Guest Post: Author Corinne Michaels Shares Dorm Design + Essentials (for Girls)

• DORM DETAILS

  Emily and her roommate really wanted white, gray, gold/black hardware, and an accent color (not pink). Her room at home is gray and pink, and she’s apparently sick of it. Much to my dismay. 

  So, after a solid hour at Homegoods, she chose her accent color to be sage green. Her roommate chose a slate blue. 

  They agreed they wanted their beds on opposite walls with a console of some sort in the middle that they could both use for a nightstand with added storage. Then it was, two rugs so they each had their own or one big one? The girls chose to do one big one to give the room a cohesive look, which … my decor loving heart was happy. 

  The first decision they made was they both wanted white bedding. We opted for a duvet and insert because she can easily wash and bleach the duvet. This the one we went with: 

  

  Then it was accent pillows. We did two big Euro pillows in a light gray from Homegoods and a reading pillow for when she’s doing homework in bed (Apparently girls do not use their desk, but for makeup. We’ll get to that).

  

  For sheets, she loves the UGG brand ones from Homegoods and they had Twin XL so we got those there. But it’s really whatever your kid likes (I will say, the UGG sheets feel like butter).

  The biggest tip I can say is to get a 4-inch mattress topper and a cooling protector. My son had a lot of issues in college and that topper was a lifesaver. Don’t skimp on this if you can. Here are the two we bought, this second one has the cooling gel to help with the overheating from the pad:

  

  The other thing is storage—in most dorms it’s pitiful. So we raised our son’s bed and it gave us so much more room. These are great and have plugs in them, which if you know, there is like one outlet in most dorms and it’s not in a spot that makes any sense. So this is a great trick. 

  

  Another thing is the temp in the room is never stable, a bed fan is a great thing. 

  

  The girls didn’t want their room to be too matchy/matchy. They wanted to be able to show their own personalities, but still wanted the room to look put together. However, they wanted their headboards to look the same if not the same. They both loved this gray one from Walmart. We’ll attach it to the legs of the bedframe with zipties. 

  

  We’re going to attach a gray curtain that we already had to act as a bedskirt to hide all the understorage we’re doing. Hopefully this will work, but I’ve seen a lot of Pinterest tips, so … wish me luck. 

  Now that we’ve lifted her bed, we did a lot of storage and i loved these bags. She can keep her off season clothes in them or extra whatever. We also got two of the bins that match this that are kind of deep. 

  

   

  Her college provides mini fridges and microwaves to every room, Emily and her roommate really didn’t want it just sitting out, so we are making this. Each girl got their side drawers from IKEA and we got a desktop that will act as the table. This is going between their beds to give a cute way to build the fridge in and free up much needed floor space. I think it’s perfect!

  

  Now that we had that, it was time to pick the rug! This is the one they like the most. It’s bright, fun, and pulls both their colors and allows them to change if they want!

  

  Her dorm room doesn’t have a closet, they have wardrobes, so we know our space isn’t great. We found these were really helpful with my son to give you a lot of hanging options.

  

  Now, for the desk, we’re going to put white matte contact paper on the top, a mirror for her to do her makeup, and organizers. We’re not to sure exactly how it’s going to work, but I think we’ll get that put together. 

  One of the things I want to talk a more about for girls is the shower stuff. I can’t say enough about towel wraps. They’re the best. They cover them, stay put while they’re carrying all their stuff down the hall. It’s really, really, great as well as a good robe and slippers. I also found the mesh shower caddy is the best because you can shove more personal items in. 

  There are a ton of options. I can’t wait to see how the room comes together. I’m excited and nervous but really, I’m just amazed at the difference between her and my son, who could’ve cared less as long as he had a blanket. 

  She just wants the room to feel comfortable and inviting. 

  I’ll be sure to share photos of a before and after!

  Thank you Vilma for having me! I love you and can’t wait to see your photos too!

  XOXO

  Corinne

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• ABOUT CORINNE

  Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.

  Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed—reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.

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