What makes a room special? Its personalized tasteful design, smart practical solutions, details that show the resident’s character, and probably something else. Many modern dorm rooms trade their same-y hippie shelter or camping tent look for something more sophisticated and nice. There are indeed a lot of design and decor solutions that can make a standard dorm room not only cozy and inviting but also quite special.
Practical Minimalist Modern Dorm Rooms
When looking for affordable furnishings, IKEA while pretty simple and utilitarian offers a lot of basic items that you can ‘hack’ and turn into personalized items that can be reused well after college.
Arm yourself with some spray paint, IKEA tiles and panels, or decals to create something unique and stylish. Pick a color scheme and think about materials that go well together to make sure your decor looks coherent and organic.
Minimalism isn’t always bad when it comes to dorm rooms, as many of them are too overloaded with wall hangings and string lights.
If in doubt, minimalism can become a viable temporary solution that you can build on later when you have a design idea for your room.
It can also help your fancier design elements stand out more. Take, for example, this total white dorm room with a printed black and white bed throw. Minimal interior really makes it pop.
By the way, bedding and throws is a cheap and easy way to spruce up your room without splurging. And what’s a better background for that than blank pure white?
Since white works with all kinds of colors, you can choose bedding of any color palette or print. Or you could leave it looking breezy and crisp, especially if there are windows that allow plenty of natural light in.
It’s also practical to have a white base for the interior in case you’d want to change a color scheme of your furnishings the next year.
Shared Haven
A shared dorm room might present not one design challenge, but a whole slew of challenges and issues you will have to decide on with your roommate.
But there is also an advantage to sharing, as you won’t have to conjure up a design for the room all on your own. Partner up and think of a better decor together.
The best way to design a shared dorm room is to choose a style everyone agrees on and stick with it. Otherwise, it will look messy rather than eclectic.
Buying similar beds and a matching night lamp will instantly set a tone for the entire room rendering it stylish and well designed.
If you want to set a particular tone for your room, you have to choose the beds in a certain style. But since single beds look mostly the same from outside, it’s the headboard you’re interested in.
It can be upholstered, wooden, or sculptured, but we find that printed soft headboards give the room a very uniform but sophisticated look.
Mid-Century Chambers
Inherited some old furniture from your parent’s house? You can make that old mid-century furnishing work in your favor with appropriate accents and decorations. Play it off the right way and you’ll get an elegant-looking room.
Adding a few vintage frames or sighs will bring a bit of appropriate vintage vibe to the interior. And for shabby chic look you’ll need pastel-colored bedding (pink or blue), a couple of floral printed throw pillows, and some adorable frames to finish it off.
Modernist decor doesn’t have to look old-fashioned, though. A few personal contemporary items will instantly take it from old modern to contemporary cool.
Think bright printed bed linens, small sleek nightstand, or a creative lighting fixture.
You can appreciate modernist furnishings for their sturdiness, if not style, as they may already be 50 or 60 years old. If you weren’t lucky enough to come across those, you can still find contemporary designs imitating modernist furniture.
Don’t, however, chase after sets, for they may cheapen the interior. Besides, it’s always fun to mix and match things of different styles and eras.
Sophisticated & Chic Modern Dorm Rooms
Also don’t settle for less, if you can have a room that is not only stylish but also sophisticated and chic. It’s not that difficult once you learn what design solutions create that kind of look.
Get rid of familiar clutter like string lights and photo grid wall art. Tie-dyed sarong wraps, inspirational quotes, and paper posters should go with them in the bin. If you must, go with full-sized framed artworks/photographs or hang a mirror in a place where the wall looks too empty.
Otherwise, keep your walls clean and your furnishings and textiles intriguing. Opt for a bed skirt to create a focal point in the room. Buy a rug and a sofa to display fancy throw pillows and throws.
Even if you just have a bed and a desk, they can look incredibly chic when decorated in a refined style.
Neutrals always work when you need to make things to appear sophisticated. Dusted pinks, pale greys, and muted blues don’t only look great on their own but they also work well together.
White may not be the most practical color, but it can always make things look equally breezy and chic.
Loft Living
High rise bed frames may be a popular solution for providing space for personal storage in modern dorm rooms, but a loft bed can create additional area under the bed for having friends over or simply studying.
It doesn’t have to be built, however, as there are quite a few options on the market that can do the trick.
A built-in loft bed simply gives the room a designed look. It can also be raised up to the very ceiling leaving plenty of space for lounging.
Since it saves a lot of floor space, it can be used for more designing solutions like a coffee table or a bookcase.
Big windows still aren’t the norm in modern dorm rooms, but if you are lucky enough to have one, it can basically become the room’s focal point and even its entire design.
We like the idea of a seating area beside such a window with the two modernist pink armchairs creating a chic corner.
Bright Solutions
Wall art is still very important for those dwelling in modern dorm rooms. If you want your room to stand out, though, you’ll have to do better than photo strings and sarong wraps.
Take a cue from HGTV’s Crafternoon and their no nail painted cork hexagons. They look modern, bright, and very decorative.
When designing your dorm room, don’t be afraid of color. There are some great combinations that always work like aqua/turquoise and yellow, grey and red, pink and green, or purple and peach.
Choose the colors that would go best with your neutral base (walls and floors) and stick with them throughout your decor.
Purple and peach is not the most widespread color scheme and that is what’s great about it. Besides, peach is a versatile color that works well with light wood and grey tones alike.
To finish off the topic on dorm room wall decor, take note of this cool wall decal that decorates the wall without visually cluttering the room.
Headboard Ideas for Modern Dorm Rooms
Headboard can be both a design element and a useful furnishing. In this bedroom by Clifton Interiors it is a chalkboard wall that can be used for both solving math problems and leaving important notes for yourself.
Another great solution in this room is a wall niche shelving that allows to keep books and reading materials within a hand’s reach.
Here, the headboard works as a shelf for personal things and cosmetics. But there are also designs that allow for hidden storage, if you prefer a clean minimal look.
Modern dorm rooms demonstrate really striking designs at times. They are also not as expensive to create as long as you know what you want and stick to a certain style concept.
