Designer Dorm Rooms for Guys and Girls

It’s that time again; tons of young adults are venturing off to college…  a place they’ve dreamed of and worked for FOREVER.  While most students walk onto campus ready to live it up (and of course study away), the dorm rooms are often a cause of severe disappointment.  Creating warmth in a sterile box containing bunk beds and vinyl tiles can present quite a challenge.  KAID has a couple of tricks to make the dorm days unforgettable.

**Make sure to layer.  For instance, layer your bedding by starting with your foundation of sheets, a duvet, and shams, then adding decorative pillows and a throw.  It's also fun and trendy to layer rugs, such as adding a neutral sisal as the base then topping it with a smaller Indian woven. 

**Be creative with storage.  You can try floating shelves, decorative boxes, and even under the bed storage.

**Avoid being too "matchy".  Because dorms are relatively small, if you go buy everything from the same store, it will look like everyone else's, and very unoriginal.  Be creative and research the internet before shopping, then you can find things that coordinate rather than match.

**Lastly, don't forget to use fabrics and textiles to soften the hardness of your "box".  Yes, boys, even you guys need some curtains and a rug here or there.  It's amazing what a little texture, color, and pattern can do to a space.

For the Ladies...

Here's an example of a fun, eclectic dorm room concept for a color-loving girl.

1.  This is temporary wallpaper that won't mess up your walls- www.modcloth.com

2.  A fun, colorful lamp because dorm lighting can be really dull- www.potterybarn.com

3.  Here's comfy desk chair that emulates an antique- www.pbteen.com

4.  Creative jewelry storage.  Buy some cool mismatch hardware, and make it yourself- http://www.kidspacestuff.com/blog/2012/03/teen-girls-room-vintage-storage-vintage-jewelry/

5.  Floral rug- www.anthropologie.com

6.  Bright coral drapes- www.anthropologie.com

7.  Use cool indian baskets for storage- http://www.ffcais.com/indian-baskets.html

8.  Choose neutral bedding so you can be bold in the rest of the room- www.ikea.com

9.  So I know you have hundreds of Instagram photos.  Why not make them into pillows- www.stitchagram.com

For the Guys...

Here's a masculine design for a dorm room with pops of color.

1.  Two-toned bedding- www.westelm.com

2.  Two-toned drapes- www.anthropolgie.com

3.  Orange accent pillow- www.yliving.com

4.  Striped, orange accent pillow- www.yliving.com

5.  Coordinating rug- www.ikea.com

6.  Decorative storage box- www.yliving.com

7.  Graffiti trash bin- www.crateandbarrel.com

8.  Funky orange futon- www.target.com

9.  Bar code accent pillow- www.yliving.com

10.  Side table for storage- www.ikea.com

11.  Cool desk lamp- www.arteriors.com

Just Wallpaper It

Wallpaper, the keystone to creating a bold and vivid space, is making a dramatic comeback.  We, here at Kim Armstrong Interior Design, have a bit of a fetish for our statement-making friend.  Here are some simple tips and examples that can give life to any space. 

Below are two photos of a room we recently designed using bright pops of pink and gray.  As you can see in the “Before” photo, the room seemed nearly complete, but there was something not quite right.  Finally (in the “After” photo), we concluded that the back wall needed a pop of pink in order to tie in all the blocks of color from around the room.  The paper we chose was a subtle pink with a geometric pattern in a sheen.  It doesn’t steal attention, it creates a better opportunity for all our custom pieces (like the headboard, bedding, and daybed) to be noticed. 

BEFORE 

By Kim Armstrong Interior Design
http://interiorsbykim.com/

AFTER

By Kim Armstrong Interior Design
http://interiorsbykim.com/

In this next room, the wallpaper sets the tone of the entire space.  It is apparent that whoever designed this loft fell in love with the paper, and then designed around it.  The space, while it looks complexly designed, has a flawless and easy formula.  They picked the deep purple paper as the inspiration, chose a soft gray as their main color, and added pops of a brighter purple for interest. 

Source

Here’s another example of keeping things simple while creating a to-die-for look.  They chose a foil based paper with a contemporary print; it reads pretty neutral which leaves opportunity for color to be incorporated.  In keeping the bedding and décor modest, this allowed for bright pops of yellow from the lamps, which really grab your attention.

Source

Now that you’re an expert, I’m sure you can see the formula used here.  The theme here seems to be what I would call “colorful calm”.  With the focus being on the green bedding and big tufted headboard, the paper acts as the subtle accent, pulling the space together.  Serenity at its best.

Source

To sum it up, use a wallpaper which anchors the room’s eye-catching details.  Some words of wisdom for picking that perfect paper: if you know you want a big colorful print, pick it first so you can build around it.  If you know you want to stay in the neutral sector, develop a room concept first, then pick the paper.