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"Whether you&amp;#039;re the next HGTV interior decorating star or an incoming college freshman without a clue, pimping out your dorm can actually be more stressful than taking finals. Luckily, my mom and I aren&amp;#039;t afraid to wield a power drill for the sake of creating my super-luxe dorm. All it takes is a little creativity\u2014and a lot of 3M Adhesive Hooks. Here are my top tips for creating the space-saving dorm of your dreams. Create your own furniture. Dorm furniture is bulky and only comes in one of two colors: turquoise or magenta. I wanted my room to look sophisticated, not like Barbie&amp;#039;s dream house. On top of this, I needed a lot more space. To solve this problem, my mom and I went to Home Depot and assembled what later became known as &amp;quot;The Unit.&amp;quot; A custom, multi-level shelving unit made from PVC piping and duct tape, the unit created a canopy over my bed and created enough space to store tons of items. I bought curtains from Urban Outfitters to cover &amp;quot;The Unit,&amp;quot; and voila! The cutest shelves ever assembled for under $30! Be the Princess and the Pea. Under the bed is one of the best storage places. Forego the tiny plastic bed risers in favor of Rack Raisers\u2014they can raise your bed up to 25 inches off the ground! This gives you an additional 50 cubic feet of storage space. IKEA it up. IKEA has funky, inexpensive linens, lighting, posters, and rugs. Forget the John Belushi &amp;quot;College&amp;quot; poster and hang an artsy black and white photograph or a Matisse print\u2014they only cost $10 but bring a grown-up sophistication to your cinderblock walls. IKEA also makes giant, decorative wall stickers called SL\u00C4TTHULT that look like wallpaper. Let there by light. A dreary space instantly comes alive with additional lighting. Add a desk lamp at the least. I bought a plug-in children&amp;#039;s chandelier at Target that made my room feel like a palace. Items to Avoid. Giant chairs (butterfly, sphere, dish), filing cabinets, big safes, drying racks, ironing boards (steam your clothes in the bathroom when you shower), non-school books. Happy dorm doecrating!  Do you have any tips for decorating your dorm? What are your favorite space-saving tips and places to shop for college?  xoxo, Molly Fedick Editorial Intern "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/a10428/daily-kiss-pimp-my-dorm/>