This article is about aesthetic dorm desk ideas, essentials, and organization.
So, you’re moving into a dorm soon?
And you know you’ll be studying in your dorm a lot, so you want a cozy AND practical study space?
Well, gosh, do I have some tip for you!
It can be soooo exciting to design your very own dorm, and your desk is a BIG part of that!
But, just like the rest of your dorm, your desk’s limited space can be a challenge to work with.
To keep your space functional while still being easy on the eyes, I’ve compiled a list of super-easy dorm desk design tips that will optimize your space for beauty AND function.
You don’t need any interior design skills to apply these tips, and they’re fully customizable to suit YOUR space and YOUR needs!
You’ll be feeling studious, cozy, and successful in no time at all!
A Note On Pricing
As we all know, college is expensive. And that’s an understatement.
When you’re busy paying for tuition, food, textbooks, and other essentials, you might not be willing to splurge on desk organization. I’m certainly not!
So I’m not here to give you a list of “dorm desk essentials” that you need to BUY.
The only “essential” I’ll mention today is a power strip, and you can get those for pretty cheap.
Besides that, any items I mention are things that you likely already own.
And if I mention an item that you don’t have, just skip that tip. No biggie!
Instead, my dorm desk ideas focus more on organization STRATEGIES and DESIGNS instead of supplies so that you can have a productive work space without spending a single penny.
These tips are both practical AND cute, and I know that because I’ve used them all to design my own space over time.
So let’s get into this!
Aesthetic College Dorm Desk Ideas That Are 100% Free
Location
The first time you arrive in your dorm, it’s important to arrange your furniture in an optimal way.
You’ll definitely want to choose a good spot for your desk, since this can be hard to change later (especially if you have any roommates, since they’ll have their own furniture, too).
When you pick a spot for your dorm desk, there are two things you want to consider:
- Push your desk up against a solid wall. This means NOT your bed frame, dresser, etc.
- Make sure there’s an outlet either under your desk or close by.
Bonus points if you can get some natural light to shine on your desk! But that’s not necessary.
The most important element here is honestly the outlet.
I would HEAVILY encourage you to get a power strip for everything you’ll need to plug in.
After all, you’re going to have your laptop charger, phone charger, desk lamp, maybe a monitor or gaming console, and who knows what else!
A single outlet isn’t going to cut it.
As for placing your desk against the wall…
There are several benefits of this, one of which is that it gives your desk more of a “closed-off” feeling.
And that will come in handy when you’re trying to focus while studying!
I’ll touch on a couple other benefits of this later in this article, so keep reading!
Related: Which Study Spot Is The Best For You? Here’s How To Find Out?
Cable Management
As mentioned above, you probably have a lot of devices and cables in your desk area.
And I think we can all agree that having cables everywhere can be kinda uggo.
(Don’t worry. I just cringed a little, too)
All of that visual clutter can be stressful, and you certainly don’t want that energy in your workspace!
Related: 5 Minimalist Mindsets You Need To Adopt Today
Not to mention that your feet can get caught up in the jumble of cables under your desk.
So how about we try to hide all those chargers and connectors a little bit?
There are two easy ways to do this, and which one you choose will likely depend on how your desk is built.
Wrap Your Cables Around Your Desk’s Legs
Not all desks have legs, especially in dorms.
But if yours DOES (or if the leg of your bed is nearby!), you can simply wrap your cables around them!
Yes, they’ll still be visible from some angles.
But the important thing here is that they look MUCH more orderly, and it makes a HUGE difference in how your dorm workspace looks!
Attach Your Cables To The Underside Of Your Desk
This is a better option if your desk doesn’t have legs.
Attaching the cables to your desk can be a little tricky, but it’s nothing some command hooks can’t handle!
In fact, using those command Velcro strips are an even better option here!
I often see people only use command hooks for hanging things on walls, but they can honestly be SO much more useful than that!
If you attach them to the underside of your desk, you can pop your cables into the hook to hold them up and out of your way!
This hides them from view while also keeping them away from your feet!
DIY “Book Stand”
Space on your desk is LIMITED.
And studying often requires a lot of materials at once: textbooks, notebooks, your laptop, pens, etc.
But with such limited space, you need a way to be able to see everything!
A super-easy way to make everything more visible without taking up space is to prop your book open against the wall.
(This is one reason I suggested pushing your desk up against a solid wall)
Your notebooks, especially spiral-bound ones, will probably stay open just fine when you lean them against your wall.
But other books, like your textbooks, might have more trouble staying open.
To keep your book up, the solution is really quite simple:
Keep a heavy yet small object nearby to prop your book up.
Yes, it really IS that easy. But most people won’t think of it.
Some objects I might recommend you use for this are your waterbottle, a pretty rock, literally just a jar of peanut butter, a candle, another book, your desk lamp, etc.
All you need to do is place the object of your choice in front of your book, and it’ll stay open.
This will keep your book visible to you without taking up a lot of precious desk space as you study!
Posture Check!
You. Right Now. Fix your posture!
(not me, editing this article, sitting up straighter when I read that lol)
Okay, but in all seriousness, we all have terrible posture when we’re studying, right?
A lot of people will blame this on being hunched over our devices all day long.
And a simple way to combat this is to… well… not hunch over when you’re looking at your device…
But that’s hard to do if your laptop is sitting on your desk’s surface below eye level.
So all you need to do is raise up your computer a bit!
Whether you work from your laptop’s screen or a larger monitor, placing this device on top of a cute box on your desk will keep you from needing to crane your neck to look at it.
If you have an actual laptop stand, then that’s even better, but it’s fine if you don’t (I just use a box lol).
This way, at least whenever you’re working at your dorm desk, you’ll inadvertently work on your posture as well.
Dorm Desk Ideas For Organization
When you live in a dorm room, your storage options will be LIMITED.
And your dorm desk is no exception to this struggle!
You’re bound to have a lot of supplies that you want to have on-hand as you work.
But where are you supposed to PUT all those things?
A lot of desk organizers take up a lot of space on your desk (you know, the ones with the cubbies and such), so those aren’t always ideal.
But there are a few other ways to organize your supplies without wasting precious desk space.
And these involve using cute, everyday items you already own and REPURPOSING them as storage!
Not only is this super easy but also completely FREE!
Here are a few ideas for how to use everyday objects as desk storage:
- Use a cute cup or a small box as a pen holder.
- Place your books against the wall as a DIY bookshelf (this works especially well if your desk is in a corner).
- Arrange a storage bin or other box under your desk and place supplies in it.
Another GREAT tip for dorm desk organization is to keep your desk supplies minimal.
When you’re packing for college, remember that you really don’t need a lot of supplies.
So instead of bringing 5 different types of sticky notes or packs of pens, how about just one?
You can also write your notes on your computer instead of bringing 5 different notebooks.
Having fewer supplies is the single best way to keep your space clean and organized.
(And it will be a whole lot cheaper)
These simple storage solutions for your dorm desk will allow you to still have everything you need while keeping your space feeling peaceful and cozy.
And, as you’re working, you’ll have access to EVERYTHING you need AND be able to see your notes!
Dorm Desk Ideas For Wall Decor
Since you’ve placed your desk against a wall, your first instinct will likely be to decorate the wall behind it.
That way, you’ll have something pretty to look at while you study!
HOWEVER.
Consider this first: Will the pretty decorations distract you when you’re trying to work?
I know I can get lost in just staring at my decorations, and I’m sure I can’t be the only one.
But, most likely, you’ll still want to have something on your wall, right?
Well, your wall can still be pretty without being distracting!
Here’s my best advice for achieving this:
First, sit in your desk chair just like you would if you were working.
Take note of how much of your wall is within your line of sight while you’re working.
And simply place your wall decor ABOVE your line of sight.
This way, the wall directly in front of you will be clear from distractions…
But you’ll still get to decorate your dorm to your liking without leaving an awkward blank spot on your wall.
Make Your Desk Cozy
When you’re trying to study, being uncomfortable can actually be a HUGE distraction.
The last thing you want is to lose precious study time because you’re constantly shifting around and trying to get comfortable.
So have some built-in comfort already in your work space!
Here are a few ideas for simple comfort:
- Instead of keeping your spare throw blanket at the foot of your bed, drape it on the back of your desk chair.
- Place a rug under your desk to protect your feet from the cold, hard floor.
- Keep other comfy items, such as fuzzy socks, a hoodie, maybe some tea, etc. near your desk.
- Put a warm-colored light bulb in your desk lamp instead of the standard white light. This is my favorite tip because warm light is also kinder on your eyes, especially if you’re working after sunset.
All of these tips will make your space soooo much more cozy!
And having a peaceful space will help you WANT to sit at your desk and get some work done!
HOWEVER.
Keep this in mind: if you’re someone who might fall asleep while working, this set of dorm desk ideas might not be for you.
But if you’re not much of an “accidental napper,” than cozy up and get to work!
Is your desk feeling like a productive work space yet?
With these dorm desk ideas and organization tips, you’ll be blazing through your work in no time!
If you’d like more content about living a more sustainable life wherever you are, I post 2 articles every week on exactly that! Sign up for my newsletter to get them sent to your inbox every Sunday morning, along with other motivational content!
In the meantime, here are a few other articles I think you might enjoy:
Until next time, I hope you have a lovely day, and always remember that you CAN have it all!
xoxo Corinne