“Any decent realtor… chirps on about good bones: This place could be beautiful, right?”
Maggie Smith, Good Bones https://maggiesmithpoet.com/poem/good-bones/
An Isabel Marant shoebox from The Real Real and a tear-out of Timothée Chalamet from GQ magazine.
The cover poster from my dads nineties CDs and a French post card of James Dean.
A dress up set of purple fairy wings,
These are a few of my favorite things.…
Leaving the bedroom of my teenage years behind was unexpectedly one of the most emotional parts of moving to college. I couldn’t figure out how to send the essence of that room two hours north to Bowling Green. I wanted nothing more than to hire a construction crew, have them cut my room out, fold it up, squish it through the doorway of my apartment complex, and flatten it out here; leaving a me-shaped hole in the front of my childhood home. After being away at college for a month, I finally feel at peace with my room and the space I have cultured. Here is the best advice I can muster on curating a space you’re happy to come home to:
1. Use what you have and embrace versatility
Though I was tempted to completely reset my life and buy a whole new setup for my room, that wasn’t financially feasible. I had to allow for rebirth with items I had owned for years; items that were hidden in my closet. I used old, patterned storage bins from Michaels for a soft touch of color and as a practical unit for hiding those ugly yet necessary items (charging cords, office supplies, accessories). I used an old sleeping bag as cushioning for a reading nook and added a pillow case to a body pillow for comfort and support. An unused book case from our basement storage came out to store my media. Cloth bins worked perfectly to group together and conceal items while still allowing easy access (school supplies, undergarments, snacks).
To be as financially responsible as possible, I also had to be clever. I used a TV dinner folding tray as a nightstand, and when an event calls for dinner and a show (for me, that’s any awards show), I take the decor off the tray and move it to the living room. I borrowed a small ping pong table from my little brother’s room to stand in as a desk and repurposed an old set of curtains as a table cloth. In doing this, I was able to bring life into unused items from my home, keeping things sustainable and fun.
2. Think nontraditional decor (and outside the box)
The walls of my bedroom at home are covered in frames, papers, posters and pictures, but it wasn’t feasible to take them all down and move them with me. I wanted to imitate the walls of my teenage bedroom onto the walls of my apartment bedroom through a simpler, smaller scale. In order to find items, I had to think outside the box. My best advice for posters and such: pages from magazines, covers from CDs (sometimes, they unfold to be 4x the size of the cover), the front cover of cards (from birthdays, anniversaries, etc.), polaroid’s, thrift stores (I’ve found some gems inside thrift store frames) and finally, the BGSU poster sale (saved my sickly, empty room). Anything can be a decoration if you want it to be.
3. Know your priorities
In moving away from my family for the first time, I knew I had to bring mementoes to keep them close. Here’s what worked for me: printed images of my grandparents from when they were younger placed in Dollar Tree frames on my bedside table, pictures of my parents from when they were younger (a nicely framed one from my moms first communion and a ID pass from a capitol building tour for my dad), a small slip of writing I’ve held onto since middle school from my best friend, and items that hold memories (stuffed animals, books, records).
4. Be open to change and imperfections
One of my other priorities from the start was this random color scheme: pink, purple, grey, and tan. I committed to this so intensely that my room lost all character and all priority (functionality, nostalgia) outside of color. Once I let go of that stress, I grew to love my room. So what if the pillow I stole from my younger brother is blue, or my backpack that I can’t seem to hide is bright red? Be open to differing ideas and be open to change throughout the year as well: if a poster doesn’t fit anymore, or your setup isn’t working, change it. Don’t sit with something unsatisfactory.
5. Recreate your space from home
I had no idea how to layout my room until I actually got my furniture into it. I loved my setup from home: only the head of my bed up against a wall and the side of my desk also against a wall (so I can look out into my room while I do work). I was able to recreate these two positions while still having room for a reading nook and practical space to move around. I also adored having my bookcase in sight of my bed when I lay on my left side (it’s the little things), so I set my bookshelf up to be seen from that position. Change is good, but too much change at once can be overwhelming and can cause for revision to old ways. An intention of re-creation allowed my room to feel home-y from the start.
I feel so lucky to have been able to create a room here at college where I can reset, recharge, and regroup. Everyone deserves a space they are obsessed with, whether that be the half of your dorm room, or your first solo apartment. I hope my own learnings inspire you to create contentment.