Preparing perfect dorm decor for your college student

Annie and I just got back from her orientation weekend at UC

Berkeley. It was quite a trip.

Unfortunately, I can’t share the trip’s most memorable details. It

would be politically incorrect, but let’s just say that Annie is

getting out of the bubble. Way out of the bubble. Amid the bevy of

information about classes, meal plans and payment schedules, I did

find a topic to latch on to -- the dorm room.

Annie and I have been talking about the potential dorm room for

months. These were her requests: bright, not too fussy, flannel

sheets, bedding that looks good even if it’s not made up (are you

laughing yet?), lots of towels and a big bulletin board. Above all

else, the room and its amendments must include the color orange.

As an aside, if you believe in color psychology or in Eastern

color symbolism, orange is the color of change. Orange denotes

movement -- usually forward movement -- but movement nonetheless.

Annie wants orange. I guess that says it all.

Now, back to the dorm room. First, if you don’t already know this,

most universities have extra-long twin beds (unless you are going to

USC, staying in the Radisson and have a double bed). But the norm is

extra-long twin. Finding extra-long twin sheets that are groovy is

harder than it sounds. Actually, the prerequisites were very groovy,

very flannel and very orange.

OK. Luckily for us, such a beast does exist at Garnet Hill. Last

December, we ordered flannel bedding in orange, lime green and red.

It was given to her as a Christmas present. It bummed her out that I

considered it a present, but too bad, reality bites. The sheets and

duvet cover were a good start.

Next, a really cool desk lamp. I found a three-armed lamp that had

a combination of red, orange and green glass shades at the Great

Indoors. Can you believe it? Of course, I had to buy it.

Next came the bulletin board. It had to be bright and it had to be

easy to put things on and take thing off of (which means no pins).

Target’s “Swell” collection has very hip items, one of which is a

bulletin board with bright ribbons that act as “holders” for pictures

and -- stuff. Ka-ching, got that.

Next came the very important towels. Annie goes through a lot of

towels. Did I say a lot? I mean an abundance of towels. Macy’s has

been having a great towel sale, and the towels come in bright colors.

More ka-ching. To ensure that Annie doesn’t lose these great

towels, the Monogram Store in Westcliff court is making sure that

only someone named Annie can claim them. Thanks, Molly.

Next in line for creature comforts was comfy seating -- a beanbag

chair. Orange twill with a removable (a.k.a. washable) cover. Foamy

Flop.com had the best selection of prices, sizes and colors.

I took a trip to Contain Wares last week and found a bevy of great

dorm items. I started with clothes hangers -- orange, of course. The

closets are small, so it doesn’t take many hangers to fill up the

space. Contain Wares also had some collapsible cubes that were

perfect for trashcans and storage (6.99) -- and they came in orange.

Another must-have for the dorms -- coed -- is a shower tote with

holes in the bottom so the water drains out. Contain Wares has every

size and color imaginable.

On Amazon.com, I found an orange and lime green clock radio. At

CompanyStore.com, there were great deals on pillows.

There are just a couple of items I haven’t tracked down. One is a

mattress topper. Whether it’s an egg crate, fiberfill or down, I

think a mattress topper will go a long way in creature comforts.

Annie is a princess (at least in her eyes), so the princess must

lounge in a regal nest.

Other items that parents of college kids have told me are

important are bed “lifts” so you can fit the desk under the bed and

have more floor space; a mini-fridge; a microwave; and a television.

I haven’t hit the wide world of electronics on the Internet yet. A

lot of dorms rent these items and offer to lift the beds for a small

fee. At this point, that’s sounding pretty good.

In the meantime, we’ve dedicated a corner in the family room to

“Annie’s Dorm.” I think it’s helping all of us adjust to our human

roller coaster’s leaving us in August. It’s fun to watch the “new

room” take on a personality: it helps the younger sibs get an idea of

Annie’s new surroundings and ultimately of their future; and it’s

helping me get used to the idea that my family is changing.

Once the baby birds flap their wings, things are never quite the

same. Not worse, just different. There will be a new “oldest” in the

house. There will be less chaos. I can serve vegetables with dinner.

It’s a rite of passage, for Annie and for the other four in the

family. Change can be hard. Change can be exciting. And in our case,

change can be orange.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.