An obvious way to create a totally awesome dorm room would be to room with “Super” Dell Schanze. Since this option may not be available
or desirable to most students, other strategies should be considered.
Creating a chill dorm room may seem like a trite concern, but too many students either fail to make it happen or go about it the wrong way.
Some succumb to cliché, putting up the “college” poster of John Belushi, then calling it good. Others simply leave their stuff boxed up and make no
effort to personalize their space. But, this is your home for a while, and you will want to be comfortable, so here are a few elements to keep in mind.
1. Dry-erase boards
Having a dry-erase board
in your dorm room is
handy for communicating
important dorm issues
with roommates and
making notes to yourself.
Or, alternatively, it doubles
as a place for writing
profanities and drawing
sexually explicit pictures
for the sake of comedy.
2. Lava lamp
It’s hard to imagine a time
when lava lamps, which
came on the scene in
the early ’70s, would be
uncool. Their hypnotic,
cyclical oozings can be the
perfect offset to reading a
dense essay on, say, the
origin of species. Or, they
can be fun to watch while
getting stoned, but they are
also a terrible fire-hazard,
so be careful. A dorm room
on fire is one to avoid.
3. A good sound
system
This may be the most
important thing. Without a
good sound system, your
room will lack soul. You
can spend too much money
at a place like Best Buy,
or you could go to Deseret
Industries or Savers, get
some cheap speakers, an
old stereo module with
auxiliary plug ins, a subwoofer,
and you’re set.
Simply plugging in your
iPod to the auxiliary will
enable you to listen to
your library while giving
you a much bigger sound
than a dinky iPod station
can provide. Make sure
to turn up the volume so
your neighbors get irritated
every so often. Hey, college
is a time of rebellion.
4. Posters
Buying posters merely
to define your space is
pretty desperate. A poster
of Bob Marley or two
lesbians on a bed making
out aren’t necessarily
bad ideas, but they may
not be a reflection of
your personality. Even
a nonsensical poster of
Elmo would be better if
it reflected your innate
randomness. Or Marlon
Brando on a motorcycle.
Or a map. Or a nostalgic
poster of Silver Spoons. The
possibilities are endless.
Christmas lights
People are suckers for
holiday lights. They are
less harsh than regular
incandescents and
illuminate the room with a
soft, comforting ambience.
5. Couch
Nothing is more inviting
than a couch that says,
“Please, sit, stay a while.”
A visit to any thrift store
or garage sale will show
that couches are easily
attainable, but use some
discretion. It’s one thing
to throw on an afghan to
cover up coffee stains, but
having a couch that smells
strange and is irrevocably
streaked by mystery
stains crosses the line of
acceptability.
Large body pillows
A huge, bigger-thannecessary
pillow allows
for easy lounging. Put it
anywhere, whether on
the bed, floor or couch,
and you have automatic
comfort and an ally in
relaxation. In fact, it’s better
to err on the side of having
too many pillows than not
enough.
6. Knick-knacks
While your dorm visitors
sit on your couch, they’ll
need stuff to fiddle and
play with. These can
include such things as a
Rubik’s Cube, an awesome
pressurized space pen,
Spinal Tap action figures,
or the book Diagnostic
Picture Tests in Sexually
Transmitted Diseases.
Ideally, you’ll also want a
coffee table on which to put
these items.
Shag carpet
Depending on where you
live, shag carpet may or
may not be an option. But,
if you can add carpet,
do it. It is so thick and
comfortable, it can serve
the dual purpose of a bed
and, oddly, a great place
for “shagging.” Just don’t
drop your keys on it—they
may never be found.
Propped-up bed, or
right on the floor
Many students place their
bed up high in order to
place a desk and computer
under it. It economizes on
space, and, in general,
makes you feel pretty
awesome. But, keeping
your bed on the ground
is also a practical move.
Doing so, you can surf
the Internet and do your
homework bedside on your
laptop, keeping it on the
floor next to you. A bed on
the floor also requires less
setup work.
Whatever route you
take in dressing up your
dorm room, remember,
this humble space is
your abode for now. It’s
important it become a
place of comfort, a destressing
environment
where the troubles of class,
professor, love, and student
loans can slip away. This
advice doesn’t just apply
to dorm rooms. It applies
to any room you occupy
while attending college—
except your parents’
basement. That doesn’t
count.