Dorm Style: My Freshman Room Revisited
On this day back in 1997, I was nearly 19 and settling into my new freshman dorm room which I shared with none other than the talented Erin of Elements of Style. I recently stumbled upon photos of our tiny space – both my side and hers – and I wondered: what would we do differently, if we knew then what we know now? Head over to E of S today to see what Erin thinks of her half of the room.
In Massachusetts circa 1997, Ikea, Target, and The Container Store did not exist. My choices for storage and decor were very limited. Given what I had to work with at the time, here’s what I came up with:
Laura Ashley apparently threw up on my bed, and along with the floral ridiculousness came a pile of stuffed animals. A hodge-podge of posters and art cards was apparently the best I could do for wall decor, and yes, that is an afghan my mother knitted for me when I was a child.
When my husband saw this photo he almost died laughing. Clearly, my half of the room did not see much action. So…
How can this room be redesigned so it doesn’t scare off 18 year-old boys?
Green and blue are still two of my favorite colors, but I’ve left florals behind in favor of ethnic prints. Just one stuffed animal would be enough (the one on the right, which sits on my dresser even now), and the postcards could be pared down and put on a cork board. I’d keep the U2 “Joshua Tree” poster and add new black and white posters of London and France because I had traveled there by age 18. Brushed steel accents keep the room looking modern, and it’s all done for $176.
- Cork Board: Container Store, $15 (medium)
- Bedding: Target, $20 for Twin Extra-Long
- Floor Reading Lamp: Ikea, $15 (to replace the snake-like impractical green light hanging near my bed)
- Chair: Target, $30
- Fabric: Premier Prints, $8/yd (to cover cork board and plastic nightstand):
- Desk Lamp: Ikea, $30
- Big Ben Poster: allposters.com, $30
- Eiffel Tower Poster: allposters.com, $28
How can the storage be improved to look good and function well?
Clever storage was a must in that tiny room and tinier closet, and if I were to do it all over again – with access to The Container Store – here’s what I would buy, keeping in mind my color scheme. Some of these things are in my house now. Everything comes to $215.
- Shoe Organizer: $40, to hang inside the closet door. One side for me, one side for Erin.
- Skirt/Slacks Hanger: $8 x2
- Blouse Tree: $8×2
- Bed Risers: $13. Better than the massive concrete blocks I had.
- Underbed Drawers: $88 for set of 4 or $22 each. A giant plastic trunk under the dorm bed has never been used again because it’s not functional.
- Laundry Hamper/Bag: $30. The cheap plastic frame and mesh bag didn’t hide clothes well
- Crates: $10. White milk crates are more attractive and functional than the black wire system, which kept falling apart.
- Trash Can: $13. I hate the black mesh can I had then, and it’s still in my house, unused.
- Plastic Tote: $5 (large, to corral items on top of microwave)
Back then, there was one piece of wall art that Erin and I both enjoyed so much that there was one on each side of the room:
Aqua di Gio cologne guy - geniusbeauty.com
Now, there would be a new man on our walls:
forbiddenplanet.co.uk - buy poster at allposters.com
Did my design sensibilities improve as my college years continued? Come back tomorrow to find out!
This is awesome. I started college in 1997 too – and I had a floral Liz Claiborne bedspread! I’m so jealous of all the choices the kids have now. Great picks to update the room. I like the Twilight poster (even though I’m 30, I got sucked into the Twilight craze too).
Hilarious post! I love it and I am dying to see what my old dorm room looked like. Will have to dig out my old pics now. Great job!!
You would definitely be getting some action with your new room design. I love your before. Love the bedding from Tar-jay. The fabric is great too, only $8/yard!
This is so creative! My dorm room was a site to see too. Wow. I like the re-work!
Some excellent updates but it’s good to know your taste in music has remained constant
did’t have a dorm but laura ashley threw up on my body then!
That statement about your bed cracked me up!
Thanks for the post and Cheers All!
love it
I normally hate posters and never put them up as a rule, except when they are framed. Framed posters look much classier.
Also these days you can buy wall decals (from Ikea) that are simply stickers for your wall. I had them in my old apartment (Im still in college). They’re a really lovely addition to the home, and brighten up a naked wall.
What a fantastic idea for a post! I can’t say my dorm room looked much better…I may have to dig up some pictures to prove it.
(And so I’ll just go ahead and say I may be stealing this idea in the near future…with full credit to you!)
Hi! What dorm were you guys in? South campus it looks like…? I was stuck in the Plex freshman year (though that was back in, um, 1986!) I just found a picture of my room from sophomore year in Burdick. I should scan it and post. My fave magazine tear – the b&w of the Calvin Klein girl with the bow ponytail clip. Not sure what perfume that was for…
Style Carrot – We were in KB, up on the 4t floor (ladies only). Close though! I think that KB and JA were architecturally similar.
that U2 poster would have me running for cover!