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By nature, dorm rooms are small and the limited living space can make it hard to add your own personalized touches. This is especially true when you’re sharing a room with a roommate. Finding enough space for equal storage and inviting your idea of ambiance can be quite the challenge. But usually, it is the small things you do to make a living space your own that can really make all the difference.

Just how much of a difference can it make? Dormbuys.com did a survey of 1,120 college students and found that 92 percent of current college students ranked “the ability to personalize their dorm room” as an essential aspect to making college living comfortable.

For undergraduate students who already have much of their time filled with studies, sports, extracurricular activities, and friends, a fast-paced design has a special appeal. You don’t have to be a design major or have wealthy parents to make your home away from home a little bit more of what you’re used to.

Generally, dorm rooms are furnished with the basic essentials. Beds, desks, chairs, a dresser or two, window blinds, jacks for phones, ethernet jacks for computers, carpets, a microwave and mini refrigerator or freezer: just the basics. When you enter the room, you’re probably going to feel a little homesick at least the first few weeks away, and long for your old room. If so, you can give your dorm room a simplified version of the customization of your bedroom.

In her book, Speed Decorating, New York City-based Jill Vegas offers some fun tips for anyone who wants to design their space in a fun, yet functional way. She believes the start of a new school year is a great time to develop an “ideal living environment.” She says, “College is about following your dreams, so why not live in a dream room?”

Let’s begin with the bed. In a dorm, the bed is usually the biggest item in the room. Ideally, the bed can serve as a place to sleep, study, relax, eat, or as a sitting place when friends are over. To that end, Vegas advises students find three to seven pillows that will accentuate that space. Pillows specifically made for student rooms come in all shades, styles, and sizes and can be as low as $10 in some places.

Next, focus on the walls. Nothing is quite as uncomfortable as lying in a nice cozy bed staring at plain white walls. Vegas suggests lining your walls with framed photographs of family, friends, special events, anything that you like. Here too, this can be very inexpensive to do. Find several thrift stores, or yard sales to pick your frames from. To get a unified look, Vegas states that spray painting all the frames in your favorite color or something that matches your bed will accomplish that goal. Do beware of student housing rooms in using nails, tacks, and so forth to hang things.

Third, work on that desk. Vegas suggests, “Start with a fabulous desk lamp. You’ll want something stylish and very functional for late-night reading.”

And indeed you do. Whether you like to sit at your desk and study or lie down in the bed, you’ll want a small light on your desk or by your bed to use to do that. A lamp that fits your taste and style but also provides good lighting is very useful when your roommate might not be studying at the same time as you.

Next, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Here is where you’re likely to spend most of your money if you’re not careful. There are simply too many accessories out there that we could choose from. Vegas suggests picking one accent color and purchasing all your accessories in that color. (For me that one color would be purple. Can you imagine a purple everything living space?)

Alright, back to topic. Vegas shares her example for picking accessories based on accents: “If you prefer a neutral palette, stick with natural tones like ivory or white.”

Fifth, make sure you have the essentials. The essentials in this context are all the things you love. Since the space you’re in is likely to be small, instead of packing all the souvenirs you’ve collected over the years or all the things your grandparents hope you take with you, Vegas tells students to “carefully edit your essentials, so you don’t clutter your dorm room with stuff.”

Being considerate of a roommate, this is important to remember. A small room can hold quite a bit of stuff for two people if both parties know what is essential and what is negotiable.

Finally, consider furniture. Sure you have the basics, but what about adding additional furniture such as a dresser, sofa, and cushioned chairs? Consider renting these, and then add some things such as bed linens, throw rugs, and mattress foams, which you’re better off getting new or straight from your bedroom closet.

Personalizing your living space can make you feel more comfortable and give you good experience to help personalize an apartment or full-fledged home when you graduate.

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