{a home away from home}

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! I have been debating for a long time whether or not to start a blog... and somehow I ended up with an entire web page. Oops. This is an exciting time for me though! I thought I would start a blog not only to share my passion for design (and fashion), but also to hopefully inspire you and provide you with some

tips for your own space. Each blog will feature a different topic or room. Let's get started!

FIRST off... we have the dreaded dorm room. These rooms seem to especially offer many challenges and struggles to design. Not only does it have to be functional, meet residential regulations, but also offer comfort, a study-friendly environment, and a place that feels like a home away from home. My first thought of how to achieve this, texture. When I think of home, I picture warm cookies and a soft blanket with my puppy laying by my feet. I achieved this in the dorm by laying a lush carpet on the floor, having a plush, luxurious bedspread, layering the bed with sheets, blankets, and throws, and having enough pillows for almost 30 people. The most effective use of texture in this room was the curtains. Not only did I want to cover the ugly, old white walls, but again I wanted to add texture and volume. My roommate's mother is a seamstress and sewed curtains that extend from the ceiling to the top of the air conditioning unit (curse those dorm room regulations). This instantly warmed up the space and gave me the texture I wanted.

THEN... came the organization. Has anyone ever told you a dorm room was tiny and a unlivable space? Well, sorry to say, but this is true. The biggest struggle was going to be how to fit my shoes and entire closet in that room. The dream of an organized dorm room is one that is very attainable though. A great mentality to have when designing small spaces is: when you can't go out, go up. Thanks to my innovative father, he built shelving that slips over our beds and desks. This increased storage instantly by 400%. Literally. We added some fun detailing on the shelving by installing a whitewashed birch veneer on the backs (this looked like a headboard, tricky I know) and painting them raspberry (talk about COLOR). Next comes the little stuff. My biggest pet peeve... random junk laying here and there. Bobby pins... pencils.... socks.... They all need a home (and a stylish one at that). Solution: canvas baskets. This changed the entire room. This instantly separated it from a cramped, dreadful dorm into a spacious, CLEAN room. Upcoming college students, take note!

FINALLY... let's make it pretty. In case you didn't know.... fluorescent lighting is every designers worst nightmare. I fixed this problem with lots of lamps. This provides a soft, glowing light instead of a harsh, sterile (insane asylum like) light. Some pretty items in our room include vintage mirrors, repurposed wood frames, old books, and colorful vases. This helped tie together my color scheme too. p.s. although the residence regulations don't allow holes in the walls, command hooks are an affordable solution for hanging mirrors, curtains, and artwork!

Although a dorm room can be dreadful and quite the challenge... it is possible to achieve a space that doesn't live up to the dreaded dorm perception. Now go create a home away from home!

SO to recap... here are some tips for the road!

- incorporate what makes it feel like home to you (blankets, a certain teddy bear)

- add texture (pillows, rugs, lamp shades)

- no fluorescent (add softer lighting i.e. a lovely lamp, Christmas lights)

- organize your space (no one wants to see what you use on a daily basis)

- make it pretty (add vases, mirrors, vintage frames)

Thanks for reading and keep checking for more posts!

\ ty \