Dorm Shopping: Everything You Need (and Where to Get It!)

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Not to be total summer bummers, but school time is (almost) nigh. There is a bright side though: Back-to-school shopping—a particularly fun exercise if you're headed to college for the first time and get to deck out your own space. A dorm is essentially a one-time-use apartment where all of the plates are made of unbreakable plastic and the sheets are the absolutely useless twin XL size you'll never use again. As such, it's an opportunity to decorate for the short-term. Investment pieces need not apply—this is trend time. And the stores know it: There's so much stuff out there. We've sorted through home stores, big box retailers, and small boutiques to pull out the very best of the essentials.

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