Dorm Organization

It’s here – freedom has arrived! Welcome to college!!

I wish I had a picture of the day my roommate and I moved into our first dorm freshman year. We both had SO. MUCH. STUFF.  (Seriously, our parents laughed at us and went to lunch together while we unpacked, well knowing they’d be taking half our stuff home…)

We’ve lived some, learned a little and have moved a ton since then so we’re confident we’d be way better at a dorm now!

Here are our teams’ top tips and favorite items for keeping your dorm room organized and making the most out of a small space!

1. Your closet!

We all know it’s time that you get to fully express yourself and your style but try to bring the things you know you’ll actually wear!

We recommend using all the vertical storage you can! Hanging shoe racks and closet rod doubler. Of course, we always recommend velvet hangers. They keep your clothes neat and take up the least amount of room!

You can also stack plastic drawers on top of each other if you prefer folding your clothes. Hint: if you fold your clothes, roll them to take up less space. Here’s a quick video from HGTV with how to do this.

2. Your bed!

So you were always told to not hide things under your bed – well – not anymore! HIDE IT ALL!

Bed risers are your best friend and the best way to make room for the under bed bins that you need. Raise that bed up and stack those bins as high as you can! We recommend under bed bins that have wheels, just because they’re easier.

While you’re setting up your bed, we love a good bed shelf - keep the things you need most close by! Also, don’t forget about over bed space! Add some floating shelves for smaller items and extra storage.

3. Your workspace

It’s hard enough keeping your desk neat under normal circumstances (just us…?), but it’s even harder when you’re in a shared space.

It’s a great idea to get a desk cubby (we love these from dorm-decor). This will help you organize your work space, but also be a vanity, a display case and really a catch all!

We also recommend setting up a good cord storage solution. Nothing clutters a space more than cords. We love this one from Target because it’s magnetic and small.

4. Your “kitchen” space

Albeit small, you should dedicate a small space to be your “kitchen,” or your snack space. This fridge cart from Elfa is a great solution because it has built in storage for snacks, utensils, plates, etc.

Another option are metal shelves that can stack above your fridge if it’s taller.

• Clip on lights for reading
• White noise machine
• Lapdesk
• Mattress Pad
• Lamps
• Area Rug
• Command Strips - for really everything

We know it’s really hard to get things done when you’re living in a small space with another human (or 2…), but as long as you can all keep things organized you’ll be better off!

xo

Eryn