Sending your child off to college is a monumental experience. Aside from the emotional aspect, there's also the fact that you have to move them into their own shared space and try your hardest to make that space functional, fun, and feel like home.
Pretty overwhelming, right?
Well, according to the mother-daughter team behind Dormify, it doesn't have to be. In fact, Karen and Amanda Zuckerman started Dormify because of their own experience shopping for dorm-room furniture.
"Amanda and I were shopping for her freshman year dorm room and she was not really finding everything she needed in the style that she wanted," Karen tells CafeMom. "And there’s a required size for most of the dorm rooms and it’s a twin XL bed. So when we were looking for bedding it was really lacking, and at one point she just turned to me and said ‘We should just start our own line,’ and I said OK and that’s how Dormify came to be."
We talked to the duo about the must-have items all college kids need to make their dorm rooms feel personalized and practical. Check them out below.
Charging Desk Lamp With Organizer
$29
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What are the top trends you are seeing this year for dorm rooms?
Amanda: "So some of the top trends that we’re seeing are one, headboards. This is a way to really elevate your space and it’s something that you can invest in to last for all four years that you’re in school. Something that’s been really hot over the last couple of years or so is bringing things into the dorm room that have some sort of charging capability. So lamps, headboards, nightstands … everything with a built-in plug so that you have endless outlets is really important and something that students are going crazy over.
"Another trend has been bringing decorative lighting into the space. Between string lights, led strips, neon signs, we’re seeing lots of color and lots of illumination in the rooms. Functionally, though, it is important that you bring floor lamps, desk lamps into the space. As many as possible because the overhead lighting is typically very poor. So you want to make it feel warm and homey.
"And lastly, multipurpose furniture is also really important to bring into your space. If you’re going to bring anything bulky in, you want it to have more than one purpose. So storage that also functions as a seat or a stool to get up on your bed is a great way to maximize space and then you can tuck it right underneath your bed."
Removable Sunshine Decals
What are some easy ways students can decorate their rooms on a budget?
Karen: "Some of the things that I think about for budget-minded decorating are picking a duvet cover or comforter that is neutral so that you can definitely use it all four years and kind of use other accessories to dress it up. That’s one really great thing that they can do.
"For the walls, I love mixing a lot of things like posters, photos from home, even ripping things out of magazines and putting those things up.
"Some of the things we love doing as for DIY, taking the reusable wallpaper that we have on Dormify and using them on the tops of your desk to kind of elevate the desk and make it kind of trendy without spending a lot of money."
Over-the-Door Vanity Organizer
What are some dorm room must-haves?
Amanda: "Storage is an obvious one, but I recommend bringing over the door hanging storage organizers so you can put all of your shoes in one of those pieces. We have a hanging vanity organizer so that you can put all your toiletries in there. It has a built-in mirror.
"I also think that a second rod in your closet is really important so you can have two areas to hang on and really maximize the closet space.
"Then either a nightstand or a bed caddy next to your bed is really important so that you can have all of your bedside essentials right in arms reach."
Two-Drawer Campaign Desk
What are some easy ways to declutter small spaces and an idea that can help boost students’ visual learning at the same time?
Karen: "I had a lot of experience moving my kids into dorm rooms, and one of the things that has taken up a lot of space is books. And we’ve had the opportunity to partner with Pearson and they have an app that’s called Pearson+. It actually gives you the ability to get digital textbooks. And it’s a much easier way to learn with digital textbooks. You have access to everything you need, whether it's for your classes or you want to have learning just kind of on your own. I love that you can have digital textbooks now instead of carrying all the textbooks around in your backpack. It also gives you a lot of space."
Amanda: "So, if you’re utilizing Pearson+ and all of your textbooks are now digital and accessible in the palm of your hand on your phone, that really opens up what you can use your desk space for, and for me and for many students that I talk to, they like to make their desk into a vanity space. They’ll put up a vanity mirror, makeup and beauty organizers will be there, and you also can make that space just much more functional and productive for doing school work so that it’s not crowded. You definitely want to declutter it, but I would use it for socializing, doing work, and a vanity."
Rainbow Arch Throw Pillow
How can students streamline a theme or style for their dorm room?
Amanda: "I would recommend gathering inspiration when you’re getting started so that you can really hone in on what pieces make the look that you’re trying to achieve, which should be a reflection of your own personal style. Ways that you can do this I think are through the wall décor, through the decorative pillows. Keep the larger pieces more basic, more neutral, like the comforter or the headboard, and then bring these trends into the wall and the pillows."
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