This week is move in week at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill…I can’t believe it was 19 years ago that I first stood in the Quad with so much hope and fear. Last week I had this super weird realization (and frankly a really not so good one!) that my kids are closer to college age than I am!! WTF?! Total cliche, but seriously wouldn’t it be great to go back and redo it with everything you now know…or maybe it wouldn’t be because you wouldn’t make the same fun mistakes! Like my freshman year dorm room that I posted about last fall… And, btw, I stand behind that little white slipcovered pull-out and duvet. A little bleach goes a long way.
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With the start of school, I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic…yesterday I was talking to my college roommate Carrie and it just struck me how vastly different our lives are today than they were 15 years ago! Duh, right, but I don’t feel that much different so why is my life so much different…when did I become a wife and mother of two?!? So, in our nostalgia, Carrie sent me a picture of our old dorm room–YIKES! Check this out. My bed was the beauty on the left with um, yes, a dream catcher above it…
Completely hideous right? This was freshman year 1994 and couldn’t be more cliche (at least I didn’t share the picture of Carrie in front of the open fridge stocked with cheap beer sporting a flannel and white UNC hat!) I feel like it’s one of those bad facebook posts: Like this picture if you remember the Reality Bites poster. 🙂
The funny part is that I bet you the rooms haven’t changed much–the standard issue oak bed, desk and dresser. And while I certainly love a lot of the ideas that I’m seeing in catalogues like these two pics from the Container Store…
The reality is that the dorm room will likely start off looking like the image below–not exactly the white bliss one hoped for–but if you’re into cinder block and linoleum you’ll be thrilled!
Obviously, you’re not allowed to paint the walls or furniture and you can’t put holes in the walls or furniture, so how do you make this a pleasant space? When I look back on those dorm pics Carrie sent, I realize that apparently I hadn’t discovered my decorating bug yet so if I could redo things, here’s what I would consider:
I’d keep the palette light and bright so the room seems larger, as well as relatively gender neutral (all those boys hanging out in our room!) with touches of femininity. Inspired by the colors of my alma mater, UNC (go Heels!) I’d use a modern soft grey and blue palette with small punches of orange to tie in the color of the wood. I’d tone down all the wood by lining the back of the bookshelves with a fun graphic patterned removable wallpaper (1.) For storage I’d use a combination of baskets in white, blue, grey and desk accessories in light blue like this LED lamp (2.) A must have for any dorm room is a cozy couch–this one from IKEA (3) is a great little loveseat that is also a sofa bed perfect for visiting friends. The bed would have simple white bedding with the texture of pintuck (4); fun pillows bring color into the room (6.) And how many friends did Carrie and I have hanging out on our floor so a cozy flokati rug (5) in a dirt-hiding grey is the perfect solution.
If only I’d thought through that little dorm room from (yikes!) 18 years ago.
Tessa!
I love this post (seeing as it’s so fitting for me right now!). I’m trying to do something with my single dorm now and can’t figure it out that well 🙁 Maybe I should send pics and you can help me haha!
p.s. say hi to C & M for me!
happy to–send them my way!
Oh Courtney, I can relate – when Andrew and I were basically out of university (aka we had no excuse) we moved to brooklyn and we saw that the previous tenants left their mattress in the apartment. And we were like…
SCORE!! a free bed!!
And we slept on it for a year!!!! (with a headboard that we found on the street and carried home). I can’t believe I didn’t contract something.
Love this. Wish we had a picture of the couch and rug we “rescued” from the street. And then proceeded to sleep on for 2 years. Yikes.
blast from the past! wow…what a mess we were…if only we could go back and do it all over again, knowing what we know now! along with our dorm room decor, our wardrobes sure could have used some work. to think we had like 3 “nice” outfits that we’d rotate through every time we went out…so funny. ANYWAY i love this scheme. great job! but let’s be honest: how long would that white couch and bedding really last? i had a white duvet under that beautiful sunflower throw–purely strategic! 🙂
Hi Tessa,
I so remember my ugly dorm room back in the early 90s as well…bunk beds and dark brown 1970s furniture with colorful teal and purple crates for storage and “added decor” YUCK!
August being back to school / college month, I could not get over how many pieces of “shabby chic” furniture that I sold to college girls decorating their apartments / dorms. The money that their parents spent on them was unreal. I think as we evolve into a world of Pinterest, blogs, decor magazines, craft magazines, we are becoming more aware of the beauty that surrounds us and inspires us!
Keep up the great blog, you are doing great for us furniture and decor shops! 🙂
aw I remember that room (sigh). Where in the world did I sleep when I came to visit? Only thing you are missing are posters of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.