Minimalist dorm decor is a style that takes very little to accomplish. It is simple, neat, and cheap, which really suits a small dorm room space. Minimalism is the art of thriving on the bare minimum needed to live a comfortable lifestyle. Rather than live in a place loaded with material items, a minimalist would rather have a lot more empty space available. 

A minimalist finds satisfaction in comfort and peace rather than in material items. There is something about an uncluttered space that can make your mind feel free and clear. And this look isn’t hard to accomplish. All you have to do is fill your room with the basic necessities needed to accommodate yourself while keeping the space relatively clear. 

The first step is figuring out what you need to have in your dorm room. The main things you should be concerned with are the bed area, the desk area, the closet, and a snack spot. Minimalism doesn’t necessarily mean that your room has to be empty, you just need to prioritize having the important things. You can also still decorate your space, you just need to do it in a way that doesn’t make your room look too busy and cluttered. 

There is a proper balance you have to strike when you want to set up a minimalist room that holds everything you need in it. Learn to let go of the things that don’t serve the space. There are some things you’ll find you absolutely need, and some things you’d be better off getting rid of. A dorm room can already be a small and cramped space, so keeping your furniture and decor to a minimum can help the room look and feel a lot bigger than it actually is. It is actually a great design style for a student to live in a dorm room!

How to Be Minimalist

This lifestyle may take some practice.

If you haven’t lived in a minimalist space until this point, it can take a bit of effort to accomplish it. You might be wondering how you even get started living like this when you’ve spent your life so far living in a space with lots of things you enjoyed having. You’re going to have to get used to living with less eventually, and in the meantime decide what you’re willing to live without. Some things will be necessary and some things won’t. Before you even move into your dorm room, you should get rid of all the things you don’t need or keep them stored away. 

Buy Less

Minimalism is all about quality over quantity. If you are a frequent shopper, you will have to resist the urge to impulse buy from now on. Even if you’re only picking up small, insignificant things every once in a while, these things pile up and can fill up your room before you know it. Really consider whether or not you really need something before you buy it. Even if you really want something, if it doesn’t work for your minimalist space, it is best to leave it alone. You have limited space to use in a dorm room already, and even less when it's a minimalist space, so don’t overcrowd it. There is a bonus that minimalist thinking will also save you a lot of money. When you only focus on buying what you need, you have a lot more money left over for other necessities. 

Pick One Color Theme

When decorating a minimalist space, decor is a big factor. Even if you don’t use very many things to decorate, you can end up creating a space that looks loud and crowded when you use too many different colors and pieces. Minimalism should involve minimal decorations as well as things that fill the space. Picking just a few colors that go well together is ideal for keeping your space looking clean and clear. Going with just one or two colors might work best to keep your decor minimalist. 

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To have your room look really spacious, you should try using lighter, more neutral colors for the larger items in your room, and then use bright colors when it comes to smaller accent pieces. Throw blankets and small throw pillows are great for adding pops of color to a room. Other small decorative items can also make an impact. You don’t need too many things to add sufficient pops of color. 

Keep Your Dorm Room Clean

Cleanliness is really important in a minimalist room. A minimalist place should be as clean as possible. This is something that is important for all kinds of spaces, but it becomes even more important in a minimalist room. Any clutter can make your room look crowded and messy even if it's nothing too dramatic. You can’t do things like drop your clothing or items anywhere you want to if you want to hold on to the extra space minimalism gets you. Anything can make a minimalist space look too cluttered. It is best to keep anything you don’t need at the moment stored away in hidden spots around your room. And if anything is no longer useful to you, get rid of it. You can throw things out or get rid of them in other ways, like through selling them or donating them. 

What You Need In A Minimalist Dorm Room

Comforter

A comforter is necessary so you can spend your nights sleeping, well, comfortably. You should bring at least one with you when you move into your dorm room. Two or three comforters should be the maximum you bring with you when you’re going for minimalism. You will need to avoid crowding your room with too many things. Bring enough so that your bed doesn’t have to be naked while you’re doing your laundry. If washing and then using your comforter on the same day works for you, you can even get away with just bringing one comforter. But if that’s not preferable or if you would like a different look for your bed once in a while, take two or more with you. 

Sheets 

Just like with the comforter, two sets of quality twin XL sheets are really all you need to survive in a dorm room. As long as you have another pair of sheets to spread across your bed while you’re doing laundry, you’re all set to sleep comfortably. Having too many more sets of sheets in your dorm room will only be taking up space. All you need to do is choose two different styles or colors of sheets, preferably ones that go well with whatever comforters you bring. Consider going with neutral colors so that your sheets can match whatever colors your dorm room ends up being. Or you can go bolder with your colors. You can also choose to bring one neutral colored set of sheets and one set of sheets that’s a bold color so you can switch things up once in a while. 

Pillows

The number of pillows you will need depends on how many would help you sleep comfortably, but make sure not to bring too many. If you’re comfortable with just one pillow, then that is the perfect number of pillows to get. If you need any more than one pillow, make sure they fit onto your bed well enough. You should avoid overcrowding your bed with too many pillows when you’re aiming for a minimalist dorm room style. 

Storage Trunk

A storage trunk will keep clutter outside of view. A minimalist space should have adequate storage so that everything doesn't need to take up space out in the open. It will make it so you can have more things with you without it ruining the dorm room style you’re going for. Rather than have multiple small items sprawled all over your dorm room, you can keep them hidden away in a trunk and keep it under your bed. 

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Anything that doesn’t need to be out in the open can be placed into the storage trunk. You will feel a sense of relief putting away the small necessities that take up unnecessary desk and drawer space. You can use it to store books, blankets, and snacks among other things. It's something that is good for all kinds of college students to have. And it's not only great for storage, but can also keep your valuables safe and locked away in it as well. You can even use it as a bedside or coffee table, which makes it extra useful. 

Wall Art

Wall art is not completely necessary in a minimalist space, you can certainly only buy the things you need, but wall decorations can improve a minimalist space. There are many ways to add limited decorations to your walls that will make them stand out but not overpower the dorm room. Paintings, photos, and tapestries can go onto your walls to add one or more pops of color. 

What You Don’t Need in A Minimalist Dorm Room 

Television Set

A television set is not necessary to have in a dorm room. While it is nice to watch movies on a big screen, a TV will take up way more space than you should take up in a minimalist room. Though whether you get one or not can depend on if a TV is deemed a necessity for you. But minimalism is about living with only what you need, so a TV isn’t completely necessary if you have a laptop. Your laptop is a necessity that should replace your TV set for the duration of your stay in your minimalist dorm room. You can easily watch your favorite shows and movies on your laptop screen. 

A laptop works well because of how small and compact it is. If you want to watch a movie with a large group, there are likely spaces on campus where you can gather and use a large projector for movie night. If that’s not possible, watching a movie on a small screen with your friends can still be a lot of fun! 

Too Much Clothing 

You might live to look your best while maintaining a more minimalist lifestyle, and that is certainly possible. You don’t need to bring your entire wardrobe from home into your dorm room. You should pick out the most essential pieces you have to form a stylish and practical wardrobe. Having the right number of different clothing items will allow you to look stylish while still being minimalist. You just have to mix and match properly and you can use the same pieces to create different outfits. 

You don’t need to bring too many pairs of pants. Choose the ones you take with you wisely. When it comes to jeans, grab a pair of light wash jeans, a dark wash, and a medium. Choose jeans with different cuts and styles. You can choose based on different criteria, but don’t grab several pairs of jeans with the same cut and wash. 

The same applies to other clothing items. Choose a practical combination of skirts, dresses, jackets, and shoes. Make sure that you also bring a few items you can wear on special occasions. You want to have a wardrobe that looks diverse, but doesn't take up too much space in your closet or spill out into your room. 

Food Supplies

Cooking and kitchen Supplies aren’t needed for most dorm rooms. Unless your dorm room comes with some form of a kitchen, you shouldn’t take any kitchen supplies with you when you move in. You will likely have everything that you need for food in the dining hall. You likely won’t even need a microwave. Plenty of schools have them, though it could be a good idea to call and check to find out. 

A mini fridge can certainly be useful in a dorm room, but when you’re aiming for minimalism, it could be a good idea to go without one. You can easily do without one. Just make sure that you don’t often bring more food than you can handle at once into your dorm room. And you can’t store cold drinks without a mini fridge, but you could still manage and just leave the dorm room whenever you need a cold drink. 

A dorm room is often a small space, so using a minimalist decoration style can make it feel a lot more spacious. You will find that a clear space can leave you with mental clarity that gets you positively through the day!