In August, I will embark on a journey that many say will shape the person I become: moving to a new city and attending college. In that process, after finding out that my university will not be having roommates this fall, I figured that all the extra space that was meant for another person could be filled with extra doodads and bobbles that will make my dorm room unique -- a reflection of my personality.

After sifting through tapestries and fold-out wardrobes, I realized that what I wanted most in my dorm were other people; having a space to hang out with my college friends was more vitally important than that 60 dollar Hobby Lobby potted plant I had my eye on. Thus started the quest of making my dorm the place to be for all of my college friends. 

I’ve created this guide as a dream board of the best and most comfortable dorm chairs that will surely make your room the epicenter of 2 A.M. conversations and the return destination after many nights out. 

Bean Bag Chairs Can Make Perfect Dorm Chairs!

Perfect for the casual “laid back” look… quite literally. 

Bean bag chairs are often comical in representation. I mean, you are basically sitting on a sack filled with cotton that has no form or definition, and oftentimes just consumes the person sitting in it. However, bean bag chairs often add a comical flair to your room that makes it so perfectly you. Nothing screams college kid like unfunctional furniture that will only last you until you finally move into an apartment or house of your own. 

Although largely unfunctional, passing out in the embrace of one of these after a long night out is heavenly. The bean bag allows you to sink into it, embracing itself around you like a hug from a cloud. And, depending on the size, getting a bigger one like the one here will allow two people to sit on it, increasing the number of people with seats in your room from one to three.

Saucer Chairs Can Add Flair to Your Unique Room

The perfect UFO shaped chair for your dorm room 

The quintessential college dorm room chair --  the saucer chair -- is perfect for students who don’t have much room to work with. Because the seat of the chair is not rigged, whenever you need some more room on your floor to have a dancing study break or a different place to lie down, you can fold the chair into a portable piece that you can tuck into a corner somewhere. 

A saucer chair can also serve an aesthetic piece in your dorm. If you are like me, you have one or two stuffed animals and decorative pillows that hold too much meaning for them to be thrown out or donated. Stacking these sentimental items onto the chair is a great way to display some of your favorite memories while not needing a larger space such as a bookshelf or memento case. With the saucer chair, your room’s occupancy goes from three to four. 

Camping Chairs Aren’t Only Used Outdoors

This folding chair provides their own storage solution

Now, you might be wondering what a camping chair is doing on this list. Normally, these chairs aren’t used inside. Normally, after a long day of camping out in the wilderness, after building a nice fire to roast marshmallows, and settling in for ghost stories, you pull one of these out and get comfortable. However, since I have zero experience camping (can you tell), I realized that chairs like these are perfect for the dorm room. On one hand, they are quite sturdy. The one pictured above from Amazon can hold up to 500 pounds and folds up nicely into a little bundle when you are done with it. 

A camping chair can be used all throughout campus too. Waiting in a long-line on Black Friday, at a football tailgate, or even just on a grassy lawn, a camping chair becomes a commodity that your friends wish they had brought with them. Setting it up in your room brings the total number of seats from four to five. 

A Loveseat Perfect For Movie Night

These can add a little comfort to not only you, but any guests you invite

Up until this point, most of the chairs that are on this list are items that you can probably pick up yourself or that require no assembly. However, a loveseat departs this pattern, requiring a friend to lift and carry if need be. To combat that negative, though, loveseats provides multiple uses that you wouldn’t get otherwise. 

One of these is perfect when you have younger siblings or cousins visiting and touring the college. Sticking them on the couch to sleep is the best option for them other than paying for an expensive hotel room. It also allows for some room for you and your roomie to sit and watch a movie together or play video games. Setting up a TV opposing the loveseat will guarantee that your room is set up for those Harry Potter movie marathons that will eventually come to fruition instead of studying for that chem final. Additionally, if the cushions are removable, with just a few sheets and blankets, you can relive your childhood by making the best fort your house floor has ever seen. The loveseat brings your grand total seats from five to seven.

A Storage Ottoman For Hiding Some Of Your Valuable Snacks

A storage ottoman can act as both a seat and a storage spot

The ultimate challenge in any dorm room is finding storage. Whether you choose to loft your bed to allow for storage underneath or try and meticulously pack your closet space, finding room for all of the stuff in your room is hard. This coupled with our quest to make space for every single friend to have their own seat in your room works to try and ruin your perfect room dream. The solution to both of these problems lies with a Storage Ottoman: both a seat for the straggler who missed their chance at an actual chair, and a nifty hiding spot for your best snacks. 

The Storage Ottoman can also act as a leg rest or a coffee stand, allowing you to kick back during those long movie nights or a place to put your fresh cup of coffee in the morning without worrying about it spilling. The storage ottoman ups your number of seats from seven to eight. 

A Shaggy Rug That’s Super Soft to the Touch

Perfect for lounging or lying on the floor

Okay, technically this isn’t a dorm chair, so technically it doesn’t belong on this list. But, in the event that you want to sit on the floor-- and trust us there will be an event where you want to sit on the floor-- having a rug will save you from the ice cold floors. 

Having a shaggy rug in particular is important when it comes to making a raucous at 5 AM trying to work on your last edits of your English final before its due. Rugs are known to provide sound absorption in the room, and being that you don’t want to get on your RA’s bad side, finding a rug that matches your room can keep it stylish and quiet. There really is no set number of people you can fit onto a rug, but it should at least let one more person be comfortable on the ground, raising your total from eight to nine. 

A Desk Chair to Prevent Bad Posture

A desk chair can act as another seat - a hot commodity in your small dorm

Last but not least, having a nice desk chair is imperative for the long nights hunched over your computer or notebooks filled with math. You will be spending a considerable amount of time at your desk, because eventually libraries do close, and your studying might not be done. A desk is also a space where you can eat your midnight snack, apply your makeup, or read a book, so investing in a nice chair is something that you shouldn’t skimp on. 

Having a nice desk chair also helps with the number of seats you have in your room. The one in the photo has easily replaceable parts, so finding one that does so can be helpful if you ever break one of the wheels or side-arms. They don’t even require a proper screwdriver and provide an allen wrench that lets you dismantle it into pieces. The desk chair brings up the total number of seats available in your room to a grand total of ten.

No matter what style you choose to have in your room, these simple dorm room chairs (and rugs) are highly customizable to fit your aesthetic needs. Just make sure that you have enough snacks to go around to everyone who has found a seat in your dorm!

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