Organization ideas for your dorm room
Not only is it exciting decorating your dorm room, but starting off college organized and knowing the best yet cute techniques will really help to make your dorm room a place you’ll want to be. You’re a bit limited on space in the dorms but having cute ways to consolidate and keep your belongings together will save you and possibly allow room for more.
Get your college dorm organized with these awesome DIY dorm storage ideas!
Organizing A Dorm Room
For as much stuff, clothing, accessories, and supplies I had during my first dorm experience and moving into other apartments, I knew I had to find a way to best organize everything so I could have as much of the things that I wanted with me at school. Yeah, it took picking what I really needed with me vs what I wanted with me first because I had minimal space. S
ome of my best friends became bins, baskets, and things on wheels. I bought a ton of bins that helped organized my tops and bottoms if I didn’t have room to hang all of them, and they were a fair size so I didn’t have to worry about the bins not fitting on a shelf or above my closet.
In one or two different places I had lived in while in my first year, I had to purchase a metal closet in which you build yourself but it supports all your clothes and shoes. By far, BEST investment I made!! 10/10 recommend if you don’t have a legit closet.
Most dorm room beds have a ton of space underneath for you to store your things which I took so much advantage of. I was able to keep my laundry, shoes, and baskets under my bed in an organized way but still have easy access!
Best Dorm Organization Ideas
In your dorm room, you find what works best and fits right for you. Here is a selection of clever but fun ways to organize your room and belongings, better than you could’ve imagined!
Most colleges have a dorm room floorplan on their website, this will help immensely with laying out your space and figuring out what you need.
And for dorm room common areas you need to organize or create? Definitely check with your roommates and divvy up costs and come up with creative dorm room organization ideas.
We’ve divided the dorm organization post into the following sections:
- Dorm closet organization
- Under dorm bed organization
- Desk organization for dorms
- Dorm bathroom organization
- Organized dorm walls
- Odds and ends
Dorm Closet Organization
Whether you have a full dorm closet, half size, or a cupboard, you’ll love these dorm closet organization ideas.
Organizing your dorm closet with inexpensive bins, rolling carts, space-saving hangers, drawer dividers, and hanging organizers will make use of every inch of space.
Organize the Little Essentials
GET THE LOOK:
Check PriceCheck PriceCheck Price
Having any kind of sliding basket or drawer in a compartment to store in your dorm closet or anywhere else desired is so helpful! Everything has their own basket you can go right to and it’s easy to access. I feel this is one of the best storage methods you could keep in your closet, especially for undergarments and socks- all the little things you need to keep organized and together.
Hanging Closet Organizers
Shoe/clothing holder inspiration
GET THE LOOK:
These are super handy dorm organizers, even my brother just bought two of these same hanging shoe racks and 1 of the racks for shirts and shorts. They work best for lightweight items.
If you’re anything like me and just have a TON of shoes that you can’t choose between keeping in your dorm, get yourself a shoe holder! These don’t take up much room and can hold so many pairs of shoes, people will be asking where all your shoes went.
They’re great for storing small items too like workout stuff or t-shirts, especially if you don’t have a dresser in your dorm.
Not only is this s great to store shoes, but you can buy baskets for your clothes to hang with the same idea. You will be amazed by much you can fit and consolidate with these dorm closet organizers.
Dorm Bed Organization
Make Use of Under Bed Space
GET THE LOOK:
Check PriceCheck PriceCheck PriceCheck Price
Have you ever noticed how much space is under dorm beds if you’re able to raise your bed up?? Sometimes I’m convinced there’s more space than an actual closet. This is a great use of the space keeping a cubby with bins if you need more room for your clothes. I love how easily it seems to fit too, it’s like having a whole separate dresser under your bed! Definitely take advantage of the space and height of your dorm bed.
I love they used the empty space above the cubbies as shoe storage. And trust me, a fridge is also a dorm room must!
Loft Bed Living
GET THE LOOK:
Check PriceCheck PriceCheck Price
I wanted to share another under-bed space because this is such a clever idea! This person organized their dorm room buy turning their under bed space in a kitchen/living room combo. I almost feel like this is what the set of Friends would’ve been like as college students.
That bistro table is BEYOND cute!
The nice thing about these cubbies is they aren’t too tall and fit in different areas for different purposes in your dorm. You can also go with a color scheme and get bins that will match the look of your dorm room perfectly!
An Organized Dorm Desk Area
If you have a tall bed in your dorm room, bless your heart because making use of that for a desk area is so convenient! Who needs to go to the library when you don’t even have to leave your room to study? You can decorate all cute with photos and lights and still create the most organized desk space for yourself.
And even if your bed isn’t lofted, you can still create a cozy organized desk space next to your bed too!
Rolling Utility Cart
GET THE LOOK:
Another awesome way to stay organized in your dorm room, a rolling cart! I have used one of these for years and it’s amazing how much you can fit in them. plus you can roll it to wherever you want. These carts are super cute and come in different colors so you can find one that best suits your dorm room. This is another great way to store things under your bed or anywhere in your room! If you need to quickly grab a snack, just the pull the cart out from under your bed and roll it back in, it’s perfect.
Dorm Coffee Bar
GET THE LOOK:
This tray stand stood out to me because for one, it’s ADORABLE. But also it makes the perfect coffee stand and having your own little coffee stand could just be one of the best things you do for yourself in your dorm room. Have it at the foot of your bed so it’s within easy access in the morning, or better yet you don’t have to leave bed! I would also like to take a moment and address the Kieregg, wow that’s a fantastic idea for any dorm room. I love the addition of flowers and the small containers, it’s so fitting.
While you could also use one of the rolling carts like the prior image, sometimes having cute small real furniture pieces adds an extra touch of hominess.
Add Space with Cupboard Hooks
GET THE LOOK:
Believe it or not, you WILL need a designated area for your hair stuff and irons!! Especially if you have several roommates, the counter space will fill up quickly and you’ll need an area to put all your heat tools.
Using command hooks the inside of a cabinet is so clever because they’re out of the way but you still know right where to find them and can’t get them confused with anyone else’s. These hooks will help you so much and help keep your items clean since they will always be hung! And even better yet, command hooks have a removable adhesive.
Makeup Space Matters
GET THE LOOK:
Check PriceCheck PriceCheck Price
Okay ladies, but where’s all the make-up going to go?? Here is your perfect solution. With a few acrylic compartments stacked on top of each other, you will have your make up organized within no time.
You can have a specific drawer for certain beauty products or applicators, maybe even attach little signs you know what each drawer holds. I love this idea especially if you have a lot of makeup but don’t have enough counter space or dresser space.
Organize Your Books
GET THE LOOK:
Holders to keep all your supplies and schoolwork is seriously a gift. These holders are just the right size to hold all your important school stuff and still have a way to keep them out of the way. Whether it be on a shelf or above your closet, these are a great addition to your dorm room!
Make Use of Door Space
GET THE LOOK:
Something that I find super helpful, especially while having roommates, an easy place to keep your bath products! Items like this will fill up the counter space so fast (if you even have counter space) to naturally just hanging a hanging shelf holder on the back of the door is the way to go! As you can see from the picture these hold a lot so don’t worry about having enough room.
Organizing Dorm Drawers
GET THE LOOK:
Having a drawer organizer could be just the thing you need for all your little tech accessories! I know it’s easy to lose chargers or earbuds so having them in a place you know you’ll always find them and in an organized way will be so helpful!
Using small drawer organizers for dorm room organization ideas is helpful whether you need them for your desk or bathroom space.
Extra Dorm Closet Space
GET THE LOOK:
Whether you don’t have a closet while away at college or want a cute way to display your clothes, don’t stress! This is the perfect solution. I used one of these build-yourself closets and it worked wonders! They are so sturdy and can hold so much stuff, you will be shocked. I love that you can hang clothes while having room for a chair or stool, or anything underneath; it’s a great addition to your dorm room.
You might be surprised at the thought of not having closet space at college….yet, that’s exactly what happened to me in my first college apartment. I had to buy myself a closet. So even if you do get a tiny little wardrobe or closet in your dorm, if you’re like me and need even more space for clothes, here’s some closets I’ve purchased over the years.
Dorm Wall Organizers
Accessory organization inspiration
GET THE LOOK:
Storage is great and all but what about where to keep your accessories or how to organize your life schedule?? I love this combination of hanging your accessories, scrunchies, favorite pictures, along with the schedule that keeps everything together! This is so cute and a way to display it all. You can easily take a piece of corkboard and attach it to the wall above your calendar. This is also a great reminder to not forget your favorite piece of jewelry before you leave for the day or reminder to not take life too seriously with a couple of fun pictures, you have it all right there.
More College Dorm Ideas
- Dorm room ideas for girls
- College Packing List (pdf included)
- College Halloween Costumes for Girls
- Care Packages for College Students
Leave a Reply