Depending on your budget, you might want to help give your teen’s college room a style upgrade from the dorm essentials that all first-year college students need. Some dorm decor extras can make any space feel cozier and more personal and reflect their unique personalities and interests.
We’ve rounded up 26 dorm decor ideas to help make their dorm feel like home for the first semester and beyond. Plus, many of these items are things they’ll use all four years and can bring with them to their first apartment!
Note: Check the Residence Life section of the college website to find out what items are prohibited before making a mistake on a decor purchase.
Where to Buy Dorm Bedding
Choosing linens – including a comforter or blanket, sheets, and towels – is typically the first step toward picking a particular style for a dorm room, and there are many sites where your teen can look.
One of our favorite sites is Pottery Barn Teen Dorm which emphasizes quality and sustainable merchandise in its wide range of styles. Check out its collaboration with LoveShackFancy for some adorable decor ideas.
If your teen wants to see and feel the fabrics, Target has a wide range of dorm merchandise with thousands of bricks and mortar stores. These reversible comforters offer great style, especially for the price point, and allow your teen to switch their look by simply making their bed differently.
Of course Amazon has what seems like an infinite selection when searching under “dorm bedding” alone. We noted a few popular options in our list below. Speaking of Amazon, one thing your college student may want to explore is the new 18-24 Young Adult Prime membership.
Dorm bedding and linens
Colleges typically prohibit nails, so look for instant decor or items that only require adhesives (if the dorm allows that) to help your teen create their dorm look. Pack Command double-sides strips and hooks which may make this process easier and less stressful.
1. Headboard (Pottery Barn Teen)
This cute headboard solves a big problem with traditional dorm beds: the uncomfortable wall to lean back. Stylish and functional, this headboard would be a much-appreciated addition to your teen’s dorm room. Note: Mounts with Velcro backing.
2. ComfortSpa Reading Pillow (Amazon)
An alternative to a headboard is this large reading pillow, which your student can use to prop up on while in bed. It is available in six colors and could definitely be something they could use on a different size bed in future college years.
3. Mellanni Twin XL Sheets (Amazon)
These sheets are highly-rated and award-winning having won the Good Housekeeping Award six times. They have been featured on The Today Show, Oprah Daily, CNN, and more. Use the drop down menu to explore all the many different colors to choose what works best for your college student’s dorm decor.
4. Utopia Towels 8-Piece Set (Amazon)
These cotton towels, with nearly 70,000 reviews on Amazon, are available in lots of pretty colors for your teen to choose from. The set includes two of each bath and hand towels and four washcloths. They are #2 in the category of Bath Towel Sets on Amazon.
Dorm furniture
5. Hanging Closet Organizer (Amazon)
6. Laundry Basket with Wheels (Amazon)
Make laundry day a breeze for your college student with this stylish and practical rolling hamper. It features a 100L removable canvas bag and wheels for easy transport and a lid to hide away clutter.
7. Pottery Barn Teen Area Rugs (Pottery Barn Teen)
Pottery Barn Teen has an extensive collection of area rugs, including washable ones. They’re great to cover up cold, linoleum floors and show off a little flair. Plus, they’re something your student can take to their first apartment.
8. Simple Housewares Over Door Hanging Shoe Organizer (Amazon)
This over-the-door organizer is a dorm room game-changer. With 24 roomy pockets, it’s perfect for storing shoes, snacks, toiletries, or school supplies without taking up precious floor or drawer space. Your student can hang it on their closet door for instant, clutter-free organization.
$14.97 at Amazon
9. Washable Rug for Dorm Room 5×7′(Amazon)
These rugs are available in nine colors and 11 sizes. In addition to being machine-washable, they can also be folded for easy storage. If your teen has access to a vacuum cleaner, this would be a much easier rug to clean than something like a shag rug.
10. Bourina Throw Blanket (Amazon)
Your student can add a cozy, stylish touch to their dorm with this textured knit throw blanket. Soft and lightweight, it’s perfect for layering on a bed or draping over a chair for extra warmth and color. Available in dozens of colors, it is machine-washable making it a practical decor item for your teen.
11. Max Hauser Slim Rolling Cart (Amazon)
We can see loads of uses for this slim-profile cart both in the dorm and, later, in an apartment. If your teen is in a suite-style dorm this is a great option for rolling in what they need into the small, shared bathroom space and rolling back out to their bedroom when done. This might also be used as a side table next to a dorm bed or a desk. It is available in available in five colors.
12. Poppin Box Seat (The Container Store)
A storage ottoman is a handy catch-all disguised as a seat! It holds up to 275 pounds and can store towels, sheets, and more. Available in four colors, it collapses flat when not in use. The top is cushioned, so it is a comfortable place for friends to sit when they visit your teen’s dorm room. This can also be used to help your teen step up into their dorm bed if it is lofted.
13. Urban Shop Mongolian Butterfly Chair (Amazon)
Extra seating, for when friends drop by or when your student wants a comfy place to read, is accessible with this folding butterfly chair. Personalize with a pillow or throw blanket. This chair is available in several colors.
14. Yamazaki 3-Tier Storage Rack 67″ (Amazon)
This storage rack can serve multiple purposes: placed between elevated beds, one of the two adjustable shelves can be used as a nightstand. A mini-fridge can fit underneath it, and the other shelf can be used for nonperishable snacks and supplies. No tools are required for assembly. (Note: this illustration shows three sets placed side-by-side…your teen only needs one!)
Desk organization
15. PAG Adjustable Desktop Shelf (Amazon)
If your teen’s college desk does not have a bookcase or storage unit on top, this is a great addition. A desk hutch can store books and supplies and has space for a few personal items, like photos or other reminders of home. These are several styles and designs to choose from.
16. Sailstar Desk Lamp (Amazon)
This dimmable desk lamp features a compartments to house pens, highlighters, or other study supplies. Best of all, it features a shelf for charging a phone.
17. Desk Organizer (Amazon)
Help your college student stay organized from day one with this 5-piece desk organizer set. It keeps their workspace tidy and clutter-free with compartments for papers, pens, and more. Available in rose gold, silver and black.
$27.99 at Amazon
Personalized dorm decor
18. Quick Dry Organic Towels – 3 Pieces (Pottery Barn Teen)
Towels from Pottery Barn Teen are available in many pretty colors and can be monogrammed, too. This is a great grad gift and something that will help them keep up with towels that are otherwise easy to be confused for someone else’s towels.
19. Monogrammed Pillow Cover (Pottery Barn Teen)
Another cute pillow idea comes from Pottery Barn Teen with these trendy monogrammed pillow covers. You’ll need to purchase the inserts separately, but they’re easy to put on.
Wall Decor
20. Command Picture Ledge (Amazon)
Command makes these easy-to-install ledges that use their Command strips (enclosed) to stick them on walls. Perfect for displaying photos and knickknacks, each can hold up to five pounds. Plus, they are available in different lengths and finishes.
21. Fairy Lights (Amazon)
22. No Nails Pinboard (Pottery Barn Teen)
This pinboard from Pottery Barn Teen is the perfect place to hang memorable photos, flyers for upcoming campus events, and reminders. Available in several pretty colors and designs.
23. Base Roots Moon Phase Wall Hanging (Amazon)
Fans of astrology will love hanging this moon phase garland over their bed. It has 13 moons featuring every waning and waxing phase, except for the new moon. The golden color glistens and is super easy to put up.
24. Printed Tapestry (Pottery Barn Teen)
Lightweight tapestries help disguise ugly dorm walls and can complement your teen’s bedding choices. This one at Pottery Barn Teen is gorgeous (and what a dreamy space if your teen needs a room divider), but there are many different styles, including sports imagery and world maps. They have loops that make them easy to attach to the wall (or ceiling) with Command Hooks.
For Move-In
25. IKEA Frakta Bags – Set of 4 (Amazon)
These big blue bags made by IKEA have long been a Grown and Flown favorite but they stopped selling them on Amazon last year. Happy to report they are back! These durable, lightweight and well-priced bags are a MUST for move in and move out.
Why you should trust us
We are three moms who have raised 8 young adults and have been working on products lists for over 12 years now, making us experts. When selecting products we survey the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook group of nearly 300,000 parents of teens, tweens and young adults. We do opinion polls, surveys and ask open ended questions. We search for products that combine reasonable price with high quality and are recommended by our large following.
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Do you have the Grown and Flown Off to College Checklist? It is all the things you need to do (legal, health and medical, financial) before your teen leaves for college. Download it (free) here https://grownandflown.com/off-to-college-checklist/
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