Recently, one of my readers contacted me about doing a post on dorm room design. Tenia, who has a daughter headed to college, was looking for inspiration and organized a day where several design bloggers would create inspiration boards centered around a dorm room.
I’m pretty sure if Tenia had seen my dorm room, back in the day, she wouldn’t have asked me to participate. I wish a I had a picture to share (I’m sure you could use the laugh). It consisted of a hunter green and white striped comforter (K-Mart), matching pillows/towels/etc. in burgandy, and the focal point was a poster of Miss Piggy (yeah, I have no idea).
Being that I remember dorm rooms as dull, dark, and a little depressing, I went bright and happy with my design plan:
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Polarvide Throw in Green from IKEA (folded on end of bed for color)
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Black & White Stripe Pillows and Yellow Geometric Pillow from Tonic Living
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Bulletin Board covered in “Emilio, Lemon Drop” fabric from Tonic Living
Aesthetic Oiseau
Caitlin Creer Interiors
Design Darling
Haven and Home
High Heeled Foot in the Door
I Suwanee
Kelly Green
Loft & Cottage
Matters of Style
My Favorite and My Best
Perfectly Taylor’d
Small Place Style
Three Men and A Lady
Visual Vamp
Very pretty! I never lived in dorms as a University student, but I remember going to friends dorms and finding them quite dull. This would make sure to brighten up any students day!!
Nancy
I totally wish I could turn back time, and create a fabulous dorm space. Mine consisted of hunter green navy, and white plaid. I guess I was going for the prep school look!
Such a fab room design, Emily. When I was at uni I made my little dorm room all fun and colourful using small, affordable touches. One of these was going to Paperchase (stationery store) and buying colourul, striped paper to place over the ugly bulletin boards – worked a treat!
Oh, how fun!! Great design, Emily!! Yeah, my dorm room was blah at best! Imagine the possibilities now – there is so much affordable design today! No excuses! Looking forward to see all the other designs – what a lucky student!
The first thing I did when I moved to my dorm room was to create an ambiance. Off went the bed, mattress on the floor, Indian saris as curtains,pillows…very baba cool…quite striking since I was in a 90%male business school and the only french on campus…as for my sons…I have given up…I don’t know how they can function is such mayhem …when visiting, one has to navigate between laundry, clothes, books, pizza boxes all displayed in interesting fashion on floors, bed, desk…
I posted on Dorm Living today, too! I had no idea so many others were doing the same! Great design board Emily!
http://www.blulabelbungalow.com/2010/07/freshmen-seminar-101-guide-to-dorm.html
You would have the most cheery dorm room with this plan…I might have enjoyed dorm life just a bit more had I had such a room!!
This is great! So young and fun and hip – love it!
Emily, that is one beautiful space, who wouldn’t want to stay there?!
Thanks for stopping by my post yesterday & for your kind comments.
Love your design, Emily. So happy and cheery! Also enjoyed your honesty in revealing your Miss Piggy poster! Cracking me up!
Very pretty! My son just graduated from college and my daughter will be a sophomore. Last year my daughter’s room looked like a prison cell when we arrived but after all the fluffing it looked great with many of the same colors you have chosen. Love that rug but maybe I’m just cheap but there is no way I’m spending $200+ for a rug for a dorm. Several inexpensive colorful 2 x 3 rag rugs were our way to go. We also purchased an expandable shower rod and hung bright green tap top curtains in the closets (the school removed all the closets doors for some reason). Love the shelves you chose also but how would you hang them? Cinderblock walls graced my daughters room, no nails allowed!
Great inspiration Emily. I love the choice of patterns and colors. Very realistic too I might add. So many dorms don’t allow paint and there is no floor space for furniture other than what is built in. I will be forwarding this on to my Freshman! She is already @ orientation this week.
Cheers ~ deb
This is such a fantastic room concept. Great pieces and great topic!
I like the happy comforter fabric and using the two different fabrics for the pillows.
I love that you showed an actual dorm room. They always need a mini face lift and you did a fantastic job.
love, love, love the black and white pillows with that rug! very cute. glad we did this challenge so that I would be introduced to your blog!
Love this! It’s one of my favorite designs so far. The rug and color scheme NEEDS to be in my dark and dingy craft room.
Love the colors you used in the design plan! Oh how I wish I could go back in time;-)
Such a cute design for a dorm room! I lived in the dorms last year and just did a blog post on my room!
http://michaelanoelledesigns.blogspot.com/
Hi Emily, I was just perusing your blog and had to laugh. I had the EXACT SAME hunter green and white striped comforter in my dorm room! (We must be the same age — and I guess we’ve always shown a propensity for stripes.) I also had hunter green sheets and was very proud of my black, plastic corner shelves that snapped together as a tower. Ugh!
Camille