Dorm Design

I love home design. I'm a student of the craft. Not really. It's more a hobby.

One of the fun things about this job is getting to know the girls and seeing how they show their personalities through various ways. One of my favorite ways of getting to know them is talking to them while they're in their element, namely their room. That sounds creepy, but it's really not. It's where they feel the most comfortable. Even though they are only in that room for a few months, or weeks for some, they have put their own stamp there, albeit temporarily. For most, it's the first time they've ever called something their own since their moms usually helped them with their rooms.

When it comes to dorm rooms, there are few restrictions apart from the few pieces of furniture we give them. In our school, they receive a bunk bed, which cannot be unbunked, a pair of desks, a pair of chairs, a dresser, and, in my dorm, they're lucky enough to get giant closets. The amount of furniture and the lack of space is somewhat restrictive when it comes to design, but I've been extremely impressed by how creative some of the girls have been. You can truly tell their personalities. Unfortunately I can't take pictures of their dorms and show them on here because (a) that would be creepy and (b) I'd have to tell them about the blog.

One of my favorites so far was during my first year. The girls in the room could not be any more different and you could tell the moment you walked into their room. While they were both neat enough and the girls got along for the most part, the writings on the wall showed how very different they were. They were the only ones that had unbunked beds. One side had a Hollywood sign above her bed and 'I'm a princess' sign all over her side. There were pictures of her boyfriend, some other boys, and her friends. There may have even been a tiara. On the other side of the room were pictures of Jesus, Our Lady, and the saints. There was a very obvious dividing line between the room. I loved it. They kept their stuff on their side but didn't restrict the other from being themselves. I appreciated that.

Another favorite that sticks out in my mind were roommates who contacted each other during the summer and planned out their room. They had matching bedspreads and matching everything. Their room was very cute, very girly, and very them. I loved that they communicated well enough in advanced and agreed to having the same stuff. It obviously wouldn't work for everyone, but I loved that they did that.

My dorm room in college was ever-changing. I never liked to keep it the same and I had roommates who tolerated it, even though it drove them crazy. Within the next few weeks, I'm going to come up with dorm mood boards should anyone ever asks for my opinion. Not really, I just like doing it for fun.

Source for mood board above. These aren't what we give our kiddos, but it's the easiest way to make a mood board. Dorm room essentials by trendmaven74 on polyvore.com