A doctrine on dorm decor: Students add color, elegance to rooms

Kyle Nelson & Sam Bloch Guest Writers

For many students, a dorm room functions as a home away from home. But for some, it becomes home.

Jewett 304: A sophomore’s closet
Libby Murphy ’08 of Jewett 304 lives in a single somewhere between the size of three bathroom stalls and the Jewett elevator. A single this year was necessary. “I was in a triple [last year],” Murphy said. “I need a single because I get up at 5 a.m. for crew; that would suck for a roommate.”

Murphy got rid of her school-assigned dresser and brought her own bed in order to save space. She lofted the original bed to provide more storage space and give potential guests a place to sleep. The space under “the tree house” houses a desk and workspace.

“I brought five times as much stuff last year,” said Murphy. “I left a lot at home.”

For a tiny Jewett single, Murphy has done an admirable job.

Main 312: “The Island of Love”
It is exhilarating how high the ceilings reach in Main 312. This expanse makes Jewett 304 look like a sardine can. Hanging from the ceiling are paper lanterns, and the room is awash with light.

Home to Maryrose Myrtetus ’09, Rachel Crossno ’09, and Sami Klebanoff ’09, this room is undeniably happy. From the brightly colored bed-sheets to the live plants to the massive window, this is a room designed for its jovial inhabitants.

With raised beds, there is an ample amount of storage space for drawers and clothes and basically all of the essentials for dorm living. A flower carpet covers the floor, and the walls are covered in Georgia O’Keefe and Tom Waits.

Davison 308: A prison-like haven
This next room is kind of like “the Island of love”: minus the Island, the Love, and the colors.

Bare walls, bare floors, sparse accommodations: Davison 308, the room of Philip Chinn ’09 and Martial Ntamatungiro ’09, is a display that would cause even the most staunch minimalist to question its artistic merit.

“We decided to go for the jailhouse effect,” said Chinn. “We’re prisoners of higher education.”

Jailhouse is an accurate way to describe the layout of the room. In one corner are standard issue bunk beds and in the other are the desks. The two share a computer. Under the window is a bookshelf and on the dresser is an empty set of wire shelves. In the open window sits an idle fan, despite Chinn’s assertion that the room is usually 20 degrees hotter than the rest of campus.

“I’m happy [with the room],” said Ntamatungiro. “It could be worse; we could not have walls or something. We could add posters, but I’m just lazy.”

Davison 309: The Death Star
Across the hall is a completely different scene. Enter Davison 309, home of Nico Brugge ’09 and Dylan Entelis ’09. This is a room that bleeds conceptualization and style. It’s not just a room; it’s an idea.

The outskirts of the room (beds, refrigerators, etc) revolve around a center area. The middle area is a lounge space where one can watch the flat-screen television on comfortable carpets and chairs. “It’s got a very homely feel,” said Brugge.

The room itself is split into two distinct sides, which display each inhabitant’s personality. Entelis’s side is music and Brugge’s side is movies and eventually, they explained, there will be posters on the wall to reflect each of their individual interests.

Josselyn 328: An elegant masterpiece
While Davison 309 seems like a perfect dorm room design, Austin Clarke’s ’08 Josselyn 328 masterpiece is in a different league.

“Last year my room was covered in Simple Life and Britney Spears pictures,” said Clarke.

His grandmother, however, was not content with these furnishings. She and Clarke collaborated to the tune of approximately $4,000 to create the ultimate dorm room, supporting the adage that luxury comes at no small price.

Looking at the room, it’s amazing that it follows all the campus dorm rules. “I called ResLife and created a blueprint of the room,” said Clarke. “I had everything designed before I came. I knew I wanted a single and I knew I wanted that room: it’s huge.”

The entire room is draped. There are padded window treatments, all attached to the top of the room. The walls are covered in ten king sized, flat sateen sheets. They hang on picture frame hooks and are pinned down to the floor to avoid any fire code infractions. He even abided by the pipe rule.

The centerpiece of the room is his bed. Because long beds don’t have bed frames, he was able to create a large headboard out of his wardrobes.

Beside the bed, which is in the middle of the room, Clarke will have two square coffee tables under which are small ottomans.

There is no formula or pattern to the perfect dorm room. Some students are happy with opulence, some with nothingness. For a successful dorm room, all it takes is a little effort, humor, and personality.