When your personal space in a dorm room is under 100 sqft, you need to get creative to make enough space for all of your belongings and still have room to sleep, study, snack, and lounge. Vertical storage to the rescue!
Dorm room sizes and layouts vary from college to college, dorm to dorm, and even room to room within the same dorm building. What do they all have in common? Limited space and limited storage.
This guide offers ideas for using vertical storage to maximize your dorm room space. In our article How To Maximize Storage Under Dorm Beds, we focus primarily on storage under 30″ tall to fit under a raised dorm bed.
Beyond the under-bed storage, there will be little, if any, floor space for horizontal storage. In typical dorm rooms, you’ll want to be prepared with vertical storage solutions to help you create an organized dorm.
If your school allows mini fridges, they are absolutely a dorm room essential that every student will use regularly. However, mini fridges can be a space hog with a footprint of roughly 18″x22″ and around 2.5-3.5 feet tall. These are options to maximize the column of space where you mini fridge will sit in the room.
For all wire/metal vertical storage units, you may want to bring a set of S-Hooks to hang off the sides. Use these to hold coffee mugs, water bottles with loops, kitchen towels, utensils with holes in the handles, grocery bags, even backpacks, jackets, and other items that need a place to hang.
A benefit of under-fridge storage is to lift the mini fridge up off the floor and reduce the bending involved when the fridge is placed directly on the floor.
DormCo has several under-fridge options, including metal carts with locking casters and shelves or with drawers.
This is a great piece if you know that your student will have room for it. Please check the product dimensions before purchasing.
On Top Of Fridge Shelving – This unit sits directly on top of the fridge to provide extra storage where a taller unit is either not allowed or will not fit. Flexible sizing and future use potential as it can be adjusted from 15.7″ to 23.6″ wide. This will easily fit over your dorm mini fridge, and in future years, it can sit on a kitchen or bathroom counter to provide additional storage. You might consider placing little non-slip pads under the feet if you’re concerned about movement when the fridge door opens and closes.
On Top Of Fridge Shelving – This unit also sits directly on top of the fridge, but is not adjustable. It is taller at 32″ and is 14″x14″.
Medium Height Shelving Unit (2 shelves above) – This would be a good option if you have limited vertical space but want to create additional storage above the fridge.
Tall 5-Tier Shelving Unit – This affordable Honey Can Do version is very popular with our Facebook group. You can raise the shelves to just above the fridge to create abundant storage above. This Honey Can Do shelving unit is also available in white.
Taller 5-Tier Shelving Unit (black) – Similar to the 5-Tier above, with 2 differences other than the color.
If you have a little extra room on the sides, consider adding an over-door storage organizer to hold ‘kitchen’ essentials. This over-door organizer is pictured below on the medium-height 5-Tier Shelving Unit mentioned above.
Dorm Station Lower Unit – While this does take up a bit of extra horizontal space, it provides a great base for a whole dorm kitchen area if you have room. This unit is a little under 34″ wide.
Dorm Station Top – You can add the top to really utilize the vertical space above for additional appliances, food storage, cups, plates, utensils, etc.
With these carts raising the height of the fridge, if you have a little space on the sides of the fridge, you can also add additional storage, such as:
Magnetic Shelving – These are a favorite, and you would not believe how strong the magnet is! You can yank a paper towel off about as hard as you can, and it won’t budge.
Over Fridge 12-Pocket Hanging Organizer – This can hold plates, cups, condiments, and more. As it is flat on top, you could also place a microwave, other appliances, or an organizer on top of the fridge.
See our full guide on how to create a Vertical Dorm Kitchen Setup for even more ideas.
If you are not permitted to have a mini fridge but can have a microwave, there are a few options that provide a spot for a microwave and storage below. Some of these options also have storage above, making good use of that column of space.
30″H 3-Tier Metal Stand – A kitchen counter is 36″ high, which is higher than a desk, but there is good space below for bins, baskets, and general storage. This is 23.2″ wide.
48″H 4-Tier Metal Shelving – On the same listing as the shelving above, but taller and with one more tier of storage. 23.2″ wide.
50″H Wood Bakers Rack – A more substantial option with more storage capacity and 2 easily accessible power outlets. 23.2″ wide.
Almost every dorm room is equipped with one desk and desk chair per student. How many of these dorm desks come with a desk hutch above for additional storage?
That’s an excellent question. If I had to guess from looking at hundreds, maybe thousands of dorm move-in pictures in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group, I would guess that maybe 20% of the dorm rooms provide a desk hutch.
If your dorm does not provide a desk hutch, find out the desk measurements for your specific dorm building. A popular size is 42″W x 24″D x 30″H, but it definitely varies. See if your housing department has this information on its website; if not, here are additional ways to research your dorm room rules and measurements.
Once you have that information, these are some options for dorm desk hutches:
Classic Dorm Desk Hutch – 37″W x 12″D x 29″H. Wide opening for computer monitor or makeup mirror.
College Cube Desk Hutch – 37″L x 9.5″D x 28.7″H. My son and his roommate have this hutch, and I appreciate it is reversible. See the picture below.
Taller, More Narrow Dorm Desk Hutch – 29.75″W x 14″D x 43.75″H. One wide opening at the desk level for a computer monitor or makeup mirror.
Locking Cabinet Dorm Desk Hutch – 36″W x 9.5″D x 38″H.
Adjustable Dorm Desk Hutch – 20″-40″W x 9.5″D x 28″H.
This section is for those who have a private shared bathroom attached to their dorm room or in their suite-style dorm. If you have a community-down-the-hall-type dorm, you can skip right past this section!
Over Toilet Storage Organizer With Hooks – This is a great way to go vertical in the bathroom. The shelves will help give each roommate some desired bathroom real estate. Additionally, the four hooks on the side are perfect for hanging hand towels, shower brushes, and small toiletry bags.
Slim Storage Cart with 4 Shelves – At 5.3″ wide, this may be slim enough to fit between the sink and toilet. At 35.7″ tall, it will be slightly higher than your sink, providing a little more countertop area. Depending on your bathroom layout, this may also work close to the shower to hold extra toiletries, shower essentials, and cleaning supplies.
Toilet Paper Stand – If your only option for a toilet paper holder is to bring your own, you may as well bring one that can help with storage! This one holds additional rolls and has a shelf for wipes, Poo-Pourri, or other necessities.
Bathroom Floor Vertical Storage Cabinet – This is one of our favorite Amazon brands, and it’s a great price for an almost 5′ bathroom storage cabinet if you have a 12″x12″ corner or space where this would work in your dorm bathroom.
Tall Coat Rack – You don’t see coat racks around that often, but these are actually a great storage idea for dorm rooms if you have a corner or space near the door to house wet coats, umbrellas, hoodies, bags, lanyards, etc. This one is almost 6′ tall and has 8 hooks.
Tall 5-Cube Organizer – At 70” on the vertical, this can fit into a narrow space or even serve as a nightstand for a fully lofted bed. This is a thick and sturdy unit that holds 13” bins or baskets.
4 Drawer Skinny Drawer Tower – There are always smaller items that need space, from school supplies to extra toiletry items. Often, multiple small bins don’t make sense in a room with limited storage space. This narrow drawer tower can find a home anywhere, from the end of the bed to the closet floor or even in the bathroom. At 31.75″ high, it may even work as under-bed storage, but you’d need to know the measurements before making that decision.
Stacking Shoe/Storage Boxes – These are marketed as shoe boxes, but these boxes offer much more utility. These boxes can be stacked into a small space and go up as high as makes sense for the room. These will also transition seamlessly into apartment living.
There are limitless options for dorm room storage, but as every dorm situation is different, you’ll want to be sure you have room assignment and a pretty good understanding of the floorplan before making storage purchases.
Our Dorm FAQs Article covers all of the questions frequently asked in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. The Facebook group is also a great source for prior years’ move-in pictures for decor and organizational ideas.
Our complete Dorm Essentials Shopping Guide is available here.
Do you still have questions? Please comment below, or come ask us in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. So much great info in the group along with hundreds, maybe thousands, of move-in pictures from previous years to give you ideas and inspiration.
=> Please share this article with your dorm-bound friends and their parents. I would love for everyone to understand the best options for vertical dorm storage before they start dorm shopping!
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