Category: Inspiration Board

Dorm Room Decor

Hey, youngster. I know your graduation party is coming up and you’re gonna have some money burning a hole in your pocket. Did you know that dorm rooms are boring, personality-less spaces? With white walls and tile floors? Well, they are… unless you use your graduation money to spruce things up! Better yet, stretch your dollars as far as they can go by shopping exclusively in the clearance section! 

That’s right, I placed a random and completely unnecessary parameter on my inspiration board. Everything pictured is on sale at Urban Outfitters. RIGHT NOW! Which means that it won’t be terribly long until these links are obsolete, I admit this. I believe that you, future Dean’s List scholar, can figure out how to do the same with other clearance objects in the future. (Note: I was not perked by UO to shop specifically on the one site. I just felt like it.)

All of these items can be pictured for less than $200 total.

  • Save yourself a ton of money and stuff your current well-worn comforter into this new Diamond Stamp Duvet Cover instead of buying a whole new set. Now you have more money for video games textbooks. $29.99.
  • This sweet cream-colored crochet curtain can help add a bit of warmth and texture to your sterile white abode. $39.99.
  • You know what’s expensive? Rugs. You know what’s cold? Tile. Use this budget-priced 60″ round rug (a pretty good size) to protect your delicate feet from the icy floor. $39.99
  • Think outside the box. This cute bike basket can be strapped around a wood slat on your standard-issue dorm bed and act as a bedside table, since finding a bedside table 3+ feet tall is… not easy. What? You haven’t lofted your bed yet? Kid, that is the surefire way to create more floor space for hanging out and watching Netflix doing homework. Get on it. $34.99.
  • Lastly, get a couple of cool prints to put on the wall. The light one comes already framed–isn’t that nice? $9.99 and $19.99.

Okay, now that I think about it… I want all of this stuff for my place! 

Please share with your favorite high school grad. 

Wizard of Oz Inspired Kid’s Room!

I’ve been meaning to really amp up my numbers of inspiration boards*. With a house that’s pretty much “finished” as far as we’re willing to go (trying to pinch pennies helps stem the urge to constantly redo things or buy new [old] furniture) I’ve started creating imaginary rooms for imaginary people. That was always the most enjoyable part of playing The Sims, right? Or is it just me?

For kids rooms, I love going with a theme but at the same time I see the benefit of not going too themey, that is, not plastering the room with a character’s face. Kids hop from phase to phase (okay, okay, adults do this all the time too) so it’s not good to spend TOO much on particular items that fit within a certain theme. I’m also drawn to “reviving the classics,” that is, stepping away from the pre-packaged Disney bed in a bag (I will admit–in elementary school I was dying for any Disney bed in a bag. My neighbor had the Pocahontas set. So lucky).

Here I’ve taken my inspiration from the Wizard of Oz. A movie that here in Kansas is either met with great enthusiasm or great scorn, depending on who you talk to. Anyway, I digress.

This all started with the yellow rug. I love the idea of a soft “yellow brick road” underfoot and the ombré style is very on-trend. Ideally I wanted a poppy bedspread, since that is where Dorothy & her crew fell asleep, but in my searching I came up empty. Instead, I used the Marimekko poppy shower curtain for a graphic punch of red. Yes, it’s polyester and not cotton, but don’t you think it would clean easily? For the bed, I dressed it in a sweet blue but stayed away from Dorothy’s signature gingham because I felt that its rigid geometric properties (it’s a grid) wouldn’t jive as well with the crazy poppy curtain–I wanted a larger scale print. And this whimsical animal print  just stole my heart.

I like a rich wood bookshelf (this one from Land of Nod) with some concealed storage to wrangle books and toys and everything else that comes with being a kid. The dark wood looks a bit more mature, and will last longer, than white laminate particle board (which is common in kids’ rooms). For the paint, I chose a soft gray as a nod to the black and white beginning & end of the film. It will add dimension to the room while still being light enough to bounce around natural light. I also like to think that gray will camouflage scuffs and bumps on the wall which are inevitable. At least it’ll camouflage them a little bit.  Plus, using a neutral color like this makes it easy peasy to change up the room for the next phase–a few years down the road, hopefully.

For those of you who think this room is a little color-crazy, remember it’s for a child, and remember how color-crazy the movie itself is. In fact, Nicole at Making it Lovely shared an interesting article on techniclolor and the Wizard of Oz last week (after I’d begun working on this room, mind you).

Shopping List:

  • Yellow rug here.
  • Marimekko poppy shower curtain here.
  • Wizard of Oz prints here.
  • Lions, tigers, & bears print here.
  • Bedding here.
  • Lions, tigers & bears pillows here.
  • Paint: Sherwin Williams Spatial White here.

Please comment to let me know what you think! Got any ideas? Got any requests for fun kids rooms?

*I know I’m not the only one who hates the term “mood board.” What does mood have anything to do with it? I prefer inspiration because if one can’t buy the exact pieces listed, elements of the board can “inspire” you to look for similar pieces.