Wall to Wall

Moving into a college dorm room taught me one thing: walls are your best friend. They’re just thick enough to hold up all your posters, command hooks, and heavy organizers. They’re also just thick enough to muffle unwanted noises. Dorm rooms and apartment bedrooms are always much smaller than your average suburban home. In order to maximize space and create a more open feel, you have to use just the right amount of wall space for storage so it’s effective and not too visually cluttered.

First, you must determine what items take up the most space were you to store them horizontally. Next, weed out anything you either haven’t used in over a year OR know you will outgrow soon. With whatever is remaining, find the best organizer for those items and that match your room. If you’re on a budget, TJ Maxx/Marshall’s and Target/Walmartoften have great options. If you prefer clean, clear containers and wall racks, be sure to check out Muji and The Container Store. There, you can find some of the best cosmetic containers and nail polish wall racks. If you’re like me, these are quite the life savers for a girl with an overflowing collection.

We also can’t forget jewelry! I think if you add up all the time you spend untangling your necklaces and bracelets, you probably could have earned another degree. I find that hanging jewelry holders and wall racks are more effective than standing jewelry holders and ring dishes. (However, I still love standing holders and ring dishes because #aesthetics.) Not only does it keep everything untangled, you can also view all your options each morning.

In terms of the closet, I find that hanging towels, light jackets, bags, hats, and belts on command hooks helps decrease clutter and smooth out wrinkles. Inside the closet, I use tiered hangers for my skirts and drape multiple blazers or cardigans on top of each other if they’re thin enough. I also strictly use the thin felt space-saving hangers. I find that they break more often than regular plastic hangers, but are definitely worth investing in.

Another item worth investing in is either a hanging shoe organizer, a tiered shoe rack, or a bookcase if you are what many call a “shoe whore” like me. I’m a proud owner of around 55+ pairs of shoes, of which the majority are heels. Why do I need so many heels as a student? My aching hips and knees are still trying to figure that out as well. Now if we wanna talk shoe goals:

But if we want to talk reasonable human being:

Let’s not forget your bedroom desk! If you work in your room often, it’s important to make sure your desk space is clean and that you do not work on your bed or anywhere you usually lounge and relax. My best study/work tip to you is to place your desk in a position where you cannot see any comfortable couches or your bed. Keep the color scheme around your desk simple and organized. Avoid a lot of intricate designs or decor items. All of this helps you focus and can increase your productivity. Personally, I like keeping a large array of boards on the wall in front of my desk above my eye level. This way, if I stare straight ahead I can see a clean space. If I look up, I have all the information I need to know. Below are some examples of an organized workspace:

Last but not least, it’s important to create the illusion of a bigger room even with all these strategic organizing tips. There are two tricks: 1) paint your room a light color or a light color with an accent wall 2) mirror placement. Every girl needs a mirror. Actually, scratch that. Every person needs a mirror. By placing it strategically at an angle that can mirror a large portion of the room, you can easily create the illusion that your room is almost 50% larger than it actually is.

Happy decorating, mes chéries!

 

-E.