Looking for college bedroom ideas that are totally inspiring? Check out this off-campus housing bedroom design that has a boho modern vibe!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, I might make a small commission at no extra charge to you. Please read my full disclosure here.
College Bedroom Ideas
Decorating your college dorm room should be an exciting experience. It may be the first time you express your personality with your home decor choices.
Usually, college students will spend their freshman year on campus so they can make new friends and enjoy the college experience. After that first year, they’re looking for more freedom and independence.
You may be asking yourself “Don’t you have freedom in the dorm”? So here is the thing dorms have RULES and RA’s who make sure people follow the rules.
During the Big C, my daughter was written up for not having a mask on and having company in her room.
That said usually by the second or third-year college students typically move off-campus. While this housing is not always 5-stars it does offer the independence they’re after.
If you’re moving into your first college apartment off-campus then you’re in the right spot!
This post is all about college bedroom ideas.
Off Campus College Bedroom Ideas
Before we get into the concept board and design of my daughter’s new housing let me share the inspiration.
The first place to start anytime you are designing a new room is with ideas and inspirations. You can find an abundance of bedroom ideas on Pinterest and Instagram.
Below are the images my daughter pinned for the vibe she was after. She’ll be making the bedframe out of wood crates. Apparently, the crates are left out at the end of the night at the Home Depot in Hawaii.
They then have to be sanded down so we’ll have a bit of a DIY project on our hands.
College Bedroom Pinterest Inspiration
As you can see from the images above the new room will have a color palette of charcoal, grey, black and white.
If there is a pop color it’ll most likely be the green from the plants but we’ll see. I would also love to introduce a little gold into the palette if possible.
Here’s a side-by-side visual of the HPU dorm room concept and the college bedroom ideas. All of the blue from the original design will be changed out for the new monochromatic color scheme.
College Bedroom Design Ideas
If you’re moving into a new apartment or house off-campus you should first measure your space. It is important to make sure everything will fit before you buy your furniture.
Having a floor plan to scale will help you make sure your furniture fits so you can avoid returns.
Free Measure Guide Download
After you have all the measurements you can add them to the floor plan program. This video will walk you through how to create a floor plan in the FREE Bassett program.
Remember to make an account so you can save your work. That will allow you to tweak the design and layout as you work through the process.
College Bedroom Inspo
Once you gather your inspiration images narrow them down to your favorite THREE ideas. With that and the floor plan you created, you can go onto the design part of the college bedroom planning.
This is where it gets fun and the creative juices flow. Below are all the resources and details of the apartment bedroom design.
1. Abstract Wall Art // 2. Black Semi Sheer Curtains // 3. Black Curtain Rod // 4. Macrame Plant Hanger // 5. Black Pillow Covers // 6. Boho Decorative Pillow Set // 7. Washed Cotton Duvet Cover // 8. Moon Phase Wall Hanging // 9. Black&White Macrame Wall Decor // 10. Eye Wall Mirror // 11. Live Edge Side Table // 12. Faux Sheepskin Area Rug // 13. Wicker Swivel Chair // 14. 4-Drawer Wood Dresser
Apartment Bedroom Ideas For College
I’ve broken the college bedroom ideas down by category to help you stay organized. Planning your college bedroom does not have to be an overwhelming process.
Start with a list of all the things you need and purchase in order of importance. When my daughter left for college the most important thing was the bedroom essentials.
She literally took the dorm room bedding with her on the plane. As long as she had clothes and the bedding everything else could be ordered and set up later.
Related Post: The Ultimate List Of College Dorm Room Essentials (We Thought Of Everything)
Apartment Bedding
Memory Foam Mattress
7. Washed Cotton Duvet Cover
Organic Cotton Sheet Set
We already ordered the memory foam mattress from Amazon AND purchased a cooling gel mattress topper. Since we know the new mattress is not super comfy we will be adding an extra layer of comfort.
The duvet cover will go over the insert from the ocean dorm room design. Last year’s Target bedding was pretty BUT it was NOT the best choice for my daughter. That said this year we are going with charcoal and fingers crossed it lasts the rest of her time in Hawaii.
Since she was in a TwinXL bed at college we ordered new full-size sheets in grey as well. Again we learned our lesson with the white. It’s just not practical and is too much maintenance for my child.
In the end, the bed crate situation was nixed and my daughter went with a black frame from Walmart. Her roommate got an Amazon bed frame that was super affordable too.
If you’re looking for a durable frame that won’t break the bank check either of those out. You’d be surprised what’s available when you take your time.
Related Post: DIY Black Swan Halloween Costume From Amazon You’ll Totally Want To Copy
Apartment Bedroom Pillows
5. Black Pillow Covers
6. Boho Decorative Pillow Set
12. Faux Sheepskin Area Rug
We have the fills for all the pillow covers shown above which are linked.
The navy pillow covers will be changed out for the black and white color scheme except for the grey fur body pillow. I just didn’t find anything I liked better so keeping that as is.
The crates are typically larger than the bed as shown in the above Pinterest images. We’ll add the fur throw at the side to make getting out of bed a comfortable experience.
Apartment Wall Decor
1. Abstract Wall Art
Picture Frame
4. Macrame Plant Hanger
The art that’ll be used is boho modern inspired with a black and white color palette. The above 8×10 prints don’t come with the frames so we’ll order those separately.
I also plan to bring these bathroom prints because they have a separate bathroom space to decorate.
Related Post: College Apartment Bathroom Makeover That’ll Help You Affordably Update On A Budget
2. Black Semi-Sheer Curtains
3. Black Curtain Rod
9. Black&White Macrame Wall Decor
The apartment bedroom is ALL white as seen in the room video. To add contrast the drapery panels will be in a linen black material with black rods.
The macrame wall art is black and ivory which will complement the Boho Modern-inspired design.
Dorm Room Ideas For Girls
8. Moon Phase Wall Hanging
10. Eye Wall Mirror
Eucalyptus Greenery
Here are more wall decor ideas I pulled for the college bedroom. Like I said I’m trying to add in subtle touches of gold so the moon phase wall hanging is perfect.
Love the idea of the black eyewall mirror to add personality as well as contrast.
Not sure my daughter will go for it but the Eucalyptus Greenery will add a pop of color to the otherwise neutral design.
Furniture
11. Live Edge Side Table
13. Wicker Swivel Chair
14. 4-Drawer Wood Dresser
There will be a minimal amount of furniture since the room will be shared by two college students. The thought is they could each order a matching 4 draw dresser for clothes storage.
They have a large walk-in closet they will also share. There should be plenty of storage especially since it’s all summer clothes except for a few sweatshirts.
To create a sitting area I pulled the super cute wicker swivel chair. We were also looking at the hanging chair styles but this is just so much more practical. At the end of the day who was bolting the hanging chair to the ceiling?! Me?!!
Again they can each get one of these chairs and add the live edge side table in between.
College Bedroom Sofa Ideas
Gray Apartment Sofa
Mid-Century Modern Sofa
Velvet Sofa
These apartment sofa ideas were pulled because there is a possibility they will want a couch instead of the chairs. These modern sofas under $500 are perfect for any small space.
The above affordable sofas are the perfect size for relaxing, visitors, or overnight guests.
College Dorm Decor Already Purchased
The below resources are all the college decor and furniture we will be incorporating into the new apartment space.
Salt Lamp
String Lights
Sun Light Sculpture
The first three images help add personality and mood to the dorm room. Since we are all about good energy the salt lamp is a must to cleanse the air.
College students love to hang photos of their friends so these string lights are awesome for that.
Then there is the sun sculpture that adds accent lighting and helps set a cool vibe.
Ottoman Cube
Body Pillow Cover
Duvet Comforter
The ottoman storage cubes are great to help you stay organized. You can store anything from shoes to books or extra blankets. There can never be too much storage especially when you are away from home.
These storage ottomans are awesome for extra seating when you have visitors over. If you need a coffee table in front of your sofa just add a tray and voila!
The grey fur body pillow will remain from the original design as will the duvet insert. The beauty of a duvet is it’s so much easier to remove and wash the duvet cover than it is to wash a bulky comforter.
14 x 22 Pillow Form
22 x 22 Pillow Form
21 x 54 Body Pillow Insert
These are all the various size pillow inserts we have from the dorm room design. These will all be used in the new college apartment. Whenever you are buying inserts always remember to size up 2″.
If your pillows are 20×20 you should purchase 22×22 pillow inserts. This way they will fill the entire pillow cover and look plush.
That’s a wrap for this college bedroom design. I hope this gave you ideas and inspiration for your college off-campus apartment design!
Don’t forget to come back for the big reveal sometime next month.
Updated College Bedroom Reveal:
Here’s a visual of the completed college bedroom. The beauty of going away to school is the friendships, experience, and education you receive (in that order).
You learn to evolve and go with the flow. This year my daughter will move from the room she’s currently sharing (above) to a room of her own (in the same house).
After two years of sharing a college bedroom, it’s time for some privacy. That said looking forward to getting the pictures from her new room!
The video above is the current college bedroom design in Hawaii. The next space will have a similar vibe since she’ll be moving her existing furniture down to the space.
Hope this was helpful in your college planning. If you have any questions reach out below.
Have an awesome day full of Unicorns & Rainbows!
xo Nicole
This post is all about college bedroom ideas.
Free College Packing List Download
Other Posts You May Like:
10 Best Apartment Sofa Styles For Under $500 That Won’t Break The Bank
How To Apply Vinyl Decals Like A Pro In 9 Easy Steps
13 Best Places To Buy Dorm Stuff That You’ll Actually Use And Love In 2022
Leave a Reply