[somescarsneverheal]

I start college in Agust and I was wondering if maybe you guys can give me some ideas of stuff i might need for my dorm room...?

[Perna]

I had a six foot avocado tree I grew from a seed in mine

A small area rug will make it feel warmer and can give some color (do you know if it is carpeted or not? Ours wasn't). Take a piece of paper and imagine your ideal room? You'll need bathroom stuff; get a plastic "bucket" and stuff at the dollar store to carry things in and keep them together when you shower. Don't forget towels and, if there's a sheet service, where you "rent" bedding each week, you can still take some of your own pillowcases and don't forget a bedspread. Maybe curtains? I had a large pillow to lean back on so I could read/study in bed. Don't think you'll need a huge stereo, speakers, and records like we had here in 1971, LOL. We took my bed off its frame and put it on the floor; gave the illusion of more space. Looks like I had a small lamp by my bed so I could read evenings, too. They usually just give you an overhead and one lousy desk light.

[Fresia]

I'm with Perna. Also, an alarm clock if you don't use the one in your phone. I got under the bed storage chests because there was not enough space for things in the closet for clothes or supplies. To make it more personal as well, took pictures/posters, but many dorms don't allow you to put holes in the walls; take poster putty or those self sticking Command wall hooks to hang pictures. The extra lamp was critical for me for nights to read when roommate was sleeping, in bed or someplace else in the room, such as booklight. Find out if your dorm is air conditioned, as a fan could come in handy if not. It can be helpful to verify what they do provide to go from there.

[Perna]

Oooh, the under the bed chest is a good one, Fresia, we didn't have those when I was at school. The yellow "bin" on the right in the picture, holding my stereo (and my roommate's records; there will be stuff you can "share" doing with your roommate(s) if you have them so the whole effect is coordinated) my father made.

See I'm using the stereo speakers for a bedside table too; they only have basic furniture, sometimes only "1" of something for two people (one dresser or one desk) so thinking of little pieces of furniture you can put in your side of the closet or under the desk, etc. can come in handy.

I'd get maybe a "book rack", you know, those folding ones? for some of your lesser used books or those you aren't taking to class with you, etc. If you get your own desk or own dresser, it's not likely you'll use it as you would were you at home and/or the tops are extra space which you'll need.

Maybe a mirror? I don't recall getting one of those either; maybe one to stick on the back of the door or on an outside closet door? A little step stool might come in handy for using the shelf at the top of the closet, changing high light bulbs (ceiling) etc. But the utilitarian chair that comes with the desk is usually okay for standing on (and otherwise gets in the way :-)

[gma45]

Ikea has some really cool stuff for dorm rooms, things that fold away for space etc...Small frig would be nice can be used as a table too. My son had one it was not to expensive either.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Let's see...some of the stuff I had in my dorm rooms (and I lived in the dorms for 4 years):
Mirror to hang on the wall
Several power strips
small tv
small fridge (unless your room already comes with one - some of mine did)
small microwave
if you're a coffee or tea drinker - a Keurig or something similar
Mounting putty or command hooks for hanging stuff (not allowed to put nails in walls)
Some pictures or posters (get the posters laminated - they'll last way longer)
a small bookcase (or you can use stackable milk crates or something similar)
an iron and mini ironing board
bedding and pillows
towels
Dorm room mattresses are usually pretty flat - an egg crate or memory foam topper and a mattress cover is nice
If you have a community bath, then flip flops, a bath robe, and a basket for carrying your bath stuff
a few dishes for eating in the room (plate, bowl, cups, silverware)
a laundry basket for taking clothes to the laundry room
a tv tray or lap tray - nice for doing things while sitting on the bed
ummm - that's all I can think of for now!

[fishsandwich]

I live in halls (UK equivalent of dorms) right now; I think they're slightly different than what you folk live in over in America but I'll list everything I have in it that I've added/purchased:

-bedding, including a memory foam mattress pad to make the incredibly hard bed slightly more comfortable
-hangers for clothing
-clothes horse (it's what you hang clothing on to dry, probably more common on Europe than America) and a small folding ironing board and steam iron
-Two shelves, one for books and one that doubles as a shoe rack/nightstand
-five lamps (halls in the UK tend to be very dark)
-a toiletries case to hold my makeup/lotions/hairbrush
-a pair of rubber sandals for wearing in the showers; a bathrobe to throw on after the shower; a shower caddy thing to hold my shampoo and conditioner
-plastic sticky hooks from 3M, on which I hang my hair dryer and my scarves (if you're not allowed to affix stuff to the walls, then get an over-the-door hook set; halls never have enough hooks!)
-2 potted plants, because otherwise the room is lifeless and dead
-small folding mirror, because I'm vain like that
-kitchen equipment: one pot; one pan; two mixing bowls; a knife and a pair of scissors in a chef's knife roll (good for keeping it from going dull or injuring anybody, available at catering supply shops); a wooden spatula, spoon, and ladle; and two each of cutlery set, big flat bowls which double as plates, and mugs. I trained as a chef briefly and LOVE to cook and this is all the equipment I use. If you have space/money I can't speak enough to having a slow cooker, though.

The best advice I can give is to take as little stuff as possible! There's nothing more oppressive than having a small room packed full of stuff you can't fit in. My room is only 10m^2 and I've lived in it for three years, yet there's nothing stored under my bed and nothing I own that doesn't have a specific place in my room -- so it is possible!

[fishsandwich]

Oh, I forgot to mention the rubbish bin! Very handy, that

[BatsAndButterflies]

Lava lamps are awesome and make your room really chill

[yellowted]

ikea do some great cheap storage units, wooden ones with sliders for plastic boxes or shelves, great for storing almost anything. they also do great cheap kitchenware, rugs, bedding and lamps too, infact everything you will need under one roof.

[clouds_and_sun]

hi there,
I wish I was in college again, I love decorating. I wish I could turn back time 20 years ago and I could decorate my room, fun stuff. Well hopefully I can help some with idea's as I am a very creative person
well my cousin had a loft built in her dorm room and if you can get one built here is a good idea of a loft in the dorm room would be: