Attention, college-goers! I’ve been fielding a lot of questions recently about decorating dorm rooms. (And not just from my own children, I swear.) What should I bring? What’s worth caring about, and what isn’t? What should I coordinate with my roommate? Things were much simpler when I went to school, lemme tell ya.
Here’s my advice.
Don’t coordinate with your roommate.
I wouldn’t bother. Seriously. This isn’t your first apartment (my advice for that would be much different, believe me), and you are two people who have never met. You don’t want strife right out of the gate. So maybe tell her/him/them that you really like baby blue, or that your style is kind of bohemian, and leave it at that. Preppy and minimalist will co-exist. They’ll have to.
But volunteer to bring the rug.
As you know, I believe an interesting rug is the foundation of every room. (Not so a beige berber, tasteful though it may be.) So the competitive side of me says, “Make sure you choose the thing that takes up the most visual real estate.”
I’m picturing my own freshman dorm room, which I bet is still pretty typical: two twin beds (or the super annoying XL Twin) parallel to each other with some space in between. Dressers, desks, etc. are elsewhere. That space between your beds should have a rug on it, EVEN IF there’s already wall-to-wall carpeting. (Eew, but all the more reason to cover it up.)
You don’t need a large rug. 3′ x 5′ is fine between 2 beds. 4′ x 6′ will probably work, and 5′ x 7′ is getting large for a dorm room. 2′ x 3′ is basically a doormat, but it can have an impact in front of a dresser. Please make sure you use a non-skid rug pad. Small rugs on a hard floor slip easily.
I don’t advise a major expenditure (for ANYthing in your dorm room, actually), but if you invest your dog-sitting, bagel-store-working, or child-minding money in a decent rug, you could have it for many years.
Fairy lights are a must.
I just like them, that’s all. And they’re young and festive and twinkly — like YOU! Lights in dorm rooms aren’t on dimmers, so this is your chance at light control.
You know how people in movies throw a red silk scarf over a table lamp for “mood lighting?” Don’t do that. It’s not only a fire hazard; it’s tacky.
Bonus points for a tiny accent lamp.
15″ or shorter. It could go next to your bed, or on your dresser, or even on your desk if you have one.
Once you search “accent lamp,” you’ll really go down a rabbit hole. The tinier the better for versatility and cuteness.
A real tabletop plant is ok…
…but I’d skip the fake tree. It’s statement-making, sure, but it will eat up a lot of room, and you’ll be sick of it after a semester.
Pillows are very important.
Pillows will be your second most visible item after the fabulous rug you’ve convinced your roommate you will provide. One large (if your taste is classic or clean lined) or several small (if you lean toward maximalist or bohemian style) decorative pillows on your bed show off your personality.
If you want your twin (or the aforementioned XL Twin) to read as a daybed, you’ll need even more pillows. Throw a lumbar (rectangular) pillow in with the 18″ squares for interest.
I have it on good authority (from a lovely young woman who will be a SOPHOMORE this year, so she knows) that floor pillows are handy to have for visitors.
Don’t fall for something at Target because it calls itself a “floor pillow,” though. A normal pillow will do just fine, especially if it’s 20″ round or square. “Euro pillows” are 26″ square and are very comfy to sit on, but they’re BIG.
Make sure you’re not just buying a pillow COVER; you may have to get the insert separately. There are inexpensive places online for that — or if you’re tight on time, Crate & Barrel’s feather inserts are reasonably priced.
And therefore, bedding is important.
Quilts, duvet covers, the charming but tragically outdated “bedspread”…this is the backdrop for an amazing pillow or colorful throw across the foot. It doesn’t even have to be a pattern; it could just be a beautiful color you love — or the crispest, purest white, which is always beautiful and refreshing.
Wall décor
(I LOATHE the word décor, by the way, so when I use it, please know that I’m being kind of ironic.)
Anyhoo. A framed 4″ x 6″ photograph of your dog next to your bed is perfect, but you also want interesting things on your walls. I don’t mind the hangy-uppy things like this one:
If you want to put pictures of your friends (or your family! Who is paying for college!) on your actual walls, though, I recommend 5″ x 7″ or 8″ x 10″, preferably candids, preferably in black and white. Larger and B/W is more artsy and therefore more desirable as decoration.
Then there are smallish silkscreens and prints that you can get on Etsy, a street fair, and/or Urban Outfitters. (They have a lot of good dorm things, actually, but, as with Target, know that you’ll see yourself coming and going if you buy everything there.)
I’d love it if you’d have something from your hometown, and at least one object would be great, such as an actual album cover (please don’t buy THAT at Urban, though. Pick up one at a thrift store, which is cooler anyway and better for the planet). Other ideas include a race number from a meet in a torrential downpour or an invitation to something fun.
Tapestries seem to be staging a comeback (hi, Anthropologie; Indian ones never went away on Etsy), but if you have a small room, they leave precious little wall space for other things.
How about removable wallpaper, someone asked me. I mean, sure, but really? You want to spend time and money on that? And you would HAVE to agree on that with your roommate.
Nothing braggy on your walls, please. No awards, no pictures of you shaking hands with the president, no diplomas (unless it’s your dog’s from completing “Basic Manners” in puppy kindergarten). You’re in college now. Everyone is just as smart and accomplished and interesting as you are. Which is scary but liberating.
In sum…
Overall, my dear college adventurers, my advice is to let your dorm room reflect YOU, which means bringing a little of your past and a lot of your aspirational future. Combine vintage with shiny and new. Utilitarian with frivolous. Give it some thought.
Please, though, I implore you: don’t put pressure on yourself about decorating your dorm room. You’ll get plenty of pressure elsewhere. I just want your dorm room — like your house one day — to make you happy every time you walk through the door.
(Snarky P.S. If YOUR mom were an interior designer, wouldn’t you let her make custom pillows for your dorm room, and not be all, “I want it to be MY room, blah blah?” Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.)
Note 10.15.22: If you’re curious about Georgie’s dorm room, we did a TikTok of her move-in, which, astonishingly, has received more than 660k views so far. ?!?
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, and we have offices in St. Michaels, Maryland, and Middlebury, Vermont. Don’t miss our thoughts about kids’ bedroom trends in this article on HGTV.com.