When you first leave college, it can be difficult to find a place that you can afford and just as difficult to be able to decorate it the way you want to. Part of this is simply the cost, and part of it is the fact that most people have not lived alone in several years so they may not have any idea what they like.

When you are redoing a small space, you need to take into account the kind of colors and decorations you want. If you are a very spiritual and sophisticated person, for example, then you should try to go with colors that represent that.

Many small places use an open floor plan, and this is great. You can break a room up into smaller spaces using artwork or other great dividers to make the room appear larger.

Another great way to makeover a small space is with color. Using a different color on the ceiling than on the walls will help to draw the eye upward and make the rooms appear larger, while light colors throughout will also make the home seem open and airy.

Watch the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Team turn a small, plain garage into a bright, colorful art studio!

This unimpressive garage needed a makeover to serve as a proper workspace, so the team started by painting the walls and the floor a neutral color to create a simple feeling in the room. An oversize work desk was created using a door and four fence posts; the desk was then painted for a finished look.

Because lighting was important for the homeowner to work on her art, the team installed functional task lighting to supplement the natural light from the windows.

Finally, because storage was a concern, window boxes were mounted on the walls to hold canvases and other art supplies. Painted in bright hues, they provide a pop of color to warm up the room, and provide creative storage without taking up any floor space.

Going off to college is an exciting time and for the first time in your life, there is so much freedom at your disposal. Undoubtedly, you look forward to life away from home, away from mom, and see whether you can fend for yourself.

Your dorm room is going to be your home for as long as you are at college and considering the size of the rooms, you know that you can’t carry your entire house with you; and whatever you do manage to carry with you, you need to store away properly so that it’s easier to find when you need it.

Speak to your college roommates and find out who’s bringing what so that you don’t need to carry that with you. Avoid duplicating things because frankly, you are going to be seriously hard pressed for space in your room.

Ronni Eisenberg, also known as the ‘Ultimate Organizer’, is going to give you some great ideas to help you organize your dorm room better in this video.