| Decorating Your Dorm: Living Room Posted: 14 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT By: Lindsey, CS editor. Follow me @lindzcook13. Editor’s note: This is the fourth post in a series about decorating your dorm room in specific spaces. Read the introduction here, the bedroom post here, the office post here and be on the lookout for posts about the closet, kitchen and bathroom. After your bedroom for sleeping and your office for studying, you’ll spend most time in your living room, actually relaxing. You won’t get a lot of time for just chilling in your room, so you’ll want to make the living room a pleasant oasis. 
Pictures of the living room area in my dorm room What You’ll Need - Seating: You’ll need some sort of seating for your living room. Futons are great, but make sure you try before you buy. I bought the above futon from Target and although it looked great online, it was so uncomfortable! If you live in a college town, there is probably some sort of futon store nearby, so just wait until you get to your dorm, see how much space you have and then buy a futon locally. Butterfly chairs are also great for seating. They are super comfortable and fold up when you aren’t using them.
- Trunk: A trunk is a great investment for your dorm room. It can double as a coffee table and as storage. Consider spending more money on pieces like a trunk or furniture that you plan on keeping for a while.
- Blankets and Pillows: Apart from the blankets on your bed, you’ll want a fuzzy fleece throw to snuggle up with while watching the telly. Also, pillows are a must for style and comfort.
Items: Velvet sofa, trunk, bookcase - Rug: A colorful rug is absolutely necessary. Rugs make your space feel tons bigger and more like home. If you get a shag one, just make sure you have a vacuum powerful enough to clean it!
- Lighting: Try a floor lamp, desk lamps and a chandelier. As I said in the office post, your dorm will be dark, so bring lots of lighting options. I love the look of chandeliers for a dorm. Using the wire netting under the bed, you can hang one like I did in the picture above, or if you don’t have a lofted bed, you can hang one from the ceiling using 3M hooks.
- Electronics: You’ll want a TV, movies, a DVD player and video games if you like to do that. Basically, you’ll want whatever relaxes you. Coordinate with your roommate on electronics. No need to have two televisions. Also, if you are a Netflix junkie like me, bring a wii, xbox or cable to connect your computer to the TV so you can watch Netflix on the big screen. You might also want speakers or an iHome, or maybe you’ll just use your computer. Remember: it’s a small space. You don’t need two items that perform the same function.
Items: Rug, chandelier, television, gameboy - Wall Art: I recommend buying some planned art. This is wall art (such as the Beatles painting in my room) that is bigger and probably more expensive than other pieces. Before moving in, you know the planned art will fit and where it will go. In addition to the planned art, you should bring some cheap posters (such as the coexist poster in my room) that you can try to fit in on move-in day. It’s difficult to predict exactly how much space you will have and bringing extra posters will help fill in the empty spaces. Wall decals are also a cute and cheap option.
- Drapes: If you have windows, you’ll need drapes of some kind. Buy a tension rod and suspend it with two 3M hooks on either side to hang. You may also want hooks about halfway down to hold the drapes back when you want a little sunshine. Especially if you are a light sleeper, you’ll want to either buy blackout drapes or have your drapes lined with blackout material so your room can be nice and dark for watching movies or taking naps.
- Fan: Depending on the temperature controls in your room, it may be hot. I brought a fan and used it even in December. Bring one. You’ll want it.
Items: Bird canvas, NY decal, drapes, fan, silk drapes - Storage Furniture: Like the seating, storage furniture depends on the size of your room, which may be difficult to determine until move-in day. A bookcase is always a great piece to have. If you are bringing a television, you’ll need some sort of stand to put it on. Don’t be afraid to paint a little. I painted the drawers of my black storage piece to match the color scheme of my room. I’ll talk more about storage in the closet post.
- Air Freshener: Buy an air freshener to make your room smell beautiful. You may want to consult on this with your roommate.
Thoughts? How will you be decorating your dorm room? Email us at info@college-style.com or tweet us @collegestyle12 with any questions or with pictures of your own dorm room. Check Urban Outfitters Room Sweet Room Contest Favorites for even more inspiration. |
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