5 Tools to Design a Drool-Worthy Dorm Room

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By Sarah Ang2013-07-30 11:00:48 UTC

College is stressful, but designing your dorm room shouldn't be. From finalizing your room's layout to choosing the perfect color scheme, these five digital tools will save you some trouble.

Most are helpful if you know the dimensions of your room — whether it's a single, double or triple. Your school's website should house the information, but if not, just ask an upperclassman.

See also: 10 College Courses That Didn't Exist 20 Years Ago

How will you design your dorm? Share your best ideas with us in the comments below.

Image: Design Your Dorm

This aptly named 3D design tool lets you play around with your room's layout with scarily accurate renderings. Loft your bed, add a lamp or even slide items under the futon. If you attend one of the 140 colleges in the site's database, they'll already have the room's dimensions up for you to see.

Want to make sure you don't end up with two mini-fridges? Create a profile with your roommate and collaborate. And remember the hassle of towing a frighteningly large U-Haul to campus? No more. For one-stop shopping, add items — like rugs or Xboxes — to the online cart, then check out via Amazon. They'll be sent straight to campus.

Check out the tutorial here.

Image: Dormify

Dormify offers free consultation via its Dormify Design Plan, where an answered survey begets personalized recommendations.

There are tons of styles to choose, from Lower East Side Love to Pop Art to Holy Chic. If you love the pieces they recommend — and there are hundreds of items — buy the furnishings directly from Dormify. One less shopping trip for you, and one giant, McAfee-secure step for dorm-kind.

Feel free to utilize the service's dorm room checklist so you don't forget anything.

It's available for free for iOS devices.

Sometimes you have to see it to believe it — even with digital design tools. SnapShop uses augmented reality technology to let you really visualize your room. Browse popular retailers like IKEA and Pier 1 Imports from within the app.

With your iPhone camera facing your dorm room, choose a piece of furniture and SnapShop will overlay it onto your screen. Use your finger to adjust its placement, and when you're satisfied, take a picture (which you can email or save to Facebook or Evernote.) If you like the outcome, purchase furniture from your phone without leaving the app.

Available for free for iOS devices.

Nothing's worse than moving in and realizing you've bought the wrong size curtains. Or sheets. Or desk.

Make sure that doesn't happen with D-Photo Measures, which lets you overlay measurements onto a picture. Draw dimension arrows, angles and text boxes in different colors directly on the photo — or, if you wish, go freehand.

It's available for $2.99 for Android devices; or, get it for free if you don't mind ads.

Image: iHandy

This well-designed app is equipped with five indispensable carpentry tools: a plumb bob (measures the verticality of lines or walls), a surface level (ensures surfaces are flat), a steel protractor and a steel ruler (swipe it left and right to measure any line.)

The fifth tool, a bubble level bar, is most useful for setting up your dorm. Especially if you have posters.

It's available for $1.99 for iOS and Android devices.

If you're just interested in the iHandy Level tool, though, you can download it for free on iOS and Android.

Image: Dormify

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