Dorm Room Design

I was so excited when Tenia, one of my loyal readers, emailed me about decorating her daughter's first dorm room. The challenge couldn't be more age-appropriate as I'll be entering my senior year at Bucknell next month. It was so important to me to create a home away from home that reflected my own style as opposed to the typical dorm decor of drinking posters and Christmas lights. 

Tenia's daughter Emma (isn't she adorable?) will be attending McNeese State University in Iowa in the fall, where she intends to major in nursing.

Her mom fell in love with this bedroom decorated by Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door and admits that this space inspired the palette for Emma's current bedroom. If Tenia loves turquoise, yellow, and navy and Emma says her favorite color is blue, I see no reason why we can't use this room as our inspiration for the new dorm room!

In reality, Emma will probably inherit something more along these lines: white walls, wood furniture, industrial flooring, and limited space. Now how do we put a personal stamp on that? 

For starters, we'll need to inject a little color onto those drab white walls. Since painting isn't an option, I recommend hanging Urban Outfitters' Atlas Tapestry ($36) across a blank wall. Lame college posters can't compare to the visual impact this will make and the color is positively perfect for recreating the happy vibe of Camila's guest room.

For a second wall, Emma already owns this print (available at Dazey Chic, $23). Her mom will also be making her a bulletin board to pin pictures of family and friends — how cute!

Let's fill in that wall with a few more prints like Janice J's A Scribble in the Sky ($23),  Funnel Cloud's Zinnia Lino Print ($14), and Courage and Cowards' High Wheel Bicycle ($25) — and of course lots of pictures of family and friends to remind her of home.

Moving right along, let's talk bedding. I love Urban Outfitters' Seed Stitch Quilt ($58) for two reasons: the price is great and it's reversible! Both the white and the yellow will work beautifully in Emma's space.

Let's add a couple throw pillows for good measure. Don't you love Ivie Made's Aqua Blue Bow Pillow Cover ($44)? Her Turkish Delight Pillow Cover ($34) even incorporates every shade in our color palette!

We've got turquoise and yellow covered so now it's time for a little navy. Why not cover up those linoleum tiles (or worse, old carpet) with something more foot-friendly? I love the price and the print of Urban Outfitters' 4'x6' Indigo Geo Rug ($48).

Since you're all aware of my love for workspaces, you can bet that my desk has always been a focal point of my past dorm rooms. For Emma's room, let's begin with Pottery Barn Teen's Hi-Light Task Lamp ($59 for a limited time only) — I have it in white and love it! 

I'm also a big fan of The Container Store's desk accessories, particularly their Clear Divided Tray ($10). It's ideal for keeping desk drawers organized but it's cute enough to leave in plain view as well!

A cute finishing touch is Urban Outfitters' Coming and Going Coat Rack ($68), a colorful way to keep rain jackets and winter coats off the floor.

On a slightly more pragmatic note, I also fell in love with Urban Outfitters' Ruffle Laundry Bag ($36), which will make the requisite chore at least a little more fun.

What do you think of my plans for Emma's dorm room? I hope she and her mom love it!

I was so excited when Tenia, one of my loyal readers, emailed me about decorating her daughter's first dorm room. The challenge couldn't be more age-appropriate as I'll be entering my senior year at Bucknell next month. It was so important to me to create a home away from home that reflected my own style as opposed to the typical dorm decor of drinking posters and Christmas lights. 

Tenia's daughter Emma (isn't she adorable?) will be attending McNeese State University in Iowa in the fall, where she intends to major in nursing.

Her mom fell in love with this bedroom decorated by Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door and admits that this space inspired the palette for Emma's current bedroom. If Tenia loves turquoise, yellow, and navy and Emma says her favorite color is blue, I see no reason why we can't use this room as our inspiration for the new dorm room!

In reality, Emma will probably inherit something more along these lines: white walls, wood furniture, industrial flooring, and limited space. Now how do we put a personal stamp on that? 

For starters, we'll need to inject a little color onto those drab white walls. Since painting isn't an option, I recommend hanging Urban Outfitters' Atlas Tapestry ($36) across a blank wall. Lame college posters can't compare to the visual impact this will make and the color is positively perfect for recreating the happy vibe of Camila's guest room.

For a second wall, Emma already owns this print (available at Dazey Chic, $23). Her mom will also be making her a bulletin board to pin pictures of family and friends — how cute!

Let's fill in that wall with a few more prints like Janice J's A Scribble in the Sky ($23),  Funnel Cloud's Zinnia Lino Print ($14), and Courage and Cowards' High Wheel Bicycle ($25) — and of course lots of pictures of family and friends to remind her of home.

Moving right along, let's talk bedding. I love Urban Outfitters' Seed Stitch Quilt ($58) for two reasons: the price is great and it's reversible! Both the white and the yellow will work beautifully in Emma's space.

Let's add a couple throw pillows for good measure. Don't you love Ivie Made's Aqua Blue Bow Pillow Cover ($44)? Her Turkish Delight Pillow Cover ($34) even incorporates every shade in our color palette!

We've got turquoise and yellow covered so now it's time for a little navy. Why not cover up those linoleum tiles (or worse, old carpet) with something more foot-friendly? I love the price and the print of Urban Outfitters' 4'x6' Indigo Geo Rug ($48).

Since you're all aware of my love for workspaces, you can bet that my desk has always been a focal point of my past dorm rooms. For Emma's room, let's begin with Pottery Barn Teen's Hi-Light Task Lamp ($59 for a limited time only) — I have it in white and love it! 

I'm also a big fan of The Container Store's desk accessories, particularly their Clear Divided Tray ($10). It's ideal for keeping desk drawers organized but it's cute enough to leave in plain view as well!

A cute finishing touch is Urban Outfitters' Coming and Going Coat Rack ($68), a colorful way to keep rain jackets and winter coats off the floor.

On a slightly more pragmatic note, I also fell in love with Urban Outfitters' Ruffle Laundry Bag ($36), which will make the requisite chore at least a little more fun.

What do you think of my plans for Emma's dorm room? I hope she and her mom love it!

Winding Down

Can it be that summer is so close to over? My birthday is a short twelve days away and soon after that I'll be heading back to my beloved Bucknell to finish decorating my new boudoir. Is your summer flying by like mine seems to be? Here's to spending the final weeks of summer taking time to smell the roses...

put on your most glamorous pair of shades...

get your toes (or pumps) in the sand...

swim in salt water...

throw a summer soirée...

or an afternoon picnic...

complete with seasonal treats...

or spend a lazy afternoon on the back of a boat...

plan some quality time with the ones you love...

particularly those of the canine variety...

and smile through the rest of the summer!

{Photo credits: 1) via Aubrey Road, 2) via Harper and Harley, 3) Carter Smith, 4) via Aubrey Road, 5) via E Tells Tales, 6) via {This is Glamorous}, 7) Deliciously Organized, 8) via Slumber Designs, 9) Corrie Bond, 10) via We Heart It, 11) via E Tells Tales}

Can it be that summer is so close to over? My birthday is a short twelve days away and soon after that I'll be heading back to my beloved Bucknell to finish decorating my new boudoir. Is your summer flying by like mine seems to be? Here's to spending the final weeks of summer taking time to smell the roses...

put on your most glamorous pair of shades...

get your toes (or pumps) in the sand...

swim in salt water...

throw a summer soirée...

or an afternoon picnic...

complete with seasonal treats...

or spend a lazy afternoon on the back of a boat...

plan some quality time with the ones you love...

particularly those of the canine variety...

and smile through the rest of the summer!

{Photo credits: 1) via Aubrey Road, 2) via Harper and Harley, 3) Carter Smith, 4) via Aubrey Road, 5) via E Tells Tales, 6) via {This is Glamorous}, 7) Deliciously Organized, 8) via Slumber Designs, 9) Corrie Bond, 10) via We Heart It, 11) via E Tells Tales}

Designing for Dudes

Is it just me or is it near impossible to find fashion inspiration for members of the opposite sex? I recently revamped my boyfriend's wardrobe to help him suit up for his summer internship and was frustrated by the lack of outfit inspiration out there for men. Why should we women have all the fun? If you're sitting on a few links to men's fashion blogs you frequent, I would love to hear from you!

I love this European look (saved from Facehunter ages ago) but I'm not sure that my all-American and entirely heterosexual boyfriend would go for it. The boat shoes we bought him last month were a big hit but white jeans and hipster shades might be pushing it. 

I don't know that Michael, intelligent though he is, can be trusted to mix and match his own patterns, particularly a tweed jacket with a plaid shirt with a striped knit tie. Somehow this fellow makes it work, but that's just the art of French dressing at work, isn't it? (Isn't the camera the perfect touch? What if I got my boyfriend into photography somehow? I suppose that would be venturing into gay best friend territory — though I'm on the market for one of those as well... Any takers?)

I don't see Michael sporting leather driving gloves (or hair gel, thank God) anytime soon, so perhaps the lesson here is that I love the color green on men. A green jacket would flatter Michael's blond locks and cool blue/yellow eyes, wouldn't it? J.Crew, get on that!

Anyway, I digress. The point of this post wasn't originally the difficulty of finding straight men's fashion inspiration but rather that the aforementioned boyfriend is also moving into off-campus housing at Bucknell next year and is somehow willing to trust me with the task of outfitting his new digs. The dilemma here is similar, however: how to give him a space that looks macho and entirely undecorated? (You know, the opposite of my style?)

Long before this predicament ever presented itself, I stumbled upon this story on New York Magazine's website. Being the genius that I am, I read the article, marveled at the pictures, and promptly forgot about it entirely. Fast forward one year and I find myself frantically emailing Grace of Design*Sponge (who must now think I'm crazy) wondering if I had seen this space on their blog and if what I was describing from faint memory was ringing any bells with her. Of course it wasn't and I abandoned it for a second time... Until I magically stumbled upon these photos on Little Blue Deer and professed my undying gratitude to Shari (who probably also thinks I'm a little off). Really this is an entirely roundabout way of informing you that I think I've finally found and saved the inspiration for my latest project.

While bright paint and gallery walls probably aren't the subject matter of Michael's wildest dreams, I think it would be cool to go green and adorn the walls with vintage maps, photographs from our time abroad, and old sailing flags or sports pennants that I find online. Aren't the different frames and mattes brilliant?

Ignoring the drapery ties and prospering plant, I think a well-stocked bar would make him the envy of his housemates (as opposed to the laughingstock). How convenient that I spotted Ralph Lauren's black watch plaid at HomeGoods (ahem, still waiting on that website) the other day!

I can't claim to have expanded Michael's wardrobe to these depths (yet) but I love the colorful ties against the green backdrop and the $80 thrift store dresser underneath the gilded mirror. 

Besides the above inspiration, the only project I'm dying to try is this Union Jack dresser I spotted on From the Right Bank. How perfect since Michael just returned from five months in London! 

What do you think of my ideas and inspiration for the boyfriend's boudoir? Nothing could be less cool than a room that looks like his girlfriend swept in and made the place sparkle. I've been given free reign (and a helping hand!) so I'm trying not to mess this up! Where do you find interior inspiration that would appeal to your boyfriends/fiancés/husbands/landscapers/dogwalkers/etc.? I'll take all the help I can get!

Is it just me or is it near impossible to find fashion inspiration for members of the opposite sex? I recently revamped my boyfriend's wardrobe to help him suit up for his summer internship and was frustrated by the lack of outfit inspiration out there for men. Why should we women have all the fun? If you're sitting on a few links to men's fashion blogs you frequent, I would love to hear from you!

I love this European look (saved from Facehunter ages ago) but I'm not sure that my all-American and entirely heterosexual boyfriend would go for it. The boat shoes we bought him last month were a big hit but white jeans and hipster shades might be pushing it. 

I don't know that Michael, intelligent though he is, can be trusted to mix and match his own patterns, particularly a tweed jacket with a plaid shirt with a striped knit tie. Somehow this fellow makes it work, but that's just the art of French dressing at work, isn't it? (Isn't the camera the perfect touch? What if I got my boyfriend into photography somehow? I suppose that would be venturing into gay best friend territory — though I'm on the market for one of those as well... Any takers?)

I don't see Michael sporting leather driving gloves (or hair gel, thank God) anytime soon, so perhaps the lesson here is that I love the color green on men. A green jacket would flatter Michael's blond locks and cool blue/yellow eyes, wouldn't it? J.Crew, get on that!

Anyway, I digress. The point of this post wasn't originally the difficulty of finding straight men's fashion inspiration but rather that the aforementioned boyfriend is also moving into off-campus housing at Bucknell next year and is somehow willing to trust me with the task of outfitting his new digs. The dilemma here is similar, however: how to give him a space that looks macho and entirely undecorated? (You know, the opposite of my style?)

Long before this predicament ever presented itself, I stumbled upon this story on New York Magazine's website. Being the genius that I am, I read the article, marveled at the pictures, and promptly forgot about it entirely. Fast forward one year and I find myself frantically emailing Grace of Design*Sponge (who must now think I'm crazy) wondering if I had seen this space on their blog and if what I was describing from faint memory was ringing any bells with her. Of course it wasn't and I abandoned it for a second time... Until I magically stumbled upon these photos on Little Blue Deer and professed my undying gratitude to Shari (who probably also thinks I'm a little off). Really this is an entirely roundabout way of informing you that I think I've finally found and saved the inspiration for my latest project.

While bright paint and gallery walls probably aren't the subject matter of Michael's wildest dreams, I think it would be cool to go green and adorn the walls with vintage maps, photographs from our time abroad, and old sailing flags or sports pennants that I find online. Aren't the different frames and mattes brilliant?

Ignoring the drapery ties and prospering plant, I think a well-stocked bar would make him the envy of his housemates (as opposed to the laughingstock). How convenient that I spotted Ralph Lauren's black watch plaid at HomeGoods (ahem, still waiting on that website) the other day!

I can't claim to have expanded Michael's wardrobe to these depths (yet) but I love the colorful ties against the green backdrop and the $80 thrift store dresser underneath the gilded mirror. 

Besides the above inspiration, the only project I'm dying to try is this Union Jack dresser I spotted on From the Right Bank. How perfect since Michael just returned from five months in London! 

What do you think of my ideas and inspiration for the boyfriend's boudoir? Nothing could be less cool than a room that looks like his girlfriend swept in and made the place sparkle. I've been given free reign (and a helping hand!) so I'm trying not to mess this up! Where do you find interior inspiration that would appeal to your boyfriends/fiancés/husbands/landscapers/dogwalkers/etc.? I'll take all the help I can get!