Budget Bedrooms - dorm room furnishings - Brief Article

Careers and Colleges, March, 2001

We at C&C went shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond (www.bedbath.com) for some dorm must-haves, and we asked our cover models, who are all sophomores at Parsons School of Design in New York, to give us their tips for furnishing a room on a shoestring budget.

Keren Richter (standing), 19, a graduate of Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California, says she looks for free furnishings that have been discarded on the street. "There's an elementary school across from where I live, and I took one of the old school desks that they had put out on the curb," she says. "It's cool because it's one of those desks with a cubby hole underneath for storage."

Aaron Fox, 21, (far right) a graduate of New Vista High School, in Boulder Colorado, also subscribes to the beauty of "found furniture." He snagged a great bureau that someone dumped.

Bhairavi Patel (lying down), 19, a graduate of Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia, says she couldn't live without her dry-erase board, which helps her keep her life organized. "I write everything on there--my homework, things I have to remember to take to class," Patel says. "It's right in front of my table area where I do my work so I can always see it."

Whether you'll be furnishing a dorm next fall or you just want to freshen up your bedroom, take a look at our funky finds which we picked up for less than $300.

1 Easy Chair Furniture To Go $19.99

Let's face it, moving from dorm to dorm each year is no easy task. Packing will be simpler if you lust have to deflate and carry.

2 Mesh Metal Cubes $29.99

Crates are great for storage. We like the look of these mesh metal cubes, but you can go cheaper with Yaffa blocks or good old plastic milk crates.

3 Diamond Drawer Organizer $7.99

Super-organized types might like this device which helps keep your socks and undies separated and organized.

4 Jumbo Lap Desk with Clip $7.99

Can't drag yourself out of bed to study? You don't have to with this lap desk.

5 Sounddesign Alarm Clock $16.99

Wake up to an assortment of sounds and music with this funky alarm clock.

6 Beechwood Snack Table $7.99

In cramped quarters, foldable furniture is key. We like this snack table which can serve as a kitchen table or a mini-desk.

7 Indoor Clothes Dryer by Seymour $9.99

Save money by hanging your wet laundry on a foldable drying rack.

8 Photo Holder $9.99

High school friends won't be forgotten if you remember to hang up their photos in this cool picture hanger.

9 Zebra Broom $12.99

Keep your space clean with this funky sweeper.

10 Shower Caddy Carry-All $3.99

11 Underbed Storage Container $9.99

Trips to the shower down the hail aren't as taxing with a basket to tote your bathroom sundries.

Make use of all the space you have with underbed storage containers to stow away last semester's books or last season's clothes.

12 CD Rack $24.99

Valuable shelf space gets freed up for books and stuff if you move your COs to a free-standing rack like this one.

13 Bi-Casa Organizer & Message Board $19.99

Your roommate will have no excuse for losing your messages. Use dry-erase side to scrawl temporary messages and the bulletin board for souvenirs, photos, and memorabilia.