Photo by Shannon Clash
By: Casey Leins
You walk into a bare box of a room that has nothing but cinderblock walls and a couple of beds, desks and dressers. There are no colors or decorations anywhere to be seen. Each school year, University of Maryland students find themselves asking, “How do I turn this into a place that I will want to come back to everyday after class?” The answer to this question is extreme creativity in both layout and décor.
A few students shared their innovative approaches:
Nicole Liebler: Freshman, Elementary Education
Joanna Agin: Freshman, Criminal Justice
Q: What were the inspirations for your dorm room?
Nicole: My older sister is a senior in college, and she did a big collage on her wall. She told me making a collage would make me sane, and we are both into photography, so our goal was to have every inch of our room covered.
Joanna: When I was on the tour, I was shown a sample room. It was so generic and felt like a cell, so it was my goal to make the room lively and “me.”
Q: How does your room portray your personality and your interests?
Nicole: I’m girly, so I have lots of pink and sparkles, and am very bubbly, which is shown through the bright colors in the room. I am also school spirited, which is why I made a big University of Maryland poster.
Joanna: The room projects the things that I enjoy. My wall has things that my friends painted for me, it has my favorite bands, and I even have pictures of the beach because I live near the beach at home. I feel like part of myself is on my wall. The walls are full of our memories.
Yoni Razin: Freshman, Undecided
Photo by Shannon Clash
Q: What was the inspiration for your room?
A: Last year, each week we thought we could add stuff on, and we just didn’t want to have a plain room. Some rooms echo because they are so empty. We wanted color so our room would stand out.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of the room?
A: The surround sound and our lights are my favorite parts of the room because they attract visitors. Also, our rug gives the room a homier feel. It ties the room together and it’s nice waking up and not walking on cold tiles.
Q: Do you think you break the stereotype of a boy’s room being messy or smelly?
A: Yes. I like how girls come in and they say it smells good in here. We like to try to make it homey, and we break the stereotype of a messy, stinky boys room.
Eshe Hill: Sophomore, Communications and Government & Politics
Q: What was the inspiration for your room?
A: I really wanted my room to be a space to relax. I love all of my friends from home, so I like having all of my pictures from home on the wall to remind me of them. … I also want to study abroad in France, which was my inspiration for my quintessential Eiffel Tower poster.
Photo by Shannon Clash
Q: What is something creative that you did to your room?
A: I flipped my bed. My family and I had to flip the bedposts and bolt them back on. It gives me a lot more storage space. Now I can have all of my suitcases and random bags under it. I would definitely suggest this idea to other students.
Q: Are you thinking about adding any more decorations?
A: I’m thinking about adding lantern type lights to my room, too.
