Between the Sheets

College-Bound: 5 Decorating Ideas to Get Their Dorms Ready (as featured on Houzz)

The term 'dorm room' can conjure images of not-so-cozy, utilitarian sleeping quarters, but dorm living doesn't have to be like this. More and more often we're seeing a trend towards thoughtful living - and sleeping - and our college-bound kids are no exception to this shift. If you're helping someone move out of the nest and into a dorm (or you yourself are getting dorm-ready), read on for three brilliant ideas to make the dorm bed feel more like home.

1. The Bed is Everything: From sleep to study to (dare we say) snacking, the bed is undoubtedly going to be the centrepiece of the dorm room. Quality sheets are imperative for quality sleep. We suggest a soft jersey, cozy flannel, or 100% cotton for your dorm bed. Form really meets function with these fabrics, as all three of them allow for ultimate comfort with a purposefully casual look (read: low maintenance). A good set will last well beyond graduation.

2. Get down & Prop Up: The advent of college is prime time to invest in a quality sleeping pillow and duvet to keep your scholar sleeping soundly through graduation and beyond. Nothing compares to 100% goose down fill, which provides both softness and support in a range of firmnesses for the pillow, and adapts to the body's temperature while they sleep under the duvet. It's an excellent idea to introduce an ultra-firm decorative pillow as well (feather fills offer much more body than down), which can serve as support for propping up when hitting the books in bed (or watching late night TV.) Major accidents aside, the use of simple cotton pillow protectors will keep the pillows in top shape (read: hygienic) for years to come. And there's nothing quite as comfy as sleeping under a duvet.

3. Embrace (faux) Fur: Every dorm room could do with a fleck of fur. Be it a cozy faux fur throw, a fluffy fur pillow, or a plush furry stool, this on-trend look will add texture, warmth, and style to the space all in one shot.