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36 Dorm Room “Before and Afters” That’ll Totally Inspire You

by on Oct 13, 2020

Styling: Emily Henderson; Photo: Sara Tramp

If you’ve been to any big box store lately, you know it’s back to school season! The college merch is on the shelves, organization supplies are on sale, and dorm decor is abundant. Dorm rooms are among the most difficult rooms to decorate, and a cute dorm room is like a unicorn: rare and magical. But, good dorm room decor ideas do exist! Check out these 36 inspiring before and after snapshots of some seriously cute dorm rooms.

Before and After | Dorm Room Decor Ideas

(If you’re exploring these dorm room decor ideas on a desktop computer, the before images are on the left, and the after snapshots are on the right!)

Dorm room decor ideas: Before

Dorm room decor ideas: After

@CarleighStacy/Twitter

Cute dorm rooms: Before shot

Cute dorm rooms: After shot

Thou Swell

Cute dorm rooms | Before

Cute dorm rooms | After

The Sorry Girls 

Before

After

@alaiyanotalexis/Twitter

Light brown wooden furniture sits next to a purple wall.

a bed with pink sheets and three fluffy pillows

The DIY Playbook

Two twin beds with dark blue mattresses sit on either side of a dorm room.

Decorative bunkbeds have black ladders on the bottom.

Daily Mail

Two twin beds with wooden frames set up in a small room.

A bed lying in the room corner having many pillows on top of it.

Insider

Twin beds have drawers underneath them.

Half a dozen colorful pillow sit on a twin sized bed.

Insider

Dorm room decor ideas - Before

Dorm room decor ideas - After

Apartment Therapy

Two twin beds sit perpendicular to each other in the corner of a bright room.

A grey rug sits in a living area with a large window.

Dormify via Cosmopolitan

A small dorm bed with various items on top.

A bed with three pillows in a dorm room with lighting and images.

@mariahwitz/Twitter

Wooden desk sitting at the base of a bunk bed set in a college dorm room.

Room having a wooden table and chair with a television on top of it

Apartment Therapy

Beds sit across from each other in a semi-empty dorm room.

Two beds are separated by a lush rug.

Dormify via Cosmopolitan

Room having a wooden table, chair and a bed having blue bedsheet.

Home bedroom with a twin bed against a wall and a black futon couch on another wall.

The Sorry Girls

A clean, basic dorm room.

A computer desk is on the wall between two windows in a room with twin beds on each wall opposite each other.

Target

Two wooden table and chairs line in the middle of two single beds.

Aqua, green, and white dorm room with bed, desks, and extra shelving.

Houzz

Undecorated dorm room containing a single bed with under-bed storage and a matching desk.

A small bed near a pink and leafy looking wall.

Dormify via Cosmopolitan

Wooden bed with cot and drawers in the bed.

A sitting are decorated with a banner.

Dormify via Insider

A wooden table lying in the corner of a room with a window next to it.

Light coming in through the window of a room.

@rainamahalek/Twitter

A dorm room with a made bed, a dark grey throw blanket and a tidy desk with shelves above it.

Bed room with beds, bed sheets, rug and pillows.

The Sorry Girls

Two large bags sit on a desk next to a blue bed.

A girl sits at a wooden desk with shelves in her bedroom.

Dormify

Drawers are beneath a bed, offering more storage options in a small space.

A bed has many pillows on it and decorations around it.

Pinterest

Sparsely furnished dorm room with a window on the wall between a single bed and desk.

A clean well designed white and gray dorm room.

At Home with Nikki/YouTube

A small dorm room with natural light and a brick wall.

Two roommates sitting on two bed in a small dorm.

@moriahsnipes/Twitter

A dorm room with empty shelves and black clothing bags on the bed.

bed with table at the end that has a laptop on it

@katiewalker99 via Seventeen

Two wooden beds line near the wall of a room with a wooden chair under it

Bedroom along with beds, stools, bed sheets and pillows.

Insider

Bed room with beds, bed sheets, table, cabin and pillows.

Bedroom filled with furniture, plants and flowers vases on the wall.

Ann Lê Style

Before: Cute dorm rooms

After: Cute dorm rooms

Dormify via Insider

Before: Dorm room decor ideas

After: Dorm room decor ideas

Lola Magazine

Light is shining on the floor of an office.

Two grey ottoman sit in the middle of the room of a cute bedroom with a pink bed cover, an ornate chandelier and various traditional printed bed covers.

Pinterest

Dorm room with two simple single beds without mattresses on top and checkerboard floor.

A room having two separate beds and a refrigerator and bedside tables in the middle.

Pinterest

Twin captain bed with a laptop on top in a dorm room decorated with string lights.

n/a

My Home Ideas


Before and After | Dorm Room Ideas for Guys

Well-designed dorms aren’t just for girls – boys want stylish rooms too! Check out these examples of dorm room ideas for guys.

Before pic

After pic

Kara Paslay Designs

HGTV before

HGTV after

HGTV Handmade/YouTube 

Teenagers fun and fast art room

Pictures decorating a wall by an open brick wall with dorm room bed.

Daily Danny 

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Not Available

uscoop


Whether you’re sending someone off to college, you’re headed to the dorms yourself, or you’re reminiscing about your formative years, hopefully these dorm room decor ideas inspired you!

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