<p>I haven't decided where I am going to school yet, but I will definitely be living in dorms in th fall. I am looking into some potential storage solutions for my dorm as I would like to maximize every inch of space. I plan on lofting my bed giving me the space below it to be used for my desk & anything else I'd like. I was looking into possibly getting wire cubed shelves & fabric bins to go in there. I like these because they seem portable and decently easy to take down at the end of the year. Please let me know if you have used these or have any other storage/shelving ideas. These will primarily be used to house extra clothes, towels, snacks, etc. Thanks!</p>
<p>I have a stack of plastic storage bins that have wheels on the bottom. It’s awesome. You can get them at Target for a decent price. My roommate has one, too, and they’re very convenient.</p>
<p>Many colleges do not allow beds to be lofted. Some do, but many dont. You may want to just wait to buy anything until you know exactly where you will be. Most college beds can be set so that the mattress is about 3 feet up from the floor and you can use the space under the bed for storage.</p>
<p>If your bed is raised, I got underbed drawers from the container store, and while more expensive, I got them on sale and they’re amazing. They’re not boxes, they’re actual stackable drawers, so its just like have another chest of drawers under my bed. I have a normal height bed on risers</p>
<p>Ditto on the “wait until you’ve seen your actual room” approach. My college didn’t allow beds to be lofted either. In my dorm most rooms had bunk beds or ‘captain style’ beds with under-bed drawers.</p>
<p>I’d like to second stradmom’s concern about the sturdiness of some storage solutions. I too have tried the wire cubes and fabric shelves, and I have discarded them both in favor of wooden shelves and plastic crates. </p>
<p>Re fabric shelves that go inside the closet: another disadvantage is that they take up too much space in small closets. (Odds are you won’t know if you have a 2ft or 5ft of closet space until you move in.)</p>
<p>My school lets you loft your beds… and from what I’ve seen on youtube’s dorm hauls everyone uses the three drawer carts because they’re bigger with more convenience because you can choose to have wheels or not and move it around. I personally am lofting my bed for the exact same reasons and I plan on using a storage autumn ← I know I spelled that wrong → and the carts.</p>
<p>Do you mean those square footstool/ottomon things where the seat removes and there’s a storage spot inside? I’ve been eyeing them lately for D2’s tiny apartment - are they comfortable and do they give you decent storage? :)</p>