Design Public

If I were off to college I would… think to brighten my space with something other than holiday string lights and a mere/sad desk lamp. There is so much more to lighting than simply preventing eye strain while in dark spaces.

There are pieces that can:

Guard your goods..

Create for an awesome visual in a boring 8′x10′ foot dorm space…

Act as a source of modern inspiration (and light) (more…)

If I were (corrected: thanks Adam!) off to college I would…seriously think about where you plan to sit your tush. Although a new desk chair or couch may not be at the top of your “college dorm necessities” list…it could be the one piece of dorm furniture that no one else would think of which could then automatically make your room the preferred social spot. Think about it!

When I got to college our desks were supplied with hard and uber-ugly chairs. Not sure how I endured the couple of years of dorm room living looking at such things…let alone sitting on them. We also had the courage to loft our beds and purchase a $30 grandma looking couch from Goodwill which in hindsight was probably so full of germs or bugs I am surprised my roommate and I didn’t come down with odd diseases.

Granted, the majority of college students are not made of money, but I have a few ideas that can keep you away from pained rumps and a Grandma Mable inspired dorm room while also being something you’d actually want to keep after the school year is over…

#1: A Blu Dot Real Good Chair. Imagine going to school with your chair in a little box (a moving space saver!) and assembling the goods in front of your new found friends. They will be mystified and in awe with the process and even more so by the chair.

#2 and #3: Poofs and cubes. Rather than a desky-desk chair maybe a poof or cube is more your style… (more…)

I decided after writing about college bedding that the dorm decor advice station shouldn’t stop with sheets and duvets. There are so many other dorm decorating tips that need to be dished out. Thus, this is numero uno in a multi-part serious: “If I was off to college I would….”

If I were (corrected: thanks Adam!) off to college I would…seriously think about what you plan to put on your walls. Shortly after college begins there will be loads of sidewalk vendors attempting to sell the cliché “College” John Belushi from Animal House poster, or an overly large image of Bob Marley’s head, or something related to beerz. Although John, Bob, and beerz are great, put your blinders on! You can do better than that.

At most schools you are not “supposed” to nail items to the walls and many colleges have tight restrictions and what types of adhesives you can use…that is when a light bulb went off in my head…wallbands! These puppies only require a bit of water to get them up and down…and they won’t leave anything on your walls when the school year is over. Have a look-see at a few twenty2 wallband visuals to get an idea:

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I was walking through the college dorm aisles in Tar-jay the other day when I realized what sort of trends I was suckered into so many years ago with regards to college bedding: 1.) I bought the jersey knit sheets. Although soft, they did pill very quickly and didn’t last more than a few months before looking shabby. 2.) I had the reversible comforter that about 23892783 other girls in my dorm also had in their rooms. This one item that was to be a major focal point in my room was the same main feature in so many other rooms. Blah. Plus, I had never cleaned a comforter before in my life which in turn led to a very dirty sleeping space for a long time.

So, I thought I would take the opportunity to try and prevent such catastrophic events for student going through the college dorm preparation process by passing on the three big college bedding lessons I learned:

1.) Don’t give in to the super cheap. Super cheap sheets will either be extremely scratchy or will fall apart quickly. You don’t need the most elaborate sheet sets while in college, but you do want something that you will not have to replace quickly or will keep you up at night with discomfort.

3.) Think duvet. Although most college students may not know the meaning of the word, they will appreciate the function. I have to admit to thinking a duvet was a pillowcase or a diving board or a special type of loo for many (more…)

Contest Alert! If you’ve evolved beyond bare-bones milk crates, crappy plastic clippy lamps, and keg coffee tables, enter the Apartment Therapy and Housing Works My Dorm Room Rocks contest! From my own memories and from scoping out our site, I have a few suggestions and links:

1) Keep the hot pot cleaned out! I’ll never forget the nasty blob with the life all its own that grew in my roommate’s hot pot after she left Chef Boy-R-Dee remnants in it for a month or so!

2) Kegs are not furniture, and they get moldy as well. (more…)

So how about the greater campus design. My favorite, hands down, is Mr. Jefferson’s Academical Village. For you non-wahoos, that’s the University of Virginia’s Lawn. You won’t make it through an American Architecture survey course without seeing at least a diagrammatic slide. In the spirit of FULL DISCLOSURE I admit I’m biased, as I loved the place so much I wound up staying for 11 years. (more…)

OK, I was trying to find some links to my favorite campus designs, so I Googled “Sullivan Exeter Library” and I came across a great personal website, by one Narrow Larry. He’s an architect/planner in Houston, and his site is chock full of great photos, itineraries, folk art info and fun to read architectural opinions (I have to say, I agree with almost all of his picks).

The craziest thing I saw on his website was the Longaberger Basket Building.

Oh. My. God. I’m speechless. So I ask anyone who has read Venturi and Scott-Brown, is this the biggest duck you’ve ever seen or what? If not, what’s the biggest duck you’ve ever seen? Or is this a basket-shaped shed? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’ll definitely think I’ve lost my mind.

Anyway, I promise to get back to Campus design tomorrow. There are so many great buildings and campus designs out there to admire (and a lot to make fun of as well). So for homework, check out recent work at MIT by Stephen Holl and Frank Gehry (here and here), and discuss amongst yourselves. You can do that here if you wish. Come on, I’m bored! Tell me what you think!

If you’ve been following along with us for this week of Design on Campus, you’ve learned a lot. So far we’ve helped you out with

. . . some cool dorm inspiration . . .
. . . how to determine whether your furniture is for Chillin’, Kickin’ It, or Keepin’ it Real . . .
. . . and how to decorate your blank walls on a budget.

Today’s Friday. Class is not in session this weekend, plus you’ve got a day off Monday. Enjoy it. We’ll leave you with a final list of tips for the semester: dorm room decorating “Dos and Don’ts”. These tried-and-true rules will have your place looking ship-shape in no time.

Links:
View College and Dorm Decor Dos and Don’ts

Heading off to school this weekend? Know anyone who is? Your homework: check out our brand spankin’ new Modern College & Dorm category for all the looks that will school your classmates. Be sure to major in modernism!

Dear Becky,

My roommate grew up in a naked house, and thus is very comfortable lettin’ it all hang out all day long. How can I avoid the view?

Signed,
Afraid to Open My Eyes

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