About the Dorm
Butler is the freshman honors dorm at Tulane. Most, but not all students living here are part of the honors program. So if you want a dorm where you’ll definitely get all your work done, honor student or not, you might want to look into living in Butler! If you’re just passing by, you may notice one of the honors roundtable events that are hosted in this dorm.
About the Residents
Meet Abi and Amanda—two girls living on Butler 5 this year. Abi came to Tulane all the way from Connecticut. She’s studying business and political science. Amanda is from Kentucky and studying Chemistry. She is planning on going pre-dental. These two girls may seem different but they definitely agree that Tulane was a great choice for each of them and their separate interests. Abi loves that Tulane has the feel of a school bigger than it actually is. Meanwhile, Amanda loves that she was able to bring her horse to Tulane with her.
Come inside and check out this unique room!
Abi’s Elephants
The first thing I noticed when I entered this room was Abi’s wall stickers. They’re big, they’re bright, and did I mention they’re bamboo! The stickers take up a lot of Abi’s wall space without being too overbearing since they’re one solid color. Her bedspread’s neutral color goes well with the bright colored stickers as well as her fun decorative pillows. Look closely—her comforter is covered in elephants. These elephants have some company too—Abi’s elephant string. “The elephant string was the first thing I bought for my room actually. I bought it when I lived in Spain this past summer, it’s supposed to bring good luck” said Abi. And luck is definitely helpful with the midterms we’ve had going on! Abi hung this unique decoration from a command hook on the ceiling. If you’re limited on wall space, why not try using your ceiling for some decorating room? We live in New Orleans, beads are everywhere, try hanging some from hooks on your ceiling!
If you liked Abi’s fake plant (the bamboo!), check out the real one by her desk. It’s an orchid. “My mom loves plants and decorating with them. I even have a tree in my room at home”. Since plants make up Abi’s home in Connecticut, continuing the tradition in her dorm room helps make it homier for her! You can do the same in your room: if there’s something you have at home you think you’ll miss, buy something similar for your dorm. To create more storage space, Abi put fabric drawers on the selves above her desk and bought drawers for under her bed.
Amanda Gets Crafty
Now, going over to Amanda’s side of the room all I could do was questioning basically everything! Her side may not be as colorful as Abi’s, but it’s one of the most interesting I’ve seen yet! First, check out the mobile hung about Amanda’s bed. Yes, that’s right—a mobile, like you may have had in your childhood nursery. Amanda took a more mature spin on her mobile: it holds photos of her family and friends. Also important to Amanda is the flag she has hung up from Italy. It’s a flag for a horse that raced there and represents her love of horses. She also loved the colors of it—its bright color scheme helps it stand out against Amanda’s brick wall. Amanda also has a small sign up that says Vanity—that’s her horse’s name. This nameplate was sent with her horse when it made the journey to Tulane.
Believe it or not, Amanda’s decorations get even more unique. I bet you don’t have a lamp that you made by yourself that defuses oil in your dorm room, or even your house for that matter! The lamp is made out of dyed mason jars. Amanda painted the board and mounted them on it then strung lights through them. She even put incents in the jars for a fun touch. “I just like making little projects a lot, like I’ve made a lot of my jewelry”. Not only does she make lamps and jewelry, Amanda even made a jewelry holder to go with all her homemade necklaces. She turned the top of a rake into a jewelry holder by sawing it off and painting it. I was awed by all the fun projects I found in this room! Amanda confessed to me that a lot of the ideas for what she makes actually come from stumbleupon.com. I guess this site isn’t just good for procrastinating that essay you just don’t have any motivation to write. It helped Amanda make so many cute, useful projects!
Make it Your Own
- Buy cloth drawers to expand your shelf space.
- If you think your comforter is neutral enough, go find some colorful pillows to liven up your side of the room.
- Wall stickers can be a fun way to decorate. Amazon.com and allposters.com have a wide selection to choose from.
- Buy a plant—but don’t forget to water it! At least they’re easier to take care of then a fish would be.
- Sign up for stumbleupon.com and search around for some cool craft ideas!
- Hang up something fun from another country like Abi’s elephant string from Spain or Amanda’s horse flag from Italy.
- Hang beads from command hooks on your ceiling if you can’t wait until February for Mardi Gras!
Remember Tulane…Defend New Orleans, Defend Your Dorm!
Do you think your dorm has what it takes to be raided? Email rshinner@tulane.edu