College Dorm Room Furniture Freshmen Don’t Know They Need
With high school graduation long behind them, college freshman are preparing for the next big step—furnishing and creating a new home away from home. As summer winds down, incoming freshmen face new roommates, class schedules, and the difficult decision of what to bring and what to leave behind when they leave for school come fall. College dorm rooms typically come equipped with a small desk, small bed, and even smaller closet. To avoid having to create “makeshift” college dorm room furniture from overturned crates, cinder blocks, or overturned suitcase coffee table, take the time to find functional and attractive furniture you’ll actually use—and keep for years to come.
College Dorm Room Furniture Essentials: The Desk and Desk Chair
Most important is your college dorm room desk—ideally, you’ll be spending long hours studying there. The last thing you’ll want to be thinking about when hunched over for long hours of studying is the piece of furniture you’re sitting on. The college desk chairs provided can be very uncomfortable—and a nuisance. Push that chair in the corner or give it to a friend down the hall. One piece of college dorm room furniture you won’t regret buying is a decent desk chair. Find one that’s comfortable, rolls easily, and is durable enough to last you 4 years of long study sessions. The same goes for your desk, if none is provided. You’ll need to find a large and sturdy piece of college dorm room furniture (one that’ll bear the weight of many textbooks) and fits well in a small space. Both the dorm desk and dorm chair are worthwhile college dorm room investments—if you aren’t comfortable working at a desk, you may opt for studying in bed, where it’s just so easy to doze off…
College Dorm Room Furniture Essentials: The Bookcase
It’s likely your school won’t provide a bookcase, but they can prove useful. Over 4 years, you’ll accumulate a large variety of textbooks that you’re going to want to store somewhere, and a bookcase can be a great college dorm room investment. Shelving is also practical and useful. You’ll be able to display photos, smaller textbooks, and other items that’d otherwise end up in your study space… or on the floor. College dorm rooms require you to stay organized and make use of space wisely, and shelving and vertical bookshelves or bookcases are great pieces of college dorm room furniture.
College Dorm Room Furniture Essentials: The Bed Loft
When you get to college, you may find everybody cramming cinder blocks under their beds. Why? Lofting your bed is a great way to get more storage space for out of season clothes, old textbooks, shoes, and other items, and many people find it more comfortable to sleep further away from the dust bunnies and grime of a dorm floor. However, some schools discourage using cinder blocks and you’ll find that they don’t provide that much extra space. Investing in a bed loft will not only give you a leg up on storage, but a good one can provide as much as three feet of extra room. With limited dorm room available, a bed loft is a great college dorm room furniture essential.
College Dorm Room Furniture Essentials: The Coffee Table
The coffee table, the little island between your roommate’s side of the room and yours. A coffee table is one college dorm room furniture essential that puts all that free space in the center of the room to good use. A coffee table is a multifunctional furniture necessity for any college dorm room—great for socializing around, a place for textbooks, storage, décor, anything you can think of. Invest in a quality coffee table and you’ll use it for years.
Learn more about great college dorm room furniture essentials and don’t show up to college unprepared!