Yikes! First a hanging chair, now a pendant lamp and wall-mounted shelf? Not only do dorms not allow these items, most college apartment rentals won't either!

looks like some people have never heard of spackle before.

I think you can't take the "dorm style" theme too literally. I was living on a dorm room budget years after I graduated from college.

Do yourself a favor and call Ikea before going to pick up a Lack shelf. I drove an hour on Sunday to pick 3 of these up and they said they were sold out until at least mid-September.

@thebean - you know you can check inventory for a specific store online, right?

As far as mounting shelves and whatnot...it depends on what kind of walls you have. We hung all sorts of things from the ceiling and it was allowable as long as it was something like six inches from the ceiling (fire hazard).

Guys, it isn't that the holes aren't patchable, it's that most dorm rooms have painted cement walls - not hanging-furniture friendly. We were not allowed to put nails, screws, pushpins, etc into our walls in the dorms - so not an option.

@seawhitney - We had cement walls, and they were pretty aggravating. But we had sturdy ceilings so we got away with a lot. But even so, not every dorm is like that. My college built newer dorms a year after I arrived and those had regular drywall.

My dorm room's walls weren't cement, so like Pi said, we were free to hang things as long as they weren't super close to the ceiling. Plus, you're "not allowed" to do a lot of things, but if you do a nice job when you move out, no one will ever know. ;)

Regardless, I wish I had this guide when I was living in a dorm!

Well, it does say that you can put the lack shelf on end against a wall, so you wouldn't need to hang/mount it.

And I think this post more illustrates that you can convey a style with a few small and simple pieces. It's not a strict guide of things you ought to do.

Ditto seawhitney- it's not about spackling or painting at the end of the school year- many times the walls are impenetrable concrete block and sometimes painted an awful industrial, but not white color, that you couldn't match anyway. Also I know that some campus housing is subject to inspections by RAs, etc. so you could get busted before the year is even out.

where is the platform bed from?

Dorm Style isn't something to be taken literal. I feel it is more of a nod to the way of life. Ie. Not a lot of money to spend, non permanent housing. We have to call that something right? Just because we may be broke and transient doesn't mean we cant live with style!

Paige love your comment that made me giggle

the way i see it, college is the only time in your life you can get away with putting posters of movie stars on your walls with tape, so come on, just go with it. besides, who want to play beer pong on a sheepskin rug...?

Yeah, what's with the haters? Just because you can't do it in YOUR dorm or college rental doesn't mean others aren't interested in seeing this-- whether they're in college or not. I graduated ages ago but still clicked on this to check out the chairs. And it never occurred to me that I had to ask landlord permission in my rentals to hang shelves... I just did it. Is that normal to have to ask to hang anything that isn't art? Whhoooops.

i agree with most of the comments.

the 'dorm style' is really just a nod to simpler, more cost-effective living. using neutral furniture and adding pops of pattern, texture and color with inexpensive items that you won't feel guilty about 'being totally over' in 6 months.

i'm still technically using this version of 'dorm style' in my apartment long after school ended.

there should be a term for it other than 'dorm style' though.

any suggestions?

Any ideas on what to put on those white concrete block walls BESIDES posters of movie stars? Does anyone know if hanging fabric with fabric starch works?

Love the Lack stack shelves, btw. Storage is always an issue and these look great and really clever to put them in a corner.

Well, I'm enjoying these dorm style posts. Finally, something that doesn't assault my eyes with too much fluorescent color and inappropriate use of zebra stripes.

I agree-these are great suggestions for both college students and even recent grads (like myself) who aren't ready/don't have the money to spend on items that probably cost a months rent. Items like the Lack shelf (love that!) are great pieces for the interim. Noone expects them to last forever but they give you something nice at an affordable price until you are more settled.

$35 for a lamp made from cut up cardboard boxes, a few dowel rods, scrap wood and a cord covered in burlap? Only at Anthropologie. Ugh.

Now THIS is what I'm talking about. Thanks for this helpful post with suggestions for those of us without money to burn. Enough with the recommendations for $700 vacuum cleaners and $1500 dog beds; high-quality,expensive stuff is easy to root out (I already KNOW a Ferrari is a nice car). Even though I don't necessarily love every piece recommended, I appreciate the inspiration all these dorm style posts have given me (even though I don't live in an actual dorm).

The pendant lamp seems a bit more rustic than the usual scandinavian modern aesthetic... it's more common and makes this inspiration board even more ikea-heavy, but if you were going with a pendant I think the knappa would have been a better suggestion (would have shaved $5 off the total, even!)

To make this style even more affordable, IKEA has a rug that looks just like the one pictured, except that it's faux, for only $10. I just got one today :D