So you’ve bought all your dorm room essentials but you lack having any dorm room inspo & moving tips. Look no further because this is the 2nd best guide for dorm room inspiration (next to Pinterest of course). Not only will I be sharing some of my favorite preppy college dorms, but also some easy DIY’s to take your college dorm room to the next level.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I may make a commission if you click through and purchase.
Dorm Room Inspo
I’ll be honest, when I was getting ready to move into a dorm, I didn’t look up any kind of dorm room inspo. Not once. I was much more caught up in having the necessities than looking up how I wanted it to look. I just kinda had faith that everything I bought would work together. While it did manage to work out just fine (I bought a lot of black), I still think back on it. Since I went to college, “designer dorm rooms” have become all the rage. I mean people seriously pay for interior designers to come in and transform their dorm room. That’s a little much. Trust me, you’ll spend enough money on college without a dorm room designer.
I’m not sure I would go back and re-do my dorm room, even with all the dorm room Inspo I look at since graduating. However, I do know cute when I see it! Which is why I’m sharing these dorm rooms with you. I will also be linking to the big items you can purchase to get that look for your dorm room too.
Prep Avenue Dorm Room Inspo
Shop these Pieces:
Tropical Dorm Room Inspo
Get the Room:
The Minimalist
Shop the Room:
Lilly Pulitzer Dorm Room Inspo
Get the Room:
Shop the Header Image
Best Stores to Shop for Dorm Room Inspo
There’s a handful of stores you can shop for dorm room decor and get even more dorm room inspo. My favorite place to get a lot of inspiration is Dormify. They give you a room and let you shop the entire set. I think it’s a great way to have a very put together room. I also like PB Teen for this reason. However, both of these options can get pricy. So be sure to check places like Amazon, Target, and Etsy for cheaper alternatives. Also, Target is running a promotion right now to save $40 when you spend $100 on home, furniture and so much more! Use code “COLLEGE” at checkout. This deal only applies to online orders so shop online now! View all deals currently at Target here.
Great Places to Check out:
Headboard DIY’s for Dorms
There’s a ton of DIY’s out there for dorm rooms, but my favorite ones are always about making yourself a headboard. As you may have seen from my Dorm Room Inspo above, those headboards get ridiculously expensive. They would be worth the money if you were going to use it for the next 20 years of your life but odds are, you won’t. Unless you really plan on sleeping in a twin sized bed the rest of your life. Once I moved into my college apartment after freshman year, I used these headboard and canopy DIY’s in my own room. Please note though, dorms will not allow you to hang things from the ceiling, so hold off on the canopy until you move out.
The Preppy Headboard DIY
Fairy Light Headboard DIY
Flower Headboard DIY
College Moving Tips
Now you have not only your dorm room essentials, but also your dorm room decor! It’s time to pack up the car and get moving. But before you do, use these simple moving tips to make your move easy and smooth.
Leave your Clothes on the Hangers
Do you know how much room even 2 suitcases can take in a car? A lot. I used the trash bag method when moving. To the dorms, out of the dorms, into the apartment, and back home. I use this method all the time. It’s simple. Gather a bunch of your hanging clothes, put the bottom into the trash bag until the garments are covered, tie the trash bag at the top. It’s basically a garment bag, but cost 5¢. The best thing about this method is, you can cram your clothes in any little space in the car. And don’t worry if they fall off the hanger, all your clothes will be in the bag when you get there.
Cram, but don’t Over-cram
Did you get that storage ottoman, or maybe you just opted for some plain boxes to fill. Either way, you’ll want to fill it with as much as possible to save space during the move. But be careful with your distribution. Don’t put all the heavy things in one box. You risk the box breaking and hurting yourself when you move it. Test the weight of items before you move to make sure you can carry it from the car to your room.
Bring an Army
I have a very large family, and one of my best friends from college does too. I’ve never seen packing and unpacking happen so quickly than with large families. Maybe you’ll need to take more than one car, but it will be worth it. Somehow my family managed to fit all my stuff and 6 people in one Suburban. How much can you fill your clown car?
Accept that You’ll Forget
Look, either you’ll completely forgot something, or you didn’t know you needed it until you walked into your dorm room. It’s ok. You will survive. While I hated making that dreaded trip to Target or Walmart, sometimes you just have to. Though I do not recommend waiting to buy everything when you get into town. Inevitably, everything labeled “college”, “dorm”, etc. will be sold out. If it’s something you have at home, that’s ok too. It’s a great excuse for your parents to send you your first care package of the semester.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I may make a commission if you click through and purchase.
