The days of disheveled dorm rooms are over. Make way for super stylish dorm decor and residential life hacks made to make your school space look as unique as you are. Whether your style is modern or traditional, here are some dorm must haves to keep you (or your student) feeling like home is not quite so far away.
Courtesy of After Five Designs
Layer the Look
Climate control is hardly a finely tuned science in student housing, so be prepared to swelter or freeze based on the weather outside. A bed layered with both quilt and duvet keep you covered no matter the temps. Size up to a full instead of a twin coverlet to get more drop on the sides if you plan to lift your bed. A custom extra long bed skirt is also essential to conceal several feet of extra storage achieved by raising the bed on lifts or blocks.
An easy throw blanket is also an essential, ready for visits to friends' rooms, movie nights on the quad, and long study sessions. This one from Lands Downunder is both sturdy and soft. Make sure your throw is machine washable, since it will end up many more places than just the bed!
Courtesy of After Five Designs
Monogram Everything
Monograms are not only a fantastic way to express personal style, they also serve the useful purpose of labeling items with the owner's initials, making it easy to keep track of bedding and towels in communal laundries. Some of our favorite monogram items for dorm are Portofino Easy Care Bed Linens and Cairo Towels from Matouk since they are sturdy enough to stand up to even the most brutal washer and come in a wide selection of colors. Be sure to remember to order extra long twin fitted sheets, like the Siena bedding from Pioneer Linens Collection.
Pillow Talk
Pillows and shams do double duty in a dorm where the bed also serves as a couch and study nook. For style cum laude, layer a monogram sham with a decorative pillow. The Mayfair shams from Matouk are an easy choice. Made from a poly/cotton blend, the Mayfair coverlet and shams are wrinkle resistant and easy to clean, plus come in 5 colors.
Pair the monogram sham with an ultra luxe Rani Arabella cashmere pillow or Eastern inspired throw pillow from John Robshaw. The Rani Arabella rock and roll inspired skull pillow comes in 6 colors, and may remind you of an all nighter at the library, while John Robshaw looks to botanicals and traditional batik methods to create cheerful cotton bedding.
Last but not least, do not forget a robe (monogrammed of course) to keep you covered during jaunts to the bathroom and shower.
