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Eye Candy: Great-Looking and REAL Dorm Rooms

by on Aug 19, 2013

The problem with rounding up a bunch of images of great-looking dorm rooms is many on the interweb aren’t real. I mean, they’re real in that there are walls, windows, beds, bedding, etc. in the vignettes, but they don’t look like most you’d see in the real world. For instance, take a look at this image courtesy of IKEA. Pretty, yes, but an actual dorm room at an actual college? Maybe. Maybe not.

A living room has a blue sofa facing a window with light coming through it.IKEA

Or how about this room from Pottery Barn. Comfy-cozy, but is it really typical of a college dorm room? None that I’ve seen.

A dorm room with both bunkbeds and conventional beds has been decorated to be practical, efficient, and sophisticated, making use of empty bunk space for seating options.Pottery Barn

SO…for this roundup, I decided to look for actual dorm rooms–at least rooms that look like they are–because if you’re off to college in the fall and expect the last two spaces, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. 

Our first victim is actually a makeover story. (Click here to see the before.) Now the room is fresh, inviting and not one bit ‘institutional’. 

Two beds are side by side in a bedroom with matching wall art and a matching chandelier.Huffington Post

Gabby’s dorm room is full of color and personality. Just like she is. 

Dorm room with cot and colorful hanging arch on side wall.Teen Vogue

Love the warmth of this room.

Bunk bed with unmade beds next to posters and couch inside a dorm room.Kitchen Layout and Decor Ideas

Red, white and blue always look fresh together, and they’re perfect for the poli sci major. 

A room that has a wood table and dresser, along with a bed and an American flagBloom Bety

Ah, yes…cinderblock walls. They’re popular in dorm construction. The lofted bed, wall art and curtains in this room soften them, making them (almost) disappear. 

Two bunk beds with blue sheets have a yellow curtain on them.Dorm to Die For

These stylish roomies coordinated. Hope they’re BFF.

A large furnished room has Sara and Haley at the top.Dorm Rooms

Purple is a great color in and of itself, but it’s the perfect transitional color for those of you who want to shake off the ‘kid’ room feel at home. Still fun, but when used as an accent with the right colors–like white, black and gray, which might be in abundance in a dorm–it can be sophisticated too. 

A bedroom with a black and pink bed, and a open window.Cute Dorm Room Ideas

Another great color paired up with black and white is Tiffany and damask blue, like in this room:

A ladder is leading up to a bunk bed in a room with wooden furnishings with blue material.Decor 2 ur Door

And there we have it. If you’re off to college this fall, keep in mind color and texture as they are by far the best way to bring life and personality to even the most institutional dorm room. 

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