Design Your Dorm Room

To the average college student, the bedroom is much more than a place to sleep. In fact, most college students don't sleep nearly enough in their bedrooms. Instead, they work, play, study, socialize, write, and relax there. For all the living we do in our bedrooms, it would be nice if these spaces were inherently livable, warm, comfortable, and inviting. Unfortunately, many college students — whether they live on or off campus — often find themselves in tiny, bleak rooms that would better serve as closets. But don't think of inhabiting an awkward space that is either too small, has strangely angled walls, or is just plain nasty (or all of the above) as punishment; instead, consider it a challenge to make your pathetic room feel like home. Important considerations for those willing to undertake this decorating feat are personality, style, and comfort. College is one of the only times in your life when kitsch is very cool, so don't sweat it if the couch doesn't exactly go with the rug, the rug doesn't exactly complement the bedspread, and your sense of style doesn't exactly mesh with your roommate's. It's not tacky; it's funky. So cast caution to the wind and take full advantage of this twentysomething euphemism, cheaply. Since painting your room a lively new color isn't usually an option for students, try adding life to vapid walls with colorful tapestries (also great for draping over ugly dorm room couches), flags, and favorite posters. Interesting light sources also work wonders in the attempt to add atmosphere to otherwise dreary spaces. For example, white Christmas tree lights draped around windows or fasted to the ceiling in interesting patterns create an environment that is charming and whimsical. Just be sure to use duct tape rather than thumbtacks (think fire safety). Colored rope lights and hanging paper lanterns (available at stores such as Urban Outfitters) are also inexpensive ways of adding verve. Beyond lighting, Urban Outfitters has plenty of other cool and kindlypriced home goods and furniture items. They offer a unique and original take on everything from candles and picture frames to fauxfur rugs, beanbags, and butterfly chairs in vivid colors and exotic animal prints. Once you have the funky pieces you desire, the trick is to arrange them in a way that achieves comfort without claustrophobia. Designer Kristina Cook stresses the importance of maximizing vertical space in the effort to keep your living area as uncluttered as possible. If your room lacks shelving, Cook suggests creating your own, a task that may seem a bit daunting to the unhandy among us. Cook insists the project is actually quite simple and economical as long as you arm yourself with a sturdy drill and hammer. She recommends Elfa Systems, easytoassemble storage systems available at stores like Home Depot. Once you have shelving, you not only have a place to organize and store books, CDs, stereo systems, trinkets, and clothes, you have space to walk. Cook also says multifunctional furniture is a clever way to saving space. For example, replacing the standard desk with a drafting table provides a comfortable workspace when set at an angle and an ample surface for entertaining dinner guests when laid flat. Some models collapse altogether for easy storage. Architect Scott Vlasak, a recent graduate of RPI, agrees that innovative use of space and multifunctional furniture is key in the quest to make college dorm rooms as livable as possible. Vlasak proposes finding creative ways to make storage units double as furniture. For example, a trunk that holds your sweaters can also be used as a coffee table. Boltfree shelving made from cinder blocks and slender wooden boards is great for extra seating. Vlasak also suggests arranging furniture in such a way that it doubles as a partition, clearly delineating living areas within a single room. In his own senior year bedroom, Vlasak and his roommate built elaborate lofts for their beds, under which each had his own desk and computer. However, nonarchitecture majors need not try this at home. Some colleges actually provide preassembled lofts that can be traded for the metal bed frames that come standard in most rooms. The best that other schools can do is to provide rack raisers or cinder blocks to elevate the bed frame a few feet off the ground for extra storage space. But whatever you choose to put under your bed, both Vlasak and Cook concur that a soft foam egg crate or feather bed placed on top of even the most lumpy of collegeissue mattresses is the closest you'll get to a good night's sleep and certainly the closest you'll get to home. Kerri Bowen only buys furniture that serves at least three functions.