DECORATING 101
For college freshmen, there is so much to get ready when you are moving out on your own for the first time.
I remember being so excited to start my journey at the University of Missouri in Columbia as an “official adult” (in my head at least), and the first thing on my journey to adulthood was creating my living space. I was ready to leave behind my boy-band posters and childhood bedroom for a life of style and sophistication — then I saw what a dorm room actually looked like.
As many people know, dorm rooms can be impersonal and intimidating at first, but even the most beautiful art starts with a blank canvas.
How does one turn a new home-awayfrom-home into a space that is uniquely hers? Besides the obvious (and often limited) floor and wall space, most dorms are equipped with a basic bed, desk and chest of drawers.
Although there is not much you can do about the generic, standardissue furniture, there are touches you can add that will make a big impact on those pieces. Even though we are designing a space that will last for a semester or a year, many of the pieces we talk about will live far beyond the dorm days.
Let’s start with bedding. To match or not to match? You can make either option work beautifully. I can’t resist a set of matching twin beds; I love using symmetry in design and in small spaces to help keep visual clutter to a minimum. Matching beds are easy to put together if you and your roommate have similar
tastes. If you don’t, consider sticking with neutrals and just trying to land on an accent fabric that speaks to you both. Add a personal finishing touch with monogrammed pillows.
If you want to coordinate but not match, consider again sticking with a neutral base for both beds and playing up your favorite patterns in the same color palette in accent pillows and throws. One fun idea: Get two duvets with the same fabric on one side and different but coordinating fabrics on the other. Place them on each bed neutral side up and turn them down for a pop of pattern and color. Finish each bed with pillows and throws that coordinate with each duvet.
Perhaps a roommate isn’t part of the equation for you (or you aren’t sure who you are rooming with yet). You can still have a gorgeous bed. Dress up your basic dorm bed with textiles you love.
If a do-it-yourself headboard isn’t for you but you still want to cover up the one you have been assigned, just add some large pillows — one euro or two king pillows go a long way in helping to hide what you might not want to see. Add a Wilton bedspread — its long ruffled drop is great for hiding all of those under-the-bed storage containers. Finish off your look with a school spirit pillow or two.
With bedding covered, it’s time for some vignettes. We love vignettes styled on trays for any space, but they are fabulous and especially functional in a dorm room where you might need to move things from bed top to dresser top to desktop quickly and often. In these spaces especially, don’t shy away from using everyday and often-used items in your groupings.
Maybe those biochem textbooks will be far more appealing tucked under a trinket tray full of baubles. Add cute containers for your student ID, phone charger and other essentials of student life for a vignette that is practical and pretty.
Let’s shift our focus to the desktop. I spent a lot of time at my desk in school, so this might just be my favorite dorm-room element. Desks can be the real “workhorse” of the room; they are where you put in all those study hours, of course, but they also act as a vanity, a “meal prep” station (cheese and crackers count as a meal, right?), a dinner table and more.
Because you need empty space on a desk to actually do all of the above, don’t pack it full of tiny accessories that will clutter it up. Instead, leave room for all of your essentials and add one or two impactful pieces, such as a statement lamp and a family photo dressed up in a fancy frame. Both items will look great when it’s time to move into that first apartment, too.
We can’t forget the walls and floors. Although nails are a no-go, there are plenty of practical items you can “command strip” to blank walls (my dorm room was practically held together with those strips).
For instance, instead of a basic mirror and hook, add a fanciful detail such as antiqued mirrored hooks for jewelry and your room key. Pull the whole space together with an indoor/outdoor rug to soften up the space and add an inviting layer that is easier to clean (at least between semesters).