How to Make a Home Room Into a Dorm

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You're not yet heading off to college, but you want your bedroom at home to look and feel like a dorm room. No problem. You can make a home room into a dorm room by filling it with the trappings of college life. That includes loft beds with desks underneath, kitchen and electronic appliances, simple bedding and casual rock-music-oriented decor. The key is to make the room feel like a mini apartment, with everything you need to survive except the bathroom.

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Turn your bedroom into a dorm room with new furnishings and accesories.

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Things You'll Need

  • Framed Photos Of Friends

  • Loft Bed

  • Throw Pillows

  • Laptop Computer Or Tablet Keyboard

  • Task Lamp

  • Kitchen Cart

  • Plastic Poster Frames

  • Bedding

  • Telephone

  • Microwave Or Toaster Oven

  • Dresser

  • Tv Equipment

  • Television

  • Bulletin Board

  • Rock Band Posters

  • Audio Equipment

  • Bean Bag

  • Desk

  • Clock

  • Mini Refrigerator

  • Desk Chair

Start With the Basics

Step 1

Clear your bedroom of all the trappings of childhood. Remove old furniture, bedding and decor.

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Step 2

Paint your room white for a realistic college look, since most dorm rooms look like plain white boxes. Paint your room the color of your choice if you aren't willing to live with white walls.

Step 3

Move college-style furniture into your bedroom. Set up a loft bed with a desk underneath. Add a desk chair.

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Step 4

Put a bean bag chair in your room for lounging.

Step 5

Place a dresser in your room so you have a place to keep your clothes and a surface that doubles as an entertainment center.

Conveniences

Step 1

Attach a bulletin board on the wall above your new desk. Add task lighting to your below-bed space, such as a desk lamp. Place a telephone on your desk if you have a land-line in your home. Hang a clock on your wall.

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Step 2

Set up a kitchen cart with appliances that are safe for use in your home dorm room, such as a small microwave oven or a toaster oven. Place a mini refrigerator on a hard surface, possibly the floor or the bottom of the kitchen cart if it's strong enough to support the weight of the mini refrigerator.

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Step 3

Set up audio equipment so you can listen to your favorite music. Consider a boom box or a speaker station for your MP3 player.

Step 4

Place a television and DVD or Blu-ray player on top of your dresser, which is doubling as an entertainment center.

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Step 5

Place a laptop computer on your desk for typing and Internet research. Set up a portable keyboard if you use a tablet for your work.

Decorate

Step 1

Decorate your home dorm room with posters of rock bands that you like. Tape them to the walls or place them in plastic poster frames.

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Step 2

Dress your bed in casual bedding such as striped, floral or plaid comforters and matching sheets.

Step 3

Place throw pillows on your bed that complement your bedding.

Step 4

Place framed photos of your friends on your desk and dresser or hang the frames on your wall.

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