It's tempting to plaster your dorm room walls with a sampling of the classics from ART 101. But what else can you do besides center a 20" by 16" copy of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" above your desk? For other alternatives, check out these do-it-yourself dorm decorations. Guaranteed, you won't find anything ordinary.
Seniors Shannon Donnelly and Kristen Smith, residential advisors sharing a room in Mathey College, have mastered the art of creativity without the cost. Their 573 square-foot quad in Blair displays an eclectic array of handmade crafts and unbeatable bargains.
Inspired by her mother, who got her college degree in interior designing, Donnelly adds her own personal touch of thriftiness to the quad. A navy and periwinkle Irish double chain quilt that she made last year covers her bed. The bed itself is actually a futon from Walmart, permanently in its pull-out position to make a full-sized bed. Currently she has another quilt in progress.
"I like having a project to work on," says Donnelly as she points to a number of already-completed crafts. Above her desk hangs a framed collage of ticket stubs, postcards, and pictures – memories from her intercession trip to Amsterdam sophomore year. Her other artistic additions include several quilted pillowcases personalized with puffy paint, curtains made from bed sheets, and a sheet cover decorated and fitted to hide her messy black bookshelf.
"Bed sheets are great because you can get a lot of material for a cheap price," said Donnelly.
Her mother also taught her about combining form and function. In front of the two adjacent couches is an old wicker chest that belonged to her parents 25 years ago. Not only does it serve as a coffee table, but it's also a great place to store extra bedding and blankets for guests. To solve the problem of the uneven surface she simply placed a cheap piece of plexi-glass on top.
"I like things that are different," says Donnelly. That's why she refuses to buy posters from the U-store. So where did she get the movie poster from "Bridget Jone's Diary" that you see on the wall as you walk in?
For a quarter at a garage sale.
"My roommate Kristen and I have different styles, but we have been able to get them to fit together," says Donnelly. Smith's style is more minimalist and modern, although she hasn't yet fully flaunted her talents because she's still working on unpacking.
"I see decorating as an ongoing process," says Smith. "I aim to be done by December."
What else would the two designers like to do to their room? Plaster it with Princeton pride, said Donnelly. "We'd like to get a 2003 banner for the wall."
Katherine Zandy '03 took a different approach when transforming the white walls of her single in Edwards. Decorating her room in a Bohemian style, she draped sheer maroon and turquoise cloths detailed with gold patterns along the walls. The silk hangings are trimmed by a strand of white Christmas lights, a nice contrast to the harsh university lighting.
Zandy began planning her room at the end of the summer, getting ideas from different home and fashion magazines.
"In fact I didn't know if I could decorate at all," she admits. But her mom came to visit and was amazed at how pretty it looked.
"I wanted my room to capture my personality," says Zandy. And you can see this though the distinctly patterned curtains, jars lining the ledge of the fabric covered fireplace, and her favorite personal photos enlarged on the walls.
"Every time someone walks in the room, I want them to be able to tell that Katy lives here," she said.
Kevin Simmons '03 literally left his mark while decorating his room in Pyne. With help from a few friends, he painted 2' by 2' squares on the two of his walls in four different shades of green. To create different effects, capture light and give the illusion of a larger space, he added square mirrors.
"It's a way of having the pattern there without actually painting it on," Simmons comments.
He just finished painting a week ago and plans to fill the rest of the wall space with a Russian flag, a Cuban flag, and a big map of the world.
Some of the other items on his to-do list include assembling a bookcase which would be perpendicular to the wall, separating the desk area from the common space. He is also waiting to get a bright red love seat and a gold armchair out of storage.
In the corner of his room are two single beds pushed together and covered by a purple comforter and many long pillows. One would assume this king-sized bed would be sufficient for lounging, but Simmons also has a bright red patterned hammock hanging from two sets of door hinges in the corner of his room.
Although the supplies are all relatively inexpensive, this type of decorating ends up being a bit more expensive than one would think. According to the Residential Living Policies and Dining Services Guide, "students are not permitted to paint and/or spackle their own rooms. Students who choose to paint their own rooms are charged for repainting." Under "Room Personalization" the guide continues, "Cork panels, mirror tiles ... are specifically prohibited."
And as for hammocks?
Simmons was fined for that last year as well.
So is it worth a couple hundred dollars to customize your quarters? For Simmons, the display of individuality is worth it. "It's nice to feel an ownership of space."
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