Hello friends! As you may have noticed, I took a bit of a blogging break to finish working on the book, and as that project is now wrapping up (more on that soon!), I’m thrilled to be back! A lot of life has happened since my last post, including my baby girl graduating from high school! Since I started Our Fifth House when she was just 3 years old and you’ve seen many iterations of her bedroom over the years as I’ve always loved decorating a room for my girl, it felt right, after many months away from the blog, to start back with a post about the design of her college dorm room. I’m not crying; you’re crying!
I can hardly believe how fast this day has come, but in a few short weeks my girl will be moving into her first home away from home! She (and her roommates) came to the table with lots of Pinterest ideas, and I am so here for all of it! I just love their enthusiasm and excitement! They let me know that they wanted their dorm to feel cozy, comfortable, and feminine. Coastal cowgirl was part of the assignment, and I think I nailed it without it feeling overly “theme-y”. Now that we’ve nailed down a plan, I’m so looking forward to bringing it to life for them!
As per usual, I started this room design with a great rug, then added in curtains, a couple of lamps (pleated pink shade for the win and this one for her desk area is just $10!), and a mirror. Then I layered in a cozy mix of linens for the bed.
- Sheets – LOVE this sweet floral pattern.
- Comforter – My girl is still in her pale yellow era (she wore this color to winter formal and prom), and gingham is such a classic.
- Shams – These sweet bow shams bring in a sweet, feminine vibe.
- Boot Pillow – Cowgirl check
- Seashell Pillow – Coastal check
- Bedskirt – She’s planning to loft her bed a bit but wants to conceal the under bed storage, so this bed skirt is perfect!
- Bedside Caddy – It really is a must for a lofted bed.
My girl requested an upholstered headboard, but after taking one look at the price of this one from Pottery Barn, I decided to attempt to DIY one. Stay tuned…
The wall decor plan is to create a gallery wall of photos with this fairy light display and this seashell print will hang over the desk area.
Her suite-mates will share a small, already-furnished living space, so we’ll just be bringing in some decorative accessories to give it a cozy, feminine vibe.
This gorgeous, washable rug from Revival is the star of the show and serves as the jumping off point for the space. (You can save 15% on your total order when you shop my Revival storefront.)
In this area there is just one small window which already has blinds installed, so to soften the window without blocking any natural light we’re going with lace panels, and to keep things from looking too sweet we’re adding in a touch of black via the lamps and gallery wall. Speaking of, to bring in some visual impact on the walls without spending a lot of money I’m going to create a large art installation with wood letters and play off their school mascot. Go Tigers!
So that’s the plan! But of course, I’ll be layering in some thrifted finds too. (Follow along on Instagram Stories to catch the thrifted dorm room content.) I’m equal parts excited and nervous to watch my baby girl fly. Working on her dorm room design has been fun and in many ways therapeutic. My college years were some of the best years of my life, and the friendships I made during that time are still dear to me. So, I’m thrilled for my girl to start this next chapter, and being asked to be a part of creating a home away from home for these sweet girls has been such an honor!
P.S. Having already done the dorm room decorating thing for my now college junior son, this is not my first rodeo. And I stand by the value of a great rug. My son has been using the same rug since freshman year! I truly believe the visual impact of a large rug can not be overstated!
My daughter is about to head off to college too! This is a super helpful post and your designs are gorgeous.