Dorm Room Lighting – Cheap and Chic

If you are headed off to college or graduate school, or know someone who is, try out these great options for adding great lights to make a dorm room or college apartment feel like a home away from home, look great – and won’t break a back to school budget!  

Ikea

Ikea has really stepped up the lights in its offering.  They have a lot of style while still being at that Ikea price you know and love.  Here are some of my favorites from the most recent catalog.

The Klabb light has a great modern shape, very current in style and I love the purple shade - it would give your room a great ambiance, with nice diffuses the light.  This would be great as a desk or bedside light, and at $14.99 you can’t do much better.

Going one more step further on the modern scale, this Fillsta table lamp (which also comes in orange – the current hot color, and wheat) is a great aluminum and polypropylene light in a mid-century modern style.  It is also $14.99, a steal.

If you’re in the tight quarters of a dorm room, the Nyfors table lamp is a great option.  It offers great task lighting for studying at the desk, and when you’re relaxing or just hanging out, the fabric shade will be great at offering diffuse low light in the room.  And the Nickel plated arm and base add a nice bit of snazziness.  At $49.99 it’s a little higher on the budget, but it’s double duty makes it easier to take.

If you’re in a college apartment and want to add a little pizazz to your dining area or living room, this light is a great buy at Ikea – the Haggas LED Pendant light for $59.99.  And, the environmental crowd will love the LED nature of the light (and so will your energy bill).

But if that’s going to break the bank, the Jara Shade at $19.99 is a sophisticated find.  Take off whatever old or standard pendant light fixture you have in your apartment and add this one for a shot of style.  This picture doesn't do this light justice - it looks great lit up.

Also in the Led family, I just love this wall lamp from Ikea.  At $49.99, I think it’s a stylish and great light for your bed reading light, or on the wall by your desk (you aren’t actually limited to a desk lamp only for your workspace!)  I love the shape of the arm, and the reverse diagonal on the shade.

Finally from Ikea, if you need a floor lamp forgo the usual metal lamp that everyone has (you know the one, where the shade is an upside down cone and it points the light upwards with a knob on the stand), and choose one of these stylish alternatives.  With an adjustable height and great woven lampshade, the Alang is a great find at $29.99.  I love it with the grey shade, to give a bit of color to your room.