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Moving your teen away to college can be hard. When it comes that time though you want them have a place to call home for the school year. I couldn’t leave mine in the dreary plain room that you first walk into. They are going to be spending a lot of time there and need to at least like the feel of it.

First off know that not all rooms are exactly the same. We went into the first year with a plan for my daughters room that involved being able to raise her bed because when we were shown rooms we were told that it was always an option…it wasn’t. Had to come up with a new plan real quick.

Second of all don’t assume it will be cleaned to your standards. We discovered this the second year. Come prepared with cleaning supplies and plan to clean for awhile before you start to move in and decorate.

Next you’ll want to raise bed or not and rearrange furniture to flow well with your plan. Take a little time while your cleaning to really think about the best arrangement. My suggestion is start with the bed location and where they feel that they are going to be most comfortable. Work around this. They are the ones who have to live in this room for the next 9 months so they need to be happy with the location of their bed.

A few simple things can really help the room feel homey and like their own. Make sure they choose the color theme since they are the ones looking at it everyday. Get items that match and flow well together. You want a calm relaxing area that is also functional. They will spend a lot of time here.

Essential Items:

• Comforter
• Sheets
• Pillows
• Mattress pad
• Office supplies
• Curtains
• Towels

Basic tools for move in day:

• Cleaning supplies
• Tools – screwdrivers, allen wrenches, hammer, small nails
• Vacuum
• Power strip
• Tape
• Bed risers

Decorating Items:

• Picture frames
• Artwork for walls
• Command hooks and picture hanging strips
• Lamp
• Mirror (full length and lighted make-up)
• Lights
• Area Rug
• Throw Pillows

Organizing Essentials:

• Cube storage organizers
• Small shelf to hold cube organizers
• Bulletin board
• White board
• Laundry basket
• Clothes hangers
• Rolling cart
• File bin
• Shower caddy

Before move in day you need to have theme in mind such as colors and style. There are many things you can purchase in advance such as all of the essential items along with decorating ideas. Most of the organizing essentials can be purchased ahead of time also. Once you get there be prepared to adjust plans slightly if needed because of room size and measurements.

The room my daughter got the second year ended up being a lot smaller in size and we ended up using storage bins under the bed for some items. For example shoes ended up in a bin because there was not as much room for shoe rack as before.

Designing a dorm room requires creativity and flexibility. Start with your basic ideas and plans and adjust on move in day as needed. Coordinating items and sticking to one style will make room feel comforting. No one wants to live in a single room that is disorganized with no flow. Have fun decorating!

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Well my son was 6 1/2 and started complaining that his room was a baby room. He was right, I had not changed anything since he was born other than the bed and taking the changing table out a few years ago. So I guess it’s time to admit he’s growing up. So I decided to do a quick fix since I had limited time and limited budget.

I went to my go to, Amazon. Him and I agreed on getting a comforter that he could use for awhile, no characters. The striped comforter that we chose is perfect. It is a lightweight but serves its purpose and he likes the feel of it. He wanted superheros to be included so we went with wall hangings and a night light since those are inexpensive and easy to change out when his tastes change.

I could not remove the wall border without having to do a full repaint and spend a lot more time. Now this may not be the best way or the right way, but it will work until I have time to really dig in for a couple days. He’s happy, feels like a big kid and it looks great. I ordered a wall border with adhesive to cover the old one. It matches the comforter.

We then reorganized toys into canvas bins that match the walls. We chose the canvas wall hangings with superheros, new window valance to match comforters and a new lamp with a shade that matches wall border and comforter to tie things together. The canvas wall hangings are really nice quality. I dislike posters so these were a great choice. We also purchased a white board for his other wall and used a shoe organizer for odds and ends, chargers, markers, etc.

So I got started. I did the border first. It was a little time consuming but was able to finish within a couple of hours. This was a little messy because I purchased a border that had to be soaked in water and then hung. They make borders that are just adhesive, I just couldn’t find the colors I wanted in these.

Next I reorganized toys, hung the shoe organizer and added all of his crayons, markers, scissors, etc. to this so he can see everything. I hung the whiteboard next. Changed the bedding and hung canvas pictures. There you go, baby room to big boy room in just a few hours.