Home Sweet Dorm

Turn Their Dorm Room from Drab to Fab

You may be surprised at how one can transform a mass-produced, industrial-looking dorm room into a warm and welcoming room or suite. Don’t be alarmed when you first see your students’ bare and cold dorm room, because that will all quickly change. There is plenty of help out there to spur ideas and help you organize. Organization is the primary concern, because after all if your kids are like mine, they will have clothes all over the room and papers everywhere within the first hour after I leave.

Pinterest seems to be the holy grail for dorm ideas at UMD. They have endless recommendations in order to create your dream dorm room, so many that your head can start to spin. Do not fear or get overwhelmed! As long as you stick to the important subject of organization first, things will go smoothly. Of course, decorating a girl’s room can be very different from a boy’s room, but the basics remain the same.

A great place to start is, to begin with, the bed. It is important that you check on the size of the bed that is in the dorm that your child will be living in. Most dorms provide twin extra-long mattresses. Considering that this is a common bedding size for most college dorms, places will start selling bedding and sheets beginning in summer allowing people to start preparing early. A great option to consider buying is a bed-in-a-bag, which provides many bedding pieces that all match in one singular purchase.

Another recommendation we highly suggest is a mattress encasement. This item will protect the mattress from bugs, allergies, and who knows what else. In addition to this, my daughter’s favorite part of her bed is her mattress topper. She picked out a very comfortable tempered mattress topper and she says it makes her bed feel as close to home as possible.

Other ways to make your child feel at home is to add some fun throw pillows and blankets. Though boy students may not be as interested in this aspect of the bed, they can always use a nice, warm blanket. At UMD they allow you to loft your bed slightly and use bed risers. This is a great aspect of the bed that you can utilize, adding storage under your students’ bed. I would recommend using clear stackable storage bins when using storage under the bed. These bins make it easy to use the most out of the space given and allow you great organization.

Another way to include more storage in your students’ dorm room can be decorative ottomans. Storage ottomans are great for both extra storage and seating for when friends come to hang out. At the University of Maryland, they supply the dorm with a desk and a hutch, which allows for a space for all your students’ desks and class supplies.

It’s Fun!

One of the most exciting parts about moving into your dorm is how you can decorate it however you like and go as crazy as you would like! Most girls like to fully decorate the space. If possible, suggest they check with their roommate before you begin multiple trips to Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and Walmart.

Bed Bath and Beyond is a great store to utilize when dorm shopping. They have almost everything your student will need, from mirrors to storage bins. Another great aspect of the store is that they have so many coupons! When you sign up for their emails, they will send you 20% off the entire purchase coupon, which makes a huge difference. The girls came together and picked out a room color scheme.

One huge trend right now for girl’s dorm rooms is tapestries. Tapestry Girls is a great site for a one-stop-shop for small space decorating and inspiration designed for fashion and budget-minded. Visit Tapestry Girls today and use code HaveUHeard at checkout for an additional $5 off any order.

Some other websites my daughter used to find wall art were Dormify, Etsy, and Wayfair. On these websites, they have so many options for unique wall art, at a range of prices. You cannot put any holes in the walls, which can make it difficult to hang things, but no worries: because Command Hooks have you covered. Candles are not allowed in the dorms, but there are so many cute ways to light up any dorm room. LED candles, string lights, and LED wall art that you can hang up around the room. Additional ways to make the room as homey as possible are to add in a cute area rug, a headboard, or a custom dorm room sign. These are all great ways to make them feel at home.

The Guys Too!

I haven’t forgotten about the guys out there; there just isn’t as much to say. My friends with sons tell me that it takes half the time to set up a boy’s room than to set up for a girl. Dormify introduced a guy’s collection which is definitely worth checking out. Basically, they will need the same essentials, but as far as décor goes, most boys are happy with a poster or two and possibly a flag or banner. Terp paraphernalia is usually a hit as well.  We know the guys will love some of the UMD decor from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

My only other advice is to start shopping early or have items on hold ready to be picked up right before move-in. Also, don’t forget essential, often forgotten items such as cleaning supplies, tools, and hooks. These will be needed in getting the room prepared and ready for your student to finally live on their own!

Our complete list of the top items they need for college. Check out the Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus too.

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