Pack This: Bedroom

Decorating your bedroom is one of the funnest things you'll consider when thinking of things to pack. It's the one thing that you really get to make your own (with your roommate, of course) and feel a little more like home. Some unsolicited advice - keep it simple. If you know you're not the best at keeping your room organized, having a ton of extra crap in your room might not be the best idea. Simple is good! 

You might be asking what you should consider bringing besides the decorations. You and I both know that you and pinterest have got that covered.

Below are some pictures that might help you get a feel for what you'll need, in addition to some things that I brought that I would've hated being without. (In some pictures, things have already been moved out, but in others, all the stuff is still there. Don't let it throw you off.)

If you haven't seen it yet, this is a heritage floorplan. The first bedroom will have the closets arranged differently, like seen below:

Right next to each other with the door to the left, instead of closet-door-closet

what the other two rooms' closets look like


So, what's helpful for inside of the closet? Here are a few things I've enjoyed having:

Notice the shoe racks!! I stacked two of them, so I have five rows for shoes. This might have been overkill, but if you're like me and enjoy wearing a variety of shoes, it's well worth it. Otherwise, they crowd the floor around your closet and you have a hard time stepping anywhere to pick out your clothes.

Also notice: there is space to store things above your closet! I've seen those canvas storage bins been but here, laundry stuff, suitcases, boots, blankets - its a good space to take advantage of.  

Close up: This space between the closet and desk is the perfect space to keep your laundry basket. The closet looks crammed but you learn how to make it work. (If you're worried about there not being enough space, it's really unlikely you'll run out. It takes a LOT to stuff this closet.)

This accessory hanger has been a lifesaver. Definitely consider getting something of the like to store your jewelry. My roommate uses the builtin board on the desk to hang her necklaces; that works well too!

Some space saving hangers like this are good if you're worried you'll be low on space!

Moving on from the closet. There are a few things around your bed that you might consider getting.

Here's a general idea of what things look like.

A few things from this pic to note:

- The small desk lamp: I brought this lamp thinking I would need it at my desk. Good news - the desks come with a light that runs underneath the top shelf, so there's no need to bring a separate lamp. So, I put this lamp on my bedside. There's a light that is separate from the main lights that is right above your bed (like a reading light) but it's still relatively bright and the switch is at the opposite end of your bed, so you have to sit up to turn it off. The laziness in you will thank you for buying a closer lamp. Not necessary but glad I had it :) 

The suitcase: There is a storage closet in your apartment, but I was able to store my suitcase sideways under my bed, which saved us room in the closet.

The garbage bucket: I probably should have bought a little garbage can, but I never got around to it and used this bucket instead. The dorm comes with three trashcans - one in the kitchen and one in each bathroom. I was always so surprised at how often I was glad that little trash bucket was there. Otherwise you have to take your stuff outside your room into the bathroom, which, if you're feeling lazy, means that it will sit on your floor or desk. (the trash bin would also work well by your desk.) Bring one!

The cords: Alright. If there is one thing that you look at on this page and say "ok, I need that", it's this.  I don't know how anyone else does without this. It's an extension cord with a few extra plugs at the end of it. The outlet by your bed is on the wall where your bed is up against it. If you wanted to plug your phone into the wall by your bed, you would have to have your phone on your bed while you slept. Which, I dont know, maybe you prefer that. For me, having this cord allowed me to run the plug to the other side of my bed, so I could have my phone charge on my makeshift nightstand. And, because there's multiple plugs, I could charge my laptop when I used it while sitting on my bed, and I could plug in my lamp into it as well. Super helpful!

- The Rubbermaid tier stacked drawers. Where would I be without this thing? It is the perfect nightstand AND Its three drawers were perfect for storing things like socks/underwear/sports bras/tights/slips/beanies, as my four under-the-bed- drawers were full of all the sweaters and workout clothes that I didn't want to hang in my closet. I think it was maybe $13 at WalMart - WORTH IT. I've seen this cart (the Ikea Raskog Turquoise Rolling Kitchen Cart) a few times. Its around $45 - you can't store clothes in it as nicely but it is really cute and would also make a good nightstand.

What else do you need to bring?

This doesn't do these hooks justice. They're really helpful. I've seen people hang over-the-door mirrors on the door as well, or those hanging shoe pocket storage things. Whatever it is, make sure you utilize your door space!

What else should I know?

There's a little room for storage between the drawers and your bed. Good for blankets, books, thin/flat storage containers. 

You get four of these bad boys. I've seen things like this drawer organizer below - places like Target sell them. Might have been nice to have, but by no means necessary. (if you're like me, your drawers will get messy quickly and that's okay. 

The desk:

Here's a desk! Four drawers and a builtin board. Like I said earlier, there is a lamp that runs underneath so no need to bring a desk lamp.

One other thing that I brought (definitely not necessary, but helpful) is a socket timer

This socket timer allows you to select how long (.5, 3 or 6 hours) the power will go for. I like it for plugging in my laptop. Apparently, leaving your electronics plugged in for hours longer than they need to be wares the battery down. So, I got one of these, so that I could plug my laptop in when I went to bed. That way, it was charged and ready to go in the morning, but it didn't get charged for 5 hours longer than it needed to be. Also good for wallflower plug ins - let them run for 30 minutes, so the scent is there but not too strong. :)

My roommate brought a small fan that she liked to use at night - if you're often hotter than everyone else (haha) you might consider that. 

I had a small speaker that I kept on top of my desk. It was nice to listen to music on when I was working, for watching movies on laptops with my roommates, for dance parties - I'm not quite sure if we're supposed to have speakers as to not blast music and annoy your neighbors, but we were mostly courteous with ours - if you bring one, do the same. :)