You don't have to buy out the entire bedding department to make your dorm room bed feel nice and cozy. A few plush pillows, a soft, knit throw and a colorful duvet will create a custom bed your roomie will envy. First, we suggest putting your bed against the wall to create a daybed look that's ideal for both lounging during the day and catching zzz's at night. Get even more dorm room bedding tips from Marianne Canada >>

The average dorm room is 228 square feet, meaning your bed is going to be front and center (#iwokeuplikethis). Choose bedding that is stylish and personality driven. If you like to switch up your decor often, choose a colorful duvet with inexpensive down inserts. Then, when you want to swap things out, it's less of an investment.

Goose down? Duck feather AND down? Microfiber? Polyester? What?! There are lots of options you can choose when it comes to buying duvet fillings. Duvet fillings fall into two major categories: natural or synthetic. From there, decide what works best for your comfort and budget.

Add dimension to a small space by mixing patterns within the same palette. Take the small polka-dot pattern on the sheets, the medium stripes on the throw and the large cat pattern on the duvet to create the perfect balance. As a rule of thumb, vary the pattern scale from small to large, and start out with a minimum of three.