Decoration adds comfort
to new dorms, apartments
By Anna Herkamp
Senior
Writer
For many students, one of the biggest parts of
the fall semester is moving into new dorm rooms or apartments, and
bigger yet, is finding a way to make small, limited spaces more livable.
Feeling comfortable in your space is something
that is important for decorating, said Rosemary Kilmer, professor
of interior design.
Being able to personalize space is very important,
but may be difficult when space is temporary, as in dorms or apartments,
she said.
Many students choose to use a certain type of
poster or artwork to express themselves in apartment living rooms,
such as Leyna Cotran, a senior in the School of Science.
Cotran says she chooses not to use posters, but
rather, framed photographs to decorate her apartment. "It gives
it a more homey feel," she said.
Faith McKenney, a senior in the School of Liberal
Arts, who lives with three male roommates, said keeping her space
decorated in her own way is important, because she and each of her
roommates' tastes differ.
McKenney said that although each of her roommates
chooses different designs for their rooms — unlike her own decorations
of flowers and teddy bears — the four can agree on the living
room space.
Since they are upperclassmen, they wanted to
decorate in a more mature way in order for the space to look "less
like a dorm room," she said.
In McKenney's living room there are framed Van
Gogh prints and a framed photograph of the Chicago skyline.
She said space management is one of the most
important things she thinks about in order to feel at home.
McKenney uses stackable drawers in her apartment
to organize and open up her room. She also places her keepsake decorations
on shelves to save space and keep them from being knocked down.
While McKenny's landlords let her put nails into
the walls to hang up artwork or posters, students who live in dorms
are not as fortunate.
Because they have to leave the room exactly as
they found it when they move out, students have to find other methods
to hang wall décor.
Kilmer suggests using hooks or wire to hang framed
posters from ceilings or double-sided tape to hang things on dorm
room walls.
Since space is limited in dorm rooms, Kilmer
says utilizing vertical space is imperative because floor space is
so limited. Dividing screens, which divide rooms, are a good way to
decorate because students may hang up pictures of family and friends
on them, she said.
Bulletin boards are another method she suggests,
for consolidating pictures or smaller posters into one area.
Kilmer also suggests lofting beds and stackable
shelves for dorm rooms. However, butterfly chairs, a fad for dorm
rooms this year, are fine if you have the room, but may not be good
for everyone because they take up so much space, she said.
Doug Meyer, a sophomore in the School of Science,
said his dorm room is "pretty cozy."
Because he and his roommate loft their beds,
Meyer says he has all the space he wants to store his two computers
and stereo — everything he needs for comfort, he said.
For non-wall decorating, Kilmer said splashes
of color in smaller spaces, such as coffee tables, can brighten a
room tremendously.
Vases with flowers, or a simple piece of fabric
attached to a table, can go a long way toward making a place feel
more like home, she said.
Cotran said one such item she has had since she
first moved into her apartment is a small, decorative dish set she
purchased from Von’s years ago. The set is painted in Native
American style. "It is the first decorative thing I bought,"
she said.
