Writing DeskContemporary Home Office, Kansas City

5. Lighten up. Lighting can make or break a room, and quite unfortunately the built-in lighting in dorm settings isn’t always the most flattering or illuminating. Take matters into your own hands and introduce a lamp (or two) to set the mood and offer up the proper glow for a midnight study session. Available in a wide range of styles, table and floor lamps are another simple opportunity to inject the space with personality. Your turn: How do you make a dorm room feel more like home? Let us know in the Comments.More10 Tips for a College Apartment That Says ‘Home’Shop dorm room products on Houzz

35. The dramatic shape of the chair back creates a showpiece in this Kansas City office designed by Katy Sullivan.Chair and desk: Coveted Home

Find a corner to call your own. Whether it is a small table pulled up to a sunny window, a closet that can be curtained off from the rest of the space, a tiny unused nook or a cabinet with a work surface hidden inside, it is important to find somewhere that lets you fully commit to your creative practice. There will be times when you must leave your work in the middle of a project, and it is so helpful if you can leave some of your materials out rather than needing to clean up completely every time. Don't fret if the only space you can find is a bit out of the way — sometimes a desk with a spectacular view is not as conducive to good work as a tiny nook, where you can focus your energy on the task at hand.

Small but effective office area