In just one week thousands of students and their anxious parents will descend upon residence halls to transform empty dorm rooms into home for the next school year.
UT students Caroline Szukelewicz remembers bringing too much with her for her first year in a dorm.
“I’m from out of state so I took my entire room with me and then realized I didn’t need that much,” she said. “If you bring too much stuff it will end up in your car or your closet.”
Lexee Schell avoids too many matching color-coordinated plastic organizers. “Invest in something nicer,” she said. “I bought stuff at a big box store that I ended up throwing away because when it comes down to it, it’s too much stuff to bring home at the end of the year.”
“Only in college do people throw away perfectly good stuff that they can’t bring home,” said Szukelewicz. They have seen a lot of people leave television stands, futons, and plastic containers — even a Keurig coffee maker.
Szukelewicz and Schell share some of their favorite tips for converting compact quarters into a coordinated and clutter-free room.
Schell draws inspiration from other girls’ dorm rooms and pins plenty of pictures on Pinterest. Szukelewicz pins pictures that represent her style, takes a look at what she already has, then decides how to incorporate other items to get the look.
“I start with my bed and try and make everything color-coordinate,” said Szukelewicz. “The good thing about choosing neutral is that you can go with tan, pink or grey.”
She also suggested talking about colors with your roommate before moving in. “I would rather match than clash, it gives your roommate an option to stay in the same color palette, and bring in pops of color with throw pillows.” Or by adding eye-catching wall décor, according to the girls.
“A queen-sized comforter hangs off the side of the bed when you have risers,” said Schell. “You can use it for all of college on a twin or a full-sized bed and change your accessories and get a completely different room.”
“Get the twin extra-long bedding, but you only need the sheets to fit the bed,” said Szukelewicz.
Both students recommend using college community Facebook pages to pick up items you need from other students and to resell items when you’re through with them. They have often seen people buy furniture from resale pages and refinish them for a personalized look.
Tapestries, particularly hung on those old cinder block walls, are “a great way to pull a room together,” said Schell. “Some apartments you can paint, but you have to paint it back at the end of the year. A tapestry is a good alternative without committing to painting your walls,” added Szukelewicz.
Another pretty, yet functional, must-have is a rug to warm up tile floors.
For a touch from home, Szukelewicz opted for her own table lamps over the supplied utilitarian desk lamps. “I just like having as much light as possible,” she said. “I hang Christmas lights and avoid curtains.” Keeping the room as light as possible is key for waking up for early classes, added Schell.
Schell said it is important to know what the rules are. Flameless candles are a good option for a cozy glow without the fire hazard. And diffusers can add fragrance without the danger of plug-ins.
When it comes to desk organizers, both Schell and Szukelewicz repurpose and paint Mason jars to stash pens and pencils and add a personalized touch.
To maximize storage (and reduce clutter in the room) Schell suggested adding hanging storage in the closet. And she likes to bring her own chair for her desk to dress up the space.
“Having a really homey room is going to make your adjustment to college a lot easier,” said Schell. “Because you’ll have a home away from home rather than a stark plain dorm room.”
Jenny Parkhurst, owner of The Back Porch Mercantile, has seen such a spike in back-to-school shopping at her store that she hosted a dorm decoration celebration in July. Many shoppers were looking for something unique and advice for decorating a small space.
“When I was in school we had no AC in Hess Hall at UT,” said Parkhurst. “It has changed a lot. I think that’s also why they invest in their rooms more now. They have more options, and it’s much nicer.”
“Because people are thinking long term they want to use things longer,” she added. “Someone bought two mercury glass lamps and another shopper purchased a six-foot piece of art for her room.”
Another big splurge, said Parkhurst, are luxe pillows because students often prefer to sit on their beds to study.
“Parents seem to be giving more of the discretionary income,” said Parkhurst. “They are choosing good quality linens and thinking about the quality of the mattress and getting the most value long term. Neutrals are a big deal; it’s much easier to put their statement into their throw pillows.”
And Parkhurst said that students are focusing on layering textiles for a homey feel.
Capucine Monk has just helped her daughter, McKenna, move into her room for the fourth, and final, year of college. Monk, who runs Project Girl Consulting, said that since she helps organize people for a living, she has picked up a trick or two.
“We didn’t buy into the hype of spending thousands of dollars on decorating,” said Monk. “I used what we had, put the bed on risers to store stuff and invested in matching duvet covers from Pottery Barn Teen and matching European pillows that look pretty and double as a headboard.”
Install a rug before decorating and choose an allergen-free mattress cover, since not all schools have clean mattresses, advised Monk. Stackable drawers for under the bed and beneath the refrigerator also serve as a pantry.
Her daughter also purchased curtains for the dorm room from someone who had already lived there, so they already were sized to fit.
“You really have to think through the bigger purchases,” said Monk. When her daughter purchased a $100 futon and had it delivered to her dorm, they couldn’t later get it in the car to take home. “So it just got donated, but I would sleep on it when I went to visit, and it was cheaper than a hotel room.”
“I think people try to break the bank in trying to compete,” said Monk. “Everybody’s dorm is different. At least go and see an example before you start decorating.”
And above all, she said, parents need to breathe. “There will be traffic (on move-in day) and volunteers to help. Parents need to remember to be nice to them,” she said. “But they need to remember that the children that are moving in are adults and they can do a lot of it themselves. You don’t need to hold their hand.”
[Source:- Knoxville News Sentinel]
