A Freshman Created the Easiest and Cutest Storage Hack in Her Tiny Penn State Dorm

Christina Lengle’s Penn State dorm is light, airy, and refreshing. It needs to be, because it’s the go-to hangout spot for her and her friends — despite being super small. The Human Development and Family Studies major’s double is just 165 square feet, but so thoughtfully designed. Just one example: Christina’s (@christina_lengle) easy hack for elevated and storage-filled nightstands that bring the whole room together. 

How’d you end up in this space? My temporary “home” was assigned by Penn State LiveOn! I live in a dorm with one roommate, whom I met via social media. When I opened the door to my new “home,” I was very confused how two people were supposed to live in this tiny room for nine months. 

Now that you’ve made the space your own, what specifically do you love about it? After decorating and finally putting together all the prep/plans from my vision boards, it had come to life! I was so happy with how it all turned out and how many people were commenting on it. Families, dorm neighbors, and even social media people were loving it. My absolute favorite piece about it, besides us both coordinating our sides, is the nightstand organizer setup. We put two organizers together with a tabletop board. It really maximizes the space, organization, and look of the dorm when you first walk in.

What’s your space best known for? The hangout spot for any event/pre-event. Where all my friends gather on weeknights and weekends. Always open to offering food/water.

Define your personal home style: Simple and bright.

What’s your favorite element of your space? The window drawer setup is the perfect way to maximize the space in the room and keep it elegant. The drawers are tall, sleek, and white — perfect for the theme of our room. Inside the drawers are daily items (socks, gym clothes, PJs, etc.), and on top, some decor, a lamp, a fan, and other essentials. This setup just really elevates the room when you walk in and is perfect for the limited space. 

In an effort to remove the stigma associated with talking about money in college, we’re asking students to share how they plan and budget for their space.

How much does your housing cost per semester? $4,503.

Do you have anyone helping to fund your housing? My mom.

Do you pay for your living expenses? No.

How do you earn your income? Side hustle.

How much did it cost to decorate your space? About $1,000.

Do you have anyone helping to fund your decor? Family.

What was your best budget hack for this space? Sharing common-use items with my roomie and splitting up who buys what. I personally made a Google Sheets tracker of the things we needed (carpet, trash can, vacuum, Clorox wipes, etc.) that we didn’t both necessarily need to buy, and where to find it/links, cost, and who was going to buy it. This way we kept a running list and “split” the costs for items that we were going to share without someone buying so much for the room compared to the other.

What was your biggest splurge for this space? The drawer setup, $155.

What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? Small space, loud door when closing, and small fridge.

What’s your best tip for optimizing a small space? Using the white drawers as a bedside table and storage. Also, putting bins under the bed and keeping a plastic bin with “restock” and unessential items; inside it I have extra cotton swabs, tissues, paper towels, extra hats, and even a beach towel. You never know when the weather will switch or when items will run out. This is a great solution!

This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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