by Sara Williams

Created on: August 07, 2009

Decorating a dorm room is very inexpensive, easy, and a fun part of the home-to-college transition. Done right, it can become an ice-breaking activity for dorm roommates and help to ease some of the homesickness many students feel. But how to go about it? Do not worry, because here are some tips to get you started:

Get Ideas!

Together with your roomie, look at magazines, catalogues, and websites for design ideas. Websites that give tips on how to decorate small spaces like studio apartments or dorm rooms are good, as well are those giving loft decorating tips. These spaces tend to be one-room open floor plans, which require some creativity if one wants to make the best use of the space. Pay attention to things like separating sleeping space from work space, or her space from your space.

Re-Arrange Furniture

When first moving into a dorm room, the furniture is typically set up in a very standard way. If there are two beds, they are each placed against opposite facing walls, with the desk placed nearby. There is often a dresser for each student, and separate closets. A bunkbed tends to be placed in one far corner, and if the beds are stackable (can be beds or bunks), they will be set up as bunks, no doubt. Take some time to judge the size and layout of the room. Almost everyone re-arranges the furniture. One thought is to put the bunks in the middle of the room, if it is big enough, and then each side belongs to one person. With two beds, the desks can be positioned at the end of each bed, then place a sheet hanging from the wall (wall mounting stickies can work for this) to separate workspace and sleep space. If secured well enough, then the sheet can double as a place to hang things from. For example, buy a nice peice of long fabric to hang from the wall between the bed and the desk, something to hang it from the ceiling from, and then something called "stitch witchery." This product, if you have an iron and ironing board, acts as a kind of glue for fabric that can replace time-consuming sewing. Now, have some fabric handy to make whatever pockets, ties, etc. that you would like to use. Use the stitch witch stuff to create an organizer for stationary, hanging photos, or whatever else on your wall-separating curtain! Depending on materials used, it can be free or cost just around $10.

Garage Sales & Thrift Shops

The cheapest way to decorate a dorm room is to visit garage sales and thrift shops. These places often have kitschy or

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