Posted by Charlotte Trecartin
on June 29, 2026
Moving into a dorm and starting college can be hard. We wanted to make adding to your shopping list a bit easier! Below will be a list for must haves and important reminders for your dorm room! Decorations are important to consider when moving into your dorm room, being a new place for the next year you will want to make the place your own! Which is why decorations should be made personable but also practical due to the small space and housing rules. The following ideas will keep dorm regulations in mind but also help you to decorate your room.
#1 Make sure everything fits dorm policies.
The first most important thing to do when creating your dorm checklist is to read all the policies. Being the person stuck with damage fees when you move out adds lots of extra stress to the moving out process. It avoids this issue as a whole. It's important to be clear on your dorm polices … before you ruin the ceiling or the wall with nails, chipped paint, and more. A good way to not have to damage your walls with nail holes is using adhesive hooks. We would recommend using adhesive hooks since it helps prevent paying damage fees. Adhesive hooks can be just as strong and most importantly protects the wall and ceiling. A great option for mini hooks, strong hooks and adhesive hooks that help decorate your room are colorful hooks such as, WallCandy hooks.
#2 Lighting with Strong Hooks
A good investment to decorate your room is lighting for your space. Investing in softer lighting for your dorm will be very beneficial when one roommate is trying to sleep or if you just don't want to have to see your room in the bright fluorescent lighting. By using strong hooks you can put string lights across the ceiling or near your bed to add a cozy look to your dorm and have better lighting. The picture to the left shows a cute dorm room decoration example. Using the string lights they created much softer lighting throughout the dorm room.
#3 Organization to Decorate your Room
Dorm rooms are extremely small so it's smart to utilize all space. Using adhesive hooks you can hang purses, belts or jewelry on your wall to help with storage. Another way to prioritize utilizing all space is storage under the desk, under the bed and anywhere there is extra room. Are all great ways to store items that take up a lot of space. One idea is putting a shoe caddy under the bed to save lots of closet space. The picture shows a great way to use adhesive hooks to add decoration to your room.
#4 Key storage with Mini Hooks
A good way to keep track of your dorm keys is by using a mini hook on the wall by your door. That way when you leave and arrive at your dorm you have an easy reminder of where you put your keys. This can help you not accidently lock yourself out of the dorm and save lots of embarrassment or extra fees! The picture on the right shows a cute way to have to hook by your door so it also adds a bit of personality!
#5 Bedside caddy to Decorate your Room
Buying a bedside caddy is essential for a dorm room. To add this you can use adhesive hooks to place a bedside caddy on your bedframe. A bedside caddy is used to store all of your nightly necessities. It's especially useful for a water bottle, lip balm, sleeping mask, headphones, glasses and your phone. The picture to the left shows how especially useful a bedside caddy is if you can have a lofted bed. That way you don't have to climb up something from that high up and down your bed multiple times or run the risk of accidentally dropping something. Using strong hooks for your bedside caddy will protect all of your nightly items.
#6 Extension cord
Having an extension cord to charge all of the items is a necessity. Between a phone, computer, calculators and headphones you will need the extra charging space. The photo to the right shows a way you can keep the extension cord somewhat hidden and acts as a small decoration piece. An extension cord is also useful to help you charge your devices from anywhere in your dorm! Using mini hooks you can secure your cord to the wall in order to prevent accidently tripping on multiple cords.
#7 Fun WallCandy Stick On Self Adhesive Hooks
A great way to decorate your room is with decorative adhesive hooks. It can add lots of personality to your room making a usually boring white hook a personalized piece of practical decoration. The picture on the left shows a great example of what this could look like in your dorm room! Have fun choosing a fun decorative hook like one from WallCandy for your dorm!
What not to bring to a dorm?
A couple of things are important to not bring to your dorm. Fire hazards such as air fryers are especially a no for dorms. Anything that can cause damage to the dorm as well such as harsh tape or nails for walls is always usually not allowed in dormitories. If you have any doubts on what is or isn’t allowed in your dorm its essential to reach out to your housing administrator to ask any important questions- it's always better to have any questions answered before the move in process.
So, What dorm essentials are often forgotten?
The dorm essentials that are often overlooked would be basics such as command hooks, extension cords, medicine, first-aid kits, and extra organization such as shoe racks. The essentials can help make your living space so much more comfortable and they often get forgotten. So yes, decorations are important and a must have for your dorm but so are the boring everyday practical items. Remember to pack these items and it will make moving in a much easier transition. Overall packing can be a stressful and overwhelming process but we hope this helped you add to your shopping list for your dorm this fall.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully these ideas gave you a starting point on what is necessary to buy or have for your dorm room this fall. Before checking in it's important to read over your dorm's guidelines to not be stuck with stress and extra fees at the end of the year. But using these tips you're already off to a good start, enjoy packing for the school year and have fun!
Written by Isabella Nasar
