by Natasa Kvesic
Dorm rooms can look pretty boring on move-in day. Some students see those blank walls not as dull or confining, but as a canvas for their own creations. We talked to students across campus all about creating a little piece of home on The Bluff.
Freshmen Aafje Day, Maddie Hansen, Kristine Clark and Suzanne Burns | Fields Hall
How did you end up decorating your dorm room like this?
“It’s taken a couple of tries of moving stuff around. We rearranged the furniture a lot, because we have so much space, in order to find out where we wanted everything to be. To have it be functional but a working/living space as well.”
If you could spend any amount of money on your dorm to add to it or change it, what would you do?
“Well with the whiteboard in our room we were thinking of putting posters all around it and lights. We would repaint! We would add a couch and TV...and a sink! We would install a sink. We have a really long walk to the bathroom.”
If you had to name your dorm room, what would it be?
“The Fab Four.”
What makes your room the best on campus?
“We live in an extended study room, so it’s huge! There was originally supposed to be 6 girls, but there are only four of us now. There are windows with great views. And the people. The people in it make it the best.”
Freshmen Pallas Byrne, Sam Starkey and Maggie Palazzo | Shipstad Hall
What inspired you to decorate your room like this?
“We follow an account on Tumblr called Fyeahcooldorms and it has lots of pictures of tapestries and stuff. Pallas already had some, so we put them up and decided to get more. Also, the ceiling is really ugly so we wanted to cover it up. The essence of Portland was our inspiration, clearly.”
If you could spend any amount of money on your dorm to add to it or change it, what would you do?
“We would probably remove the light fixtures, if we were allowed to. Honestly, our room is basically perfection but we would probably get more pantry organizers or maybe something to mount the TV on the wall.”
If you had to name your dorm room, what would it be?
“We are ‘Trap Room 335’ or ‘Sexy Room 335’. We go by both names.”
What makes your room the best on campus?
“First of all, we have the biggest room, it has a lot of space for a triple. We also have two windows, which most people only have one. I think the space and what we’ve done with it clearly makes it the most ideal place to live. It’s the most tranquil room I’ve been in yet.”
Sophomores Camille Hougardy and Natalie Fulton | Mehling Hall: Room 214
What inspired you to decorate your room like this?
“Well we actually went to high school together, so we were best friends in high school. So it kind of started with our bed spreads. We’re from this little town in Washington and they had this import/export store that had really cool stuff made in India. From there we chose colors we liked and it grew into this! Whenever we would go shopping together we would see a pillow and we would add this and that. We also went to Europe together this summer and we bought these lanterns from France. It’s kind of eclectic.”
If you could spend any amount of money on your dorm to add to it or change it, what would you do?
“We really want tapestries, kind of like tents, we really want one of those. But eventually we’re going to get to a point where we literally will not be able to put more stuff in here.”
If you could use one word to describe your dorm room, what would it be?
“Homey or eclectic.”
What makes your room the best on campus?
“Because we live here! But we do have our own curtains, not many people in Mehling do, also our rug is SO soft.”
Freshmen Alex Peterson, Noah Takla, Qihang Wu, and John Black | Schoenfeldt Hall
What inspired you to decorate your room like this?
“It’s just kind of a fun place where guys come hang out and use the TV. The general vibe we’re going for is just a fun atmosphere where you can just walk in and hang out.
If you could spend any amount of money on your dorm to add to it or change it, what would you do?
“Microwave! That’s the one common accommodation that we don’t have. Maybe a rice cooker too.”
If you could use one word to describe your dorm room, what would it be?
“Gnarly.”
What makes your room the best on campus?
“Obviously the people in the room! We would say the quesadilla press...but we got shut down when we used it because it’s supposedly a hot plate. But we have a memorial for it.”
Contact Staff Writer Natasa Kvesic at kvesic19@up.edu.
All photos by Parker Shoaff.
