<p>My roommate and I are going to have a small dorm room this year: 12.5'x13'. Especially compared to what I had last year (a 12x15 single). We only have one closet and one set of drawers. Does anyone have advice on what we can do to make it seem bigger or to help us get the most out of the little space we have?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>definitely loft your beds if you can. it might be easier to give the both of you your own personal space by not setting it up as a bunk and instead settin the beds up individually and lofting them up so that you can store your own stuff underneath.</p>
<p>also, think about alot of storage containers like the ones on tv that are type slim and long that would easily fit into almost any space.</p>
<p>i hope i helped a bit.</p>
<p>You'll need to use every inch of that room! Lofting will be key as the above poster mentioned. Hopefully the dorm you're going into allows this. Definitely invest in some of those plastic drawers that stack.
My D had a situation like this last year with her roommate. It's challenging but can be done! Keep in mind that you'll be needing to look for extra storage space by going vertical.</p>
<p>Also be sure you get some over the door racks (with hooks) for inside and outside the closet and an expandable one for the door to your room. My D even hung an over-the-door rack on the foot of her bed. She used this for purses, bookbags,duffel, etc.</p>
<p>Definitely make sure to get a Closet Rod Doubler--it really does "double" the hanging space in your closet. And make sure to use all the shelf space in the closet with more stacking plastic drawers.</p>
<p>Those Jaffa blocks (cubes) that come in a set of four are great because you can put them together in any configuration to use as another place for storage. D's roommate used two stacked on top of each other right next to their front door for food, dishes, etc. They did have a mini-fridge in their room.</p>
<p>If you have an Ikea near you, go visit it. They have lots of interesting space saving items. Of course, Container Store is great for this too. If you go there, don't just walk around and look. Make a point to talk to someone who usually works in the closets section. They really have great suggestions for maximizing space.</p>
<p>Hope this helps and good luck.</p>
<p>If you can't loft your beds try flipping them over so they are higher off the ground, my roommate and i did that last year and it made it so we could fit drawers and containers underneath them to give us more room to store things.</p>
<p>Wow, only one closet? </p>
<p>Anyway, vertical storage and storage under beds. That's the key. Man, I'm glad I haven't experienced the small room yet...Last year it was 15x16, this year I'm in the 15x17. Really jealous of the 15x23 room next door.</p>
<p>12.5' by 13' is actually bigger than the room I'll be having: I get to share a double that's 7' by 11'. Granted, we get a 12' by 16' common room, but that gets shared by me, my roommate, and two other people.</p>
<p>MIRRORS!! full-length mirrors on the walls give the impression of more depth and space in a small or enclosed room. (i know it sounds weird, but it really works!!) just buy 3 mirrors (not the frame) and mount it on the wall. it's trendy and definitely worth the price</p>
<p>Mirrors are a great idea. Lofting the beds is also a great idea. Get creative! Hang things from the ceiling! Get rid of the beds entirely and use hammocks and ladders instead!</p>
<p>By the by, my brother's dorm room is an 8 foot cube, quite literally. Be thankful for what you've got! =)</p>
<p>Our room's looking a bit small too, so here are some suggestions we've gotten from past students:</p>
<p>1) Bookcases can go on top of desks, back against the wall.<br>
a) It looks kind of cool.
b) I'd rather have my books at eye level anyway.
c) Most college desks are pretty large- I was looking at pictures of rooms in my dorm, and one girl had room to put the bookcase on the back of her desk and also keep a desktop computer there. Since I have a laptop, there will be plenty of space.
d) It makes use of otherwise wasted space and frees up floor space.</p>
<p>2) Dressers in the closets.
a) Neither of us are planning on hanging all that many clothes, so we can make good use of the floor space in the closet by putting the dressers in there. This will save a lot of floor space.</p>
<p>3) Bed Risers.
a) Not much explanation- they just provide more underbed space.</p>
<p>As you can see, we really don't want to bunk beds. The way we're planning to set it up, all we'll have in the room itself (for major furniture anyway) is 2 beds, 2 desks, a minifridge, and a few lamps. I don't know if any of those will help you, but I think they'll work for us.</p>
<p>Some dorms have extra storage spaces (mine had a little nook in the hallway with a closet rod...most people just threw empty boxes there). I would see if your college has something like this. The last thing you're going to want is empty boxes and out-of-season items taking up space in your room (but if you live close enough, you can just bring that stuff home...)</p>
<p>Try to arrange the room so that it has the most useable floor space (ie if your roommate or you don't want your bed lofted, put a dresser or shelving unit underneath it, stack books under there, or have your laundry hamper down there). Lofting definitely has its advantages in that aspect</p>