Collaborative post
17.07.2024 - 16:08 / thespruce.com
Your dorm should be your home away from home, but it can be hard to imagine that when stepping into the empty space for the first time.
Looking around the room, it doesn't feel like there's much potential for personality—white walls, empty drawers, and a flat, uncomfortable mattress don't tell much of a story. But, let our editors guide you in the right direction.
Three Spruce editors share stories from their time in college dorms and how they managed to turn these blank slates into rooms filled with unforgettable memories.
Mia Ingui
The summer before my senior year, my dad accidentally donated all of my dorm decorations.
Please, take a moment and mourn the loss of all of my items. I used to store them in plastic bags in our garage, and my dad (bless him) unknowingly put them all out to the curb for a donation pickup.
When did I notice, you may ask? The week before move-in day.
I hadn't had much luck when it came to my college living situations, from temperamental roommates to a 7th-floor dorm with no air conditioning (it was always a comfy 86 degrees). I was so looking forward to my senior year, as I finally was living in the nicest apartment building on campus with my closest a capella group friends.
So even though I had just lost all of my precious belongings, I was determined to still have a good year and craft a dorm that felt like a home and a haven from crazy college life.
My mom and I went on a mission to replace all of my lost dorm essentials with rapid speed. Thanks to numerous trips to Target and HomeGoods, we were able to scoop up new bedding, towels, and pillows, combing through the few options left after the August dorm shopping rush.
I got much of the decor you can see in my room above, from a
Paul Costello
The thought of having a professional interior designer over to your home may sound like heaven—or a nightmare. Their trained eyes can spot a rug that’s too small or a generic piece of art in a heartbeat.
Collaborative post
Whether you’re frightened or fascinated by them, snakes have important roles in your garden, eating insects and keepingmice,vole, andrabbit populations in check. They also serve as prey for other predators, such as hawks. But probably the most important thing to know is that they’renot at all interested in you.
It’s unsettling when an earwig scuttles across your floor with its fearsome-looking pinchers. But spotting one doesn’t mean you necessarily a huge problem. “Earwigs typically are occasional invaders,” says Faith Oi, PhD, entomologist and extension professor at theUniversity of Florida. “If you see one in your home, it’s lost and wandering around looking for food or shelter. They’re not normally found in large numbers indoors.”
My husband and I recently moved into our first «adult,» post-college apartment. While our one-bedroom college apartment did the job for a time, it felt more cramped and cluttered the longer we lived in it. When we moved into our new apartment, I knew I wanted to prioritize organization to avoid that same cluttered feeling.
One major pro of a pint-sized bathroom is that it is typically fairly affordable to give it a facelift.
Coffee wakes you up in the morning and might do the same for your plants! Well, not in the same way, but this quick homemade fertilizer does wonders and is the best way to put coffee dregs to good use!