations and Butch & Harold, a home design company offering a wide variety of wall sticker frames, sticker pockets, and sticker corners for hanging artwork. They’re fun alternatives to picture frames and don’t require any desk space.