Dorm decor

Young Chang

Fred looks absolutely exhausted.

The old, stuffed Pound Puppy has ears that droop so badly, they spread

across his owner Sarah Luckett’s cushy bed. He moved from their

Bakersfield home to Vanguard University four years ago. This week, he

found yet another refuge as Luckett, 21, started her senior year in a new

dorm room.

She never sets up house without him. Never mind that he’s old and

looks a bit ragged and could, maybe, use a good spin through the washing

machine.

He’s one of Luckett’s dorm-decorating musts.

Student are “very intentional in creating an environment they’re

comfortable with, something that feels like their home,” said David

Gould, director of residence life at Vanguard.

With the fall semester starting and Ikea lines snaking through the

aisles, college students and dorm-life leaders at Vanguard and UC Irvine

revealed what makes a new college home livable.

Luckett and her two roommates, Amber Young and Beth McKinney, chose to

squeeze three people in a dorm for the sake of friendship. They conquered

the feat of making three personalities show without driving one another

crazy.

Each installed a single white shelf near their bed. It’s an

antique-looking frail shelf that gives the illusion it’s floating. Books,

candles, lantern-shaped candle holders and bibles occupy the ledges. The

personal necessities are all reachable lying down.

“I’ve known freshmen who didn’t want to do anything until everything

was set up,” Young, 21, said.

Decorating “gives them a sense this is mine,” McKinney, also 21,

added.

The three roommates, who seem to have nearly perfected the art of

living together and remaining friends, also share similar furnishing

tastes. Inflateable seats and pillows are always in, they said.

Decorating lights and posters of ‘N Sync have yet to get old.

Mike Bower, director of public relations at the university, said his

son Jonathan never leaves home without the Playstation. He is a junior

transfer student at Vanguard.

Another shared favorite touch is hand-painted picture frames. Ikea

sells three for $1 in an uncolored, wooden shade. McKinney, Young and

Luckett paint them blue, a Martha Stewart green, rosier pastels and other

subtle, soothing colors.

The minimalist, black-and-white touch appears to have become taboo.

“This year it’s really popular to have bright colors like oranges,

reds and pinks,” Young said.

Students are especially opting for handmade or store-bought quilts and

rugs, which can add color to the floor. And photo collages may be the

most common accessory.

There are several sprucing up the walls of the three Vanguard

students’ room.

“To kinda keep a memory wall of their experiences at the school,”

Gould said.

Natalie Schonfeld, associate director of residential life at UCI, said

tastes run the gamut on her campus.

“There isn’t anything particularly special,” she said. “It’s more what

makes students comfortable and makes them feel at home.”

Students there haven’t moved in yet, but past years have taught

Schonfeld that no two undergrads decorate the same.

But they do stop at some of the same shops.

Favorites include Ikea, Target and thrift stores, as vintage-looking

furniture is trendy nowadays.

“It’s become more creative,” Young said. “Our freshman year, [the

stores] didn’t have much. But now, there’s a dorm section.”

Schonfeld explains why students take on the task of decorating so

seriously.

“Because it’s their home away from home -- they live with us for nine

months,” she said. “This becomes an important space for them.”