I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of missing the thrill of dorm shopping right now! I’m living in the same apartment as I did last year, so I can’t really justify buying a new duvet and stocking up on tons of decor when my room is already fully decorated 🙁
I want to throw it back today and talk about where I did buy all my stuff from, and those of you who’ve been following me for a while could probably guess 99% of that list. I’m pretty committed to these stores because I’ve consistently found that their products are of a great quality and at an affordable price!
I’ve also gotten into DIY decor again, so I’m thinking of writing a post on some of those pieces (you might notice a few in the pictures below!). They’re a great de-stressor activity and my walls are finally looking full!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure by clicking here.
IKEA
Anyone who’s read my dorm or apartment tour posts knows that IKEA holds a special place in my heart. I’m not kidding when I say ALL of my apartment furniture is from IKEA. My bed, my desk, my storage, my drawers, even my laundry hamper!
Why? Because it’s the most affordable place I’ve found to buy versatile, matching pieces that could grow with me from freshman through senior year. I actually found my IKEA bed on Craigslist for half the price, so if you don’t have an IKEA near you that’s another great option!
For reference, these are the pieces I own:
- MALM Bed Frame (full)
- KALLAX Shelf Unit (tall, 4 inserts)
- KALLAX Shelf Unit (square, 4 inserts)
- VITTSJÖ Shelf Unit
- LINNMON/ALEX Table Combination
- RÅSKOG Cart
- JÄLL Laundry Hamper
- VESKEN Shelf Unit
Society6
Y’all. Society6 is the BEST. They put art on just about every decor object you could need, and have something for every style out there. My apartment color scheme revolves around my Society6 stuff (lots of greens and pinks, with plant prints throughout), and they really help my room feel complete.
You can get tapestries, art prints, pillows, duvets, pretty much anything. These are the products I currently own, though you should follow my Instagram because I’ll be sharing a fun collab with them soon showcasing even more items!
- Plant Print (mini)
- Austin Print (mini)
- Mountain Print (mini)
- Banana Leaf Tapestry (medium, in my living room)
- Tropical Foliage Tapestry (small)
- Gold Branches Laptop Sleeve
If you find something you like, you can get $10 off with my referral link! I promise this post isn’t sponsored lol, I just really love this company and being able to support artists while on a college budget.
Urban Outfitters (sale section!!)
No one thinks “Urban Outfitters” and “affordable” at the same time, but hear me out. They’re always adding new decor items to their sale section, and if you’re willing to hunt around a bit, you can find some awesome deals on unique items. I usually shop the $25 and under page, because I’m not really willing to spend more than that on small decor items.
The only thing I’ve ever bought there at full price is my T-Shirt Jersey Duvet Cover, which was my one splurge item when I first moved into this apartment. It’s as comfy as it sounds and is sort of the statement piece in my room, so I was willing to dish out a bit more money for the look and quality!
These are the other UO products I own:
TJ Maxx / Ross / Marshall’s
It’s no secret that these discount retailers have great deals on all sorts of decor and room essentials. I go here when I’m looking for small decorations and pieces to fill up space on my desk or shelves. It’s hard to find specific items because of how often the inventory changes here, but they’re the perfect stores to find unique pieces!
I found the bowl in the picture above at Ross. It was chipped when I bought it, so it was on clearance for 87 cents!
Target
Obviously.
I buy a lot of essentials here like sheets, towels, string lights (an essential), and other things I would prefer to see in person before buying. I don’t think I need to tell you that Target is a great place for this stuff, so I’ll leave it at that!
Amazon
I don’t exactly “shop” at Amazon, in the sense that I don’t just browse through the pages looking for something good. I turn to Amazon when there’s something specific I really want that I’m not entirely sure I’ll find at Target or IKEA.
You might not think of Amazon as a place to buy cute stuff, but I found some seriously great stuff (literally about to go through my past orders)! This tissue box house is one of my favorites. I’d been eyeing it at other stores for months but wasn’t willing to spend the $20 they were charging. I found it on Amazon for $8, and well, it’s obviously on my desk now!
I also got these bull clips to hang my art prints. They’re so much cuter than push pins and don’t damage the paper!
Outside of decor, I have a lot of random things that I bought spontaneously after finding a need for them one day, like this WiFi Range Extender, an Echo Dot, and this Wemo Smart Plug (a purchase that happened a few days after my Echo Dot showed up because who doesn’t want to turn on their string lights by voice??). I just like the convenience of finding anything I need here, and being able to read reviews to get a consensus on whether I should purchase something.
Home Depot
Not too fancy, I get it. But if you’ve ever wanted one of those cute wire grids or a pegboard, please don’t spend $50+ at some fancy decor store! I got my 2′ by 4′ pegboard at Home Depot for like, $8, and it’s just as great.
Let me know if there are any stores you’ve found affordable dorm/apartment stuff at! I say I shouldn’t buy more decor but…that’s obviously not going to happen.