Your first college dorm is stressful enough as it is before you even consider the stress of designing your very own dorm room. There are so many different pieces to the massive puzzle of decor and necessities that you need to fit together. Finding both the time and the energy to go out and find everything you need can be difficult - especially when you’re trying to live out the few remaining months you have left with your childhood friends before you all go your separate ways.

Shopping for your first college dorm is stressful enough as it is. There are so many different pieces to the massive puzzle of decor and necessities that you need to fit together. Finding both the time and the energy to go out and find everything you need can be difficult - especially when you’re trying to live out the few remaining months you have left with your childhood friends before you all go your separate ways.

Between searching for your style, finding proper storage bins to help you bring along all of your belongings, picking out your decor, and - most importantly - finding that perfect set of bedding that will last you all of your college years, you may find yourself completely overwhelmed. We’re here to help relieve some of that stress. From mistakes to avoid to tips on how to best get the dorm room style you’ve been dreaming of, we’ve got you covered.

Things to Keep in Mind When it Comes to Dorm Room Bedding

Don’t Waste Time on Returns -- Avoid These Common Mistakes When Buying Dorm Room Bedding

It happens to the best of us. You’re on an online shopping spree, filling up your virtual shopping cart with things that you simultaneously want and need (okay, sometimes the need is subjective), and you’re super excited to put everything to use as soon as it arrives. As soon as you’ve calculated exactly how much money you can reasonably spend, you work your way through the checkout, and from there it’s just a waiting game to see when your items will arrive. When everything finally does arrive, though, you go to test it out, only to realize that it doesn’t fit. 

Whether it’s a thermos too tall to fit on the shelf of your kitchen cupboard, a pair of shorts that wouldn’t even fit your left thigh, or a pack of paper clips that is much, much bigger than you were anticipating, you’ve probably found yourself regretting a purchase at one point or another and wondering just what it would take for you to be able to return the items you ordered in the wrong size. Save yourself the hassle of returns by paying close attention to these tips before you begin searching for your dorm room bedding.

Double check the bedding sizes you have in your cart before checking out. 

This goes without saying, but you might be surprised at just how easy it is for your hand to slip while you’re dragging your mouse along and for you to accidentally select the wrong size when you’re shopping online. Standard dorm rooms all come with Twin-XL sized beds - which basically just means they’re twin beds that come with a little extra length to accommodate a little bit more height now that you’re an adult. While the width of the beds is the same, a standard twin sheet will not fit over your entire mattress lengthwise, so make sure you’ve selected the Twin-XL size bedding to avoid having to return and reorder your dorm room bedding.

Don’t forget to snag a spare set of sheets. 

You may think that you’ll be able to coast through your four years in college with just one set of sheets you’ll wash periodically, but you may want to rethink this. While you certainly could make one set of sheets last for four years, you’ll probably eventually come to the conclusion that a spare set of sheets would be much more convenient. The last thing you want is to strip the sheets from your bed one day so you can wash them, only to remember you have a huge assignment due soon that you need to start working on immediately. Before you know it, you’ll be collapsing into a bed with no bedding on it because you didn’t have time to wash your single set of sheets. Save yourself a cold night by having a backup set of sheets in the same color or pattern to switch out when you need to.

Shop for your dorm room bedding with different seasons in mind. 

If the school you’ve chosen is in a warmer part of the country, you can probably disregard this one, but if people in the area of your school have reported teeth-chattering temperatures, you may just want to pay close attention. Your body temperature will naturally drop 1-2 degrees as you fall asleep, so the colder it is in your dorm room, the more difficult it will be for your body to come back up to its normal temperature. Make sure you can stay comfortable no matter what season it is by cozying up with a set of seasonally appropriate sheets in the winter (we’re a fan of fleece!) and sticking to a set of cooler, more lightweight sheets during warmer months.

Consider coordinating your dorm room bedding with your roommate to give your room a cohesive, polished look. 

Whether or not you and your roommate decide that you’d like to coordinate may be entirely dependent on whether the two of you mesh well enough to continue being roommates after your first year together. You may wind up deciding that you’d both rather just stick to your own personal styles, but it’s still a good idea to have that conversation before you dive headfirst into ordering your dorm room decor. Get in touch with your future roommate on Facebook or Instagram to learn more about them and decide whether your styles are similar enough to coordinate your dorm room bedding.

Save money for some extra decor by investing in a bedding bundle. 

There’s no rule that says you can’t go out and buy individual pieces for your dorm room bedding to mix and match as you please. Keep in mind, though, that all of the prices for those individual pieces will quickly add up, so if you’re working with a budget, a better option might be to look at bedding bundles that will give you everything you need for a lower price - which will give you some more wiggle room when it comes to buying the other decor that will pull your whole room together. Bundles even have the added benefit of every piece within them already matching! When you buy individual pieces for your bedding, you often have to jump through hoops to find colors that match each other. Save yourself the stress of having to return some items so you can look for more that may or may not match better.

Remember that higher quality products are more likely to stand the test of time. 

Affordability is always going to be a factor when it comes to selecting your dorm room bedding, but we recommend that you don’t just settle for whatever is cheapest. You are going to be in college - and potentially living in a campus dorm - for four years and you’re going to want some bedding that will last for as long as you need it if you don’t want to wind up having to reorder some halfway through your education. Look for sheets with high thread counts (aim for 500-800 count) or Egyptian cotton to find the highest quality products and you will be set for bedding that will last you for as long as you need it!

Prevent unnecessary wear and tear by learning how to wash your sheets properly. 

There are a few different recommendations as to how often you should wash your sheets (usually based on factors like how much you clothe yourself when you’re asleep and whether you sleep under or over your sheets), but the most common consensus is to wash them every week or so. Making sure that you don’t wash your sheets too often or not frequently enough is the best way for you to keep yourself from ruining them before they’ve been used to their fullest capacity. Wash them too much and you may wear them thin; wash them too little and you may riddle them with stains that are impossible to remove. Click here to learn about how to properly wash your sheets.

Where to Buy Dorm Room Bedding that Will Last

Why OCM Isn’t Your Average Dorm Room Bedding Brand

The folks behind OCM aren’t just entrepreneurs; they care about you, about the artists who are the creative minds behind many of their products, about helping you to have the best experience possible both inside and outside of your college dorm. For nearly four decades now, OCM has been serving up affordable, high-quality bedding and decor to college students across the country. No matter which way you spin it, there are plenty of ways in which OCM goes above and beyond when working with students and schools around the country - and that’s exactly why you should buy your dorm room bedding from them.

OCM’s Products Aren’t Just Cute and Cozy...

They’re also great quality! There’s no denying that the bedding options offered at OCM are some of the cutest and comfiest around, but that’s not all they have to offer. From entire bedding sets all the way down to an individual sheet, each product is designed specifically with the recommended specs you’d typically see on a college campus in mind. That means you can find sheets, comforters, duvets, and even throws that have been specially designed to perfectly fit a standard Twin XL mattress. 

Even better: all of their products are made with the best quality materials possible. You can find microfiber sheets made to last, cotton and cotton-blend sheets with thread counts 500 and higher, and even smooth and lustrous silk sheets that will make you question whether or not you really need to get out of bed today (you do). Their comforters are made of either cotton or microfiber wrapped around a polyester fill to provide you with the softest, coziest blanket you could wish for. It’ll almost feel like a hug!

OCM’s Dedication to Service Doesn’t Just End with Helping You Deck Out Your Dorm Room…

They also love to serve the communities where their products have the biggest impact! That’s right - this isn’t the kind of company that wants to squeeze every last penny they can get out of you and then ghost when they realize you don’t need anything else. At OCM, they truly want to see to it that you have the best college experience possible - both inside and outside of your dorm room. What does seeing to it that you have the best college experience possible look like? It starts with making sure to support your college campus’s local community. 

OCM loves to give back to their partners, so if your school is among those listed (and there’s a good chance it is!), clubs and organizations around your campus are likely receiving support from the very same company providing you with your linens. Now that’s what we call service! An added bonus? They also love supporting independent artists. OCM acts as a mediary between the bedding you’ll have featured in your dorm room and the artists who create it, so anytime you purchase a product made by an independent artist, you’re helping to send money directly into their pockets, rather than to a third party!

When We Say OCM’s Bedding Is High-Quality, We Mean It…

The quality of products at OCM is so high that they actually have a guarantee that any dorm bedding you purchase through them will last you through your graduation at the very least. It’s pretty rare that you find a company willing to stand behind the products they sell with such vigor that they’ll give you a money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied, but that’s exactly what you’ll get with OCM - and that’s a pretty big testament to the quality.

They understand that between using your bed for sleeping, as a place to spread out and study, and as a long bench for all of your friends to sit on when you want to hang out, it will probably go through quite a bit of wear and tear. With their quality guarantee, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll get the best possible use out of your bedding - and if you’re unhappy with it for any reason at all, you can return it for a full refund.

Take a Look at What Everyone Else is Saying…

“It was very easy and organized, there were many options to pick from, and it came in a very good amount of time. College stuff is stressful but it made it a lot easier on me and my mom to get most of it in one place.” - Hannah Waldman

“I ordered bedding and towels for my son when he went to college. They held up all 4 years. I was so pleased that I ordered bedding for my daughter when she started college last year.” - Karen Stockslager

“OCM is such a time and money saver! We were able to shop for everything my daughter needed to begin college in the comfort of our home. The prices are comparable and usually cheaper than similar products in brick and mortar stores. The free shipping is an added bonus!!!!” - Kristie Cato

Not Sure Exactly What Your Personal Style Is Yet?

Get Inspired to Start Recreating These Instagram-Worthy Looks

College tends to sneak up on you. One minute you’re celebrating your eighth grade graduation with your friends, and the next you’re marching to “Pomp and Circumstance” to receive your diploma from one of your high school’s top officials. Most people don’t spend years and years thinking about exactly what they want their future dorm room to look like, so once your graduation has passed and it’s time to start shopping for your dorm room, you may be at a bit of a loss for where to start.

No worries, though. Check out the Instagram looks below to help you spark an idea of what you want your dorm room to look like for the next four years!

Set Sail Towards a Bright Future

Preppy Nautical Blue Dorm Decor Inspired by @shawna.cada

Channel sunny summer days spent out on the water all year-round with some preppy college dorm bedding. Here, they’ve paired a deep blue bedskirt to cover up any storage bins you may not want out in the open with a fluffy bedspread that reminds us of the white foam gathered on the peak of a wave.

Get the look. Achieve these beauty vibes with a beauty print. Click to shop!

Dare to Dream

Russet, Boho Dorm Decor Inspired by @nadialouisethomas

Incorporate some whimsical, idyllic vibes into your dorm room decor with some boho bedding that will help you stay zen even when you’re stressed. Here, they’ve mixed several different textures and bold patterns in muted colors, adding the occasional pop of a brighter rustic color to tie the look together. Accent pillows are a pillar of this design, and the handwoven macrame hanging on the wall brings the whole look home with its dreamy fringe.

Get the look with this adorable mandala bed-in-a-bag set.

Fashion Yourself Some Femininity

Soft Pinks and Girly Accents Inspired by @natateaaa

Let your inner feminist burst out by transfering your femininity into your dorm room decor with bedding that incorporates soft pinks and girly accents. Here, they’ve used traditional elements of femininity, such as pastel pinks, ruffles, fluffy statement pillows, and fairy lights. That being said, they’ve also replaced overtly girly accents, such as dried or fake flowers, with ivy draped around some of their. The ivy is more subtly feminine, but its deep green also helps to offset the pink motif throughout most of the decor.

Get the look with this  “Do It for Yourself” framed wall art. Click to shop!

Relish in Rainbows

Colorful Dorm Room Decor Inspired by @bloggie.maggie

If you’re someone who loves color so much that you’re not sure how you could possibly choose one to feature in your dorm room, there’s no rule that says you have to just pick one. In fact, you could slap all of them together to make one big happy rainbow. That’s what they’ve done here, combining a yellow quilt with blue, orange, green, and red pillows - and even throwing in a couple rainbows for good measure. They’ve rounded out their colorful bedding with some colorful artwork featuring every color in the rainbow.

Get the look with this 7-piece bedding bundle in colorful paisley print.

Shopping for your perfect dorm room bedding doesn’t have to be a hassle, and that’s exactly why we’re here to make things easier for you. Save yourself the trouble of trying to piece together individual pieces of your dorm room bedding by opting for bigger, cohesive bundles instead. It’s about to be an amazing four years!