designBoard: Emma's Dorm Room

A month ago, Emma's mom, Tenia, contacted several of us bloggers about putting together some ideas for her daughter's dorm room - a great idea! I know that when I went off to college, I definitely wanted a cool room, but stuck to the regular big box store offerings since I didn't know any better.

And although big box standbys are great for their price (and thus can handle some dorm wear and tear without guilt), mixing them up with fun fabrics and accent pieces can really give the room a unique personality.

A tour of Emma's board:

1) The main fabrics in the background were the inspiration point. The green fabric is Robert Allen Les Fauves in Grassland, and the yellow fabric is Robert Allen Cats Cradle in Sunshine. I would keep dorm bedding clean and simple in white, but give the bed a bit of color with a big pillow made with the green fabric backed in the yellow fabric. I would also use the yellow fabric for some very simple curtains. Curtains go a LONG way in a dorm room! (even if you just install them with a tension rod)

2) For the desk, I would choose a classic Parsons silhouette. This one from Walmart is a great price at $50, and I would prime it and paint it a glossy lavender shade, like Plum Dandy from Sherwin WIlliams (don't forget to buy the $5 sample pot, which will be plenty to paint the desk). I would suggest searching on Craigslist for a traditional dining chair, and then painting it and recovering the seat in a green stripe fabric, or perhaps more of the yellow accent fabric. I would finish off the desk with a colorful gourd lamp in green or another bright hue - these lamps can be found at places such as HomeGoods or TJMaxx for around $50.

3) I'm a big fan of white bedding, as I've mentioned, so I would do white sheets and a white down comforter, but I would add color with the decorative pillow from #1, a blue cotton blanket used on top of the bed's flat sheet, a colored throw in a contrasting color and a couple of ikat toss pillows. I lived with white bedding in college, and it worked out great. If anything, I could easily bleach it and not worry about it if I got anything on it.

4) I would also take a trip to HomeGoods (or I hear Big Lots) to find a porcelain garden stool in an accent color - extra seating is always nice for study nights. And, it doubles as an end table for books or a perch for a dinner plate. A golden pouf is also a great place for friends to crash to watch a movie or chat.

5) Curtains and rugs are two items that aren't often used in dorm rooms, but can really bring a lived-in feel to a cinder block room (at least, mine was cinder block). The black zig zag rug is one of my favorites from Nate Berkus' collection for HSN and adds a nice graphic punch to the room.

6) Other accessories include some hip vintage horse head bookends and an original abstract painting - both can be found on Etsy. Skip the Twilight poster and buy some colorful art to bring all of your room colors together! 

Good luck at college Emma! Hope you find some inspiration to get you started!

p.s. Several other bloggers are participating in this fun inspiration board today, so keep your eyes open for some other ideas!