MySpace Designers

Decorating a Dorm Room

Each year college students across the nation prep for classes, hectic schedules and long cram nights, but why not start your preparation where you lay your head at night? A comfortable and practical living space is key to success. With a little planning and a few dorm room decorating ideas, you can have that ideal setup that allows your personality to shine while incorporating all the necessities of dorm living. The first step is to select a theme. Whether you are into sports, the arts or video games, choose an idea and simple color scheme that reflects who you are.

Dorm Room Decor

With little room to spare, light fixtures can serve as trendy decorative accessories. For a minimal amount and a little creativity, any stylish pot, container or even a figurine can be turned into a light stand. Numerous stores carry fashionable lighting options including strobe, disco, laser, and motion activated lights.

For inexpensive art, pick up some picture frames at a local dollar store. These frames can be spray painted to match your color scheme and used to display printouts of your favorite quotes, pictures of family, friends, and places, or even artwork by younger siblings. While you are at the dollar store, search for interesting vases that can be filled with pebbles and used as pencil holders or small containers to hold desk items and change.

Dorm Room Furniture

When thinking about furnishings, start with the bed. Each day in college should begin with a good night’s rest, but the chances are that your bed will double as a make-shift sofa when friends or family visit. Don’t settle for boring. Invest in bed coverings that reflect your personality and fit your color scheme, then toss in a couple of throw pillows for pizzazz.

Next on your list should be a place to study. Before shopping for a desk, measure your available space. Stores that specialize in children’s furnishings or furniture designed for apartments and small spaces offer compact desk designs. When choosing a desk, consider one with a hutch that can serve as a multipurpose storage area for books, clothes, toiletries, or even a small TV or stereo.

Milk crates make an inexpensive dorm room storage solution. The crates can be stacked like a bookshelf or slid under the bed like a drawer. In a pinch they can be turned upside down and used as a chair or table.

How to make the most of your compact environment and small living space

For most people, decorating small spaces can be a challenge? Will dark colors or neutral walls make the area look larger? What type of furniture can I use in a small space? How can I fit storage into my small space design?

Designer Thomas O’Brien believes the key is not the type of furniture used to decorate a small space, but its scale. He suggests making a compact room feel much bigger by choosing a few large, bold pieces instead of several smaller ones. The main message: keep everything in the room in proportion to each other.

Think functionality

Small living space is all about multipurpose functionality. A comfy sofa can double as a pull-out bed; a beautiful armoire can serve as a home office center; a set of ottomans can make useful coffee tables. Before anything, small space design begins by creating a floorplan.

De-clutter your small space

There’s no room for clutter in decorating a small space. A carefully chosen collection personalizes small living space, but too much stuff just makes the room look cramped. With items neatly arranged, the room will feel more open.

Let there be light

Many interior designers agree that a well-lit room makes any small space design look larger. Sheer window shades or draperies let the outdoor light illuminate the space. Also consider adding carefully placed lamps with full spectrum light bulbs or installing recessed lighting to energize your small space design.

Get creative with storage

There’s a lot of hidden storage space under a bed, in decorative boxes or on neatly arranged bookshelves. If you have items you simply can’t part with or if you like to rotate pieces in your small living space, consider off-site storage. Decorating small spaces is often about creative storage solutions and multi-purpose rooms.

Redesigning a small kitchen doesn’t have to be difficult

Remodeling a kitchen – especially if it is a small kitchen space – can be a challenge. Here are some tips to make the most out of your kitchen remodel.

1. Minimize the number of appliances – if you have very limited counter-top space, think about kitchen space savers such as under the counter appliances that mount to the underside of your kitchen cabinets.
2. Organize your cabinets – dishes, pots and pans, and canned goods can take up a lot of small kitchen space. Redesign your kitchen by incorporating space-saving baskets or shelves in your kitchen cabinets.
3. Go over your head – install a ceiling pot-rack to hang pots and pans. This can free up valuable cabinet space.
4. Think smaller – a kitchen remodel often means new appliances. Dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators come in a number of sizes to fit your small kitchen space.
5. Consider an island – a table, counter or pull-out island can provide a prep and cooking space. Portable islands can be kitchen space savers while also giving you with ample storage space. The benefit is that you can move the cart to another room when you don’t need it in the kitchen.
6. Keep everything within arm’s reach – many professional chefs don’t work in expansive kitchens; they simply maximize their small spaces to work efficiently. Tips include prepping everything you’ll need before you start cooking, keeping your counter clean from clutter and having what you need within arm’s reach.

With a little planning in advance, you can find real solutions to remodeling and redesigning your small kitchen.