apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

God, my dorm room was a dump. All my money had to go to tuition and my parents didn't send me off with a nice little shopping spree like I keep seeing kids doing these days. I just had a 5ft. poster of REM, some red towels (that I had until I was about 25!) and a Where's Waldo bedspread that I'd had at home.

Yeah, kids these days! In my day the elevator was up nine flights of stairs and all classes started at 4 a.m.!

Nor did I have a cell phone, laptop (let alone a desktop) computer, car, or even a bike. I had a bus pass and an electric typewriter -- making me pretty well equipped.

Am I envious? No, just amazed at what is considered "necessary" by today's standards.

In any case, I think the marakesh / spice route / moroccan thing is appealing because it can be done on the super cheap. In fact, I did about the same thing 1989 when I moved into the SFSU dorms for a semester.

I picked up a cotton "tree of life" Indian bedspread at CostPlus (nowadays called World Market) for about $20, and decorated around it with some Filmore flyers and Maxfield Parish posters, candles, incense burners, floor pillows, and a small collection of turkish coffee pots and hand-carved wooden figures like elphants, zebras, and giraffes.

Jesus, I wasn't being bitchy ... just saying my place was a dump. (It was!) None of my friends had parents take them on sprees to outfit their rooms like I keep getting in line behind year after year now at target, BB&B, etc. And no, I didn't have a cellphone (they didn't exist), computer, typewriter, etc. either.

And incidentally, I didn't have an unhappy college experience despite not having the luxe dorm room, nor do I regret that mine was lame. Just makes me appreciate having grown-up apartments.

Gee, Felicity's dorm room sure doesn't reflect reality... (I never lived in a dorm, nor did any of my friends -- most were in off-campus housing).

Wow. My dorm room was pretty sad too. The only thing my parents sprang for was a mini-fridge (which I appreciated more than a fancy bedspread). No cell or computer for me either. Just a shared phone in the hallway. Those were dark days.

I really find it hard to be envious of college kids now days. When it comes to dorm decor, you can basically buy a 'Bedroom in a Bag'. I feel the only real creativity is what 'theme' one will go with. I guess I can really appreciate the REM poster and Where's Waldo? bedspread!

We didn't have much, but I was taken shopping for sheets and curtains, a few nice new things. I wasn't sent because I didn't have my license yet.

I'm finding this "back in my day" kind of uh... disingenuous. I went to a state school back in about the same "day," and everyone tried to have some kind of individual scheme, at least try to make their bed and their allotment of wall space personal, and there were always merchants in the Union selling those they-call-them-tapestries-but-they're-not-tapestries, and other stuff we hadn't seen in the suburban malls yet. So funny to look back on it.

As in adulthood, some students were and are far more ambitious about decorating than others, although I'd hardly call the example more of everything than what we had, it just looks like they put more thought, effort, and preparation into the collection of her basics than "I like blue."

I joined the Air Force in 1989, and my (shared) dorm room at my first base was done in Italian cinema posters (well, it was in Italy) and my roommate and I had coordinating linens and a massive flokati. We did a media wall with our books and music.

It was a really cool room, though essentially themeless. It was actually the one the commander used to show touring VIPs. They didn't tour the one where the guys made a bar out of a picket fence and fairy lights and an extra top bunk into a DJ platform.

Actually, that dorm room does reflect a lot of students' reality. A lot of kids that go to Ole Miss actually have their parents' interior decorators do their rooms, which of course is on the extreme end of luxe. Even kids without their own decorators will get together with roommates and buy matching bed-in-a-bag sets, even at public schools. It's true! You can spend $100 at a big box store and get decent dorm-quality matchy-matchy stuff to hide the grimness of your usual dorm room, and lots of kids do have a spare $100 and actually care about making their rooms nice.

Who you callin' disingenuous?

Decorating a dorm room just means more stuff to schlep twice a year. Out for summer, in for fall, new place every year. Less stuff is better!

I just turned 22, and I have a v. small budget (I work part-time), and I am not supported by my parents... all of my things are hand-me-downs or really lucky (and by that I mean cheap) finds, but I entered into the small cool contest this year and it was really fun! Who says that just because you're young you have to live with icky stuff! You just have to be more creative than the people who have lots of money!

Isn't this thread supposed to be about Moroccan decor?

I think ridge_van_winkle took the follow up comments a little too personally. For my part, I was not suggesting that s/he was envious of shopping sprees -- I was simply agreeing that it appears that kids have more these days.

Is anyone doing Moroccan at home? I *tried* to work with a tribal rug, an indian lamp, and a beaded faux victorian stain-glass floor lamp for a campaign/marakesh look. It's not horrible, but it argues with the rest of my decor, and while it is festive and feels intimate at night, it is overly much for what I wanted. In the end, the rug goes to another room, the lamps stay. I love the way the looks works in contrast when done in an ultra-modern space, but it's wrong for my mid-90s box.

Before:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/2497107865_ea7e5c7eba_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/2412726674_1ae74c460f_b.jpg

Photoshop Rendering for After (you have to imagine the lamps in place):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2497936542_c53a15df4c_o.jpg

whoops that up there is me^ my boyfriend was logged automatically logged into the site..

I think everyone...well girls in particular... want to decorate their first dorm.......apt.....house....and so on, and soon they realize that it's not going to be AS fabulous as they had hoped...at least notthe dorm or first apt...money is tight so you make due with what you have. some are more innovative than others. I'm an interior design student and my first apt was a mush of all the free/cheap furniture I could get my hands on. If a client ever saw my place they would seriously doubt my skills. LOL But I believe in buying well once...so I'd rather wait to spend my money on furniture I love and can afford, than buy something trendy just to have only to throw it out 4 yrs later. :)

Over-consumerism.
Aren't we in a recession? Isn't there a war going on? But keep plunking down money for unnessicary items.

In 1988 we arrived on campus with a bedspread - maybe a bedskirt, some plastic plates and silverware with the cute plastic handles. I had a typewriter and a 15 inch tv.

By the end of the year my folks sprang for a mini fridge and a carpet remnant.

Kids today.

I was replying to cakekick's sarcastic jab to my mere comments that my own place was a dump, when in actuality I was only making fun of myself, not complaining about spoiled kids. (And incidentally, my original post was only in reply to the very beginning of the original AT post about the Bruce Lee, etc.) kimg, I actually agreed with your "what's considered necessary" point, which was really my point.

It's the continuation of life ... every generation tends to "have" more than the one before it ... I had more than my parents had ... my nephews have stuff I wouldn't even dream of. I myself like to live with only what's in my means, so I'm not even remotely jealous of "today's" college kids ... quite the opposite. I'm eternally grateful that I grew up before Playstation and flat-screen TVs and myspace, etc. I had just as much fun in college as any kid out there now ... and possibly more, because I wasn't stuck behind a computer the whole time.

(I've been "lurking" about this site for quite some time, as I'm not a real fan on commenting, but I had to register to post on this.)

I'd like to start by commending Pleaides for going cheap, but creating what looks to be a really nice environment. The colors are beautiful and the bed actually looks cozy. Good for her!

Now. I sincerely hope some of these comments are filled with sarcasm. And if they're not, well...I have a question, here:

Why is it such a problem to see young college kids buying linens, furniture and other dorming accessories for their rooms, where some of them live all year round? I'm both lucky and unlucky enough to be a commuter, but I know that if I were stuck in a small, white dorm room that resembled a basement I'd want it to look nice too, especially if I were fortunate enough to have the resources. If that's the environment that will (hopefully) help someone succeed in school, then just leave them alone. Despite what anyone thinks, it actually is difficult to be a young person in college these days because of the way technology has taken over our lives. If we don't have a laptop or desktop computer, how the heck are we supposed to write our papers in proper MLA or APA format? Professors can be very, very strict about those guidelines and typewriters don't cut it. Computers have become a necessity for college students, but some make it out to be our faults. We didn't create the technology -- it was thrown in our faces, too. Some of us really just grew up with it, so we find it easier to work with. This happens for all generations.

Also, some of these "dormers" are spending their own on money -- it's not just "mommy and daddy" buying the stuff for them. (I do have several friends whose parents willingly went to Target and other less expensive stores to shop for dorm stuff -- they wanted their children to have what they couldn't).

I'm not trying to rant or yell at anyone here, and I sincerely apologize if I've caused any offense. I just don't understand the incessant need of the more mature (I hate the word "older" -- it's too...disrespectul) crowd to pick on, mock and show blatant disrespect for the younger generation. I think many of us understand that your generation didn't have it easy and probably were worse off than we are now. If there are those that don't, that's really too bad for them, but please don't lump us all into one group. Thank you.

Wow, I need to make a trip to Tarjay! There's some interesting goodies in those pictures.

This is my "Moroccan room".

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/painting-fixing-repair/readers-rooms-keiths-glass-closet-doors-050459

See, this is what I love (and hate) about the internet. You can reminisce about your old dorm room and end up with a big argument about the state of the world and the future of youth.

(!!!!)

She has bedding, a few throw pillows, a curtain to cover her closet, a smaller one presumably over a window, some tiny plants, a little lamp, another table lamp, and some plants and some pictures in a cinder block room. Is that a lot more than you had going for your dorm space when you were in college?

I think you're looking at the top picture with the photo of the Moroccan hostel veranda. That's not the dorm room.

I said plants twice! I meant some framed photos and some unframed taped to the wall, possibly scenic.

I'm sorry for the triple post but, technically there's nothing wrong with the word "older" especially if they (we) are older. The word "mature" means something, let's not dilute it! No need to be offended by a word used correctly to substitute with a word used incorrectly as a euphemism, especially when the point you're making is that the former group isn't acting so much the latter.

ditto K T G on the older vs. mature thing. i'm older than college age; my mother is mature.

i've had a fave on Pleiades' room for quite awhile. dorm decor is pretty standard. all the retailers roll it out btw now and september - the level is style is ever more impressive imho. i was in a tizzy in '91 about getting stuff for college. all my friends were. my cousin and i got the same white comforter with blocks of four colors on it and coordinating sheets in different colors. plus i found exactly matching somewhere for dirt cheap. getting dishes, a hotpot, bulletin board... i wouldn't deny any kid who wants and can have that the thrill. it's the first run at getting a 'place of your own.' plus, you need stuff like a clip-on light and towels.

there are a lot of ways to get a college education, i went to a school in another state. i needed some gear. some folks don't. by all means make it fun, as someone pointed out, a lot of dorms are just cinder-walled tombs and you want to do something to personalize it and distinguish your room from all the others. gotta liven 'em up.

do they still do papasan chairs? those were popular in the '90s.

I love this dorm room, I wish I was that imaginative when I was in school. My folks were very good to me - I had a carpet remnant and a mini fridge and a fold out couch...and we painted too, but it wasn't as inspired as this room. It looks to me like Pleaides has done a great job on a limited budget.

No one is begruding college students their computers... really that's comparable to owning a pen and a dictionary in my day.

When we say we had typewriters, we're just trying to magnify the difference in the generations.

When I went to college, personal computers were a novelty. I knew probably 5 people with a computer. I had a Smith Corona word processing typewriter which showed only one line at a time!! Not much better than just typing without a word processer. We ended up going to the computer lab to do our papers... some profs prefered typewritten papers to the dot matrix printers!!
Just a different world now.

My room the last two years has been an eclectic mix of whatever I can find at Salvation Army, the grocery store and order online. Sure, I hope that next semester I can make things nice in my little single but I don't know anyone who has a whole room done up like any of those. It's always an eclectic bunch of random pillows, sheets and towels from home and cheap places.

Nicely decorated dorm rooms sound nice...until you realize that one room serves as bedroom, library, kitchen, office, living room, and storage.
So you gather just the right amount of stuff, and set it up nicely. There's a place for everything, and you clean every weekend.
Then your parents send you more boxes, and your room passes critical mass.
A few months later, about when finals kick in, picking up all the crap on the floor is not worth it.
Next, you make some friends, and they spill all over your free-but-nice rug, lose your cutely-matched glasses, and "borrow" your stuff.


Suddenly, you can't cross the floor, there's a trail of ants out the window, you're last remaining towel is moldy, and the only clean thing around is the bicycle. Because you've been drinking instead.
It takes the pain away better.

I can supply pictures, if it helps illustrate how normal college students live.

(Though, I will say, I loved my room while it was neat. I scored a lot of stuff for free (rug, fridge, lamps, etc.) and the rest of the big-ticket stuff I got with work money, much while traveling. My comforter is from when I was 3. And it's taking 10 boxes to ship home. Ugh.)

I for one think Pleiedes' room is great! When I set off for college, my parents didn't have a lot of money and neither did I. But they still let me go buy new sheets/blankets/comforter/towels/pillows, and later they got me a mini-fridge and a carpet remnant (emerald green, I loved it). Nothing was expensive but it was new and it matched, and I was happy.

They also made sure I was stocked up on jeans/tshirts/underwear. And I had my trusty glorified word processor, sort of a typewriter on steroids.

And I wouldn't dream of having gone without my boom box.

I didn't have a pc or a cell phone, but that was in the 80s -- it was a novelty to have a computer and cell phones were pretty much still car phones. We can hardly begrudge kids of today wanting what is in vogue today. When we were kids -- and lets be honest -- WE wanted the things of our day too. Different year, different stuff, same urge to be cool.

I'm starting to think we need an "I had a word processor" support group. That was such a weird time, that was almost the best you could get at the time that you could magically slightly exceed typewriting and almost have a computer.

I agree with playmeamemory here. I graduated college last year, and for about two years of it I was living in a dorm approximately 500 miles from my home. I think it's important for a college student to create a sense of home, especially if they're living far away. For me, a nice dorm experience was even more essential, since I went to college in rural Virginia, where there was literally nothing around. We lived in our dorms 24/7.

As for technology, I don't think it's a need to be cool or anything, as much as it is necessary now. We need computers (and I've had a lot of professors who were insanely strict about papers being typed up correctly), and cell phones are becoming more and more important to everyday life (especially since pay phones are practically eliminated). But yeah, I'm only 24, and I'm looking back at the days when we used to have those old green screen word processors in school, and how that was considered the height of technology at that time.

In regards to the room, I adore it! My old roommate had a Moroccan theme going on, which I thought was lovely. And thinking about it, Moroccan style really is popular with the college age set... maybe it's some sort of wanderlust manifested in design.

let's not forget Target's back to school offerings last year featured some Moroccan style items.

I work at a private university. When I tell the students who work for me, "When I was an undergraduate student there were no computers" they look at me like I'm from another planet. It amazes me that none of the students who currently work for me (18, 19 and 20 year olds) know what the world was like before the World Wide Web.

If you read what she wrote, she shopped very carefully for these items - and did a fabulous job.

When I was in grad school in the 60's, I had no money - but I did have creativity. I furnished my apartment for about $100 (back then). Industrial steel shelving for my bookcase/room divider backed with burlap on a ceiling track to create a room divider and laced the sides of the shelving with plastic "lanyard" material so the books wouldn't fall off. My chairs were painted directors chairs with bright color canvas seats. My black plastic sofa came from the dusty basement of an inner city furniture store - there was no cheap, affordable design back then. My lighting was electric bulbs attached to curly extension cords which were hung from cup hooks screwed into the ceiling and held to the height I needed with fishing line. The place looked great.

So stop jumping all over this kid for doing something wonderful on a budget.