Creating a Mature Dorm Room

Creating a Mature Dorm Room

So, you’re headed off to college? Congrats! You’re finally free from the worst and best years of your life! Trust me, you’ll look back fondly on the years spent at your high school, but college is so much better, you’ll cringe at the thought of being a high schooler again. One thing I really hated about preparing for college was all the uncertainty about where I would be living. Once I found out exactly where I was staying, I got to work on dreaming up the perfect dorm room. Trust me, I’ve seen every dorm room picture on Pinterest, read every blog post about how to decorate your room, and honestly I still couldn’t decide what I wanted! I felt like everything I saw on Pinterest was either unrealistic (all of the Ole Miss dorm rooms) or something that a Tween would do to their room. My style is very HGTV inspired, and I’ve seen so many designer spaces, I wanted my room to be nothing less! But I just couldn’t get inspired! The frustrating thing about living in a dorm is that you’ll most likely be given white cinderblock walls, ugly multicolored carpet, and furniture all a very fake and dull looking shade of wood…. AND YOU CAN’T CHANGE ANY OF IT! Sometimes, it’s hard to make due with what you’ve already got. Trust me, my room was nothing special when I first started moving in. While I really enjoyed all of the cute Pinterest pictures where roommates coordinated their bedspreads and matched everything, I knew that would be unrealistic. Especially if I won’t live with the same person every year of school. So how did I go about designing and decorating my dorm room? I’ll tell you!

The Bed

I started with the bed spread. Duh, it’s the biggest way to add color to your room and is probably the largest surface you have control over. I couldn’t buy anything for my room until I got out to school since I flew out to Utah, so I did a lot of online shopping. I really just couldn’t decide if I liked patterns or solid colors or really what I wanted! I was wanting to know what my roommate picked out so that I could at least get something that wouldn’t clash, but I also just wanted something I could start drawing a color scheme from. After all is said and done I regret my choice in comforter. While I do like that no one on my hall has my comforter and that it is Kate Spade and a classier print, I really think going with a textured, solid color like grey or white would have allowed me to do more with my space. But also, there is a lot of white in my room and I do like the dark color to help balance out the space. You can say my comforter and I are in a love-hate relationship right now. 

Color Scheme

From there, I chose my color scheme. Since my bedspread was navy and white, I wanted white to be one of my neutral colors, but I needed more than navy to combat all the white in my room. Dark colors make spaces seem smaller, so I thought lighter, earthier tones would compliment the hardness of the navy. I decided on a light grey, dusty blue tones, a very small dash of pink (for contrast) and metallic elements. I lucked out that my textbooks fit my color scheme, so I could display those on my desk. My perfume is just the tiniest dash of pink my desk needed, and I incorporated dusty blues with artwork, pictures and some décor. I did mostly stick to the whites and greys. 

The Desk

Other than the bed, there is only one other large area to be decorated in my tiny dorm room: The desk area. My desk is built in to the wall and has two floating shelves above it. The desk is HUGE and just screamed for decorations and office supplies. I drew my inspiration for decorating my desk from this picture on Pinterest. I love the use of depth as well as the very organized flow it has going on. I didn’t find this post until my second semester and ended up re-decorating my desk area. I love how it turned

out. I decided to take down all of the clutter from the memo board wall I have on the wall directly behind my desk and only put up my super chic, dry erase calendar. Different sized picture frames in neutral colors were my best friend, and I even created some custom artwork to add some color to my very neutral shelves. When it came to my actual desk top, the less square footage, the better. I only put things in the back corners and along the back (other than my computer) so that my desk didn’t feel or look cluttered. I really love how my desk looks professional and not too busy. It allows me to think clearer when doing homework and not get so distracted. The three large bins on the top shelf and the two smaller ones on the side were real life savers. I just threw all of the crap I don’t want on my desk or in plain sight, but need to access every now in then in these and they practically disappeared! If you would rather use pictures that mean a lot to you in the picture frames rather than artwork or prints, I would suggest choosing pictures that are naturally pretty neutral in

color or that fit in your color scheme. If you have a picture that doesn’t fit this description, a perfect solution would be to just print it in black and white. I’m also a huge fan of being tastefully quirky.You may have noticed my metallic pineapple on the second first shelf. This was a steal for $4 at my local thrift store and I could not be happier to have found it! I love incorporating quirky thrift store finds into design. If you find a piece that you love but you don’t think it will fit in with your design plan, simply spray paint it a metallic color or a neutral black/white/grey. It’s amazing at how these pieces fit right in with all your other décor, but also bring a smile to your face! 

Decorations

When it came to decorations on my walls, I really didn’t know what to do. It’s crucial to put something up so that you don’t look like you’re living in prison, but also I feel too old and sophisticated for posters or a photo wall (that’s just me). I did have a photo wall for a short while but took it down right after winter break. The first thing I would suggest is to get two or three strands of Christmas lights. (The white ones, not the colorful ones and not the green ones). These lights look so cool at night when you’re just chilling in your room and don’t want to turn the florescent lights on. Using command hooks, you can string them across your ceiling in a crisscross fashion or simply line

your perimeter with them. They’re great. My dorm has a strict “no nails and no tape” rule. If you hang something on the wall, it’s going to be with a command product or sticky tack. Command products can do wonders… if you have a flat surface. Cinderblock walls are not flat. It can still be done, but know that you can’t have heavy things hang from command hooks on cinder block walls. I had a picture frame fall and break because it was too heavy. There are really cool picture frame strips that act like Velcro that hold up my frames really well and also reduce the need for a hook. The only problem is you have to buy new ones every time you take them down. When putting up pictures on the walls, again try and use neutral colors or colors that fit within your scheme (especially if they are large) I would also suggest using all the same color frames/matting. Coordinating frame colors is organized and classy. Sometimes it looks nice if you mix a neutral color with metallics and colors

in a well planned out gallery wall, but if you’re not feeling as adventurous there, the same color is a good rule of thumb. THIS DOES NOT MEAN EACH FRAME HAS TO LOOK THE SAME! Mixing different frames adds character and is encouraged! The same frame looks boring on a gallery wall. Ikea has a lot of good, cheap options or you can also paint cheap thrift store frames. I woulalso recommend having a white matte on in each frame regardless of which color frame you choose. It just looks clean. Mix up sizes and orientations of your frames to add interest. Another great idea is to paint an abstract piece of art on a canvas with your color scheme and make it the focal point of a big, blank space in your room such as above/next to your bed or any large, empty space. This adds color and can tie your bedspread into the rest of your décor as well. (It also just looks more expensive and mature) 

Organization

One of the best ways to keeping your room looking like it came out of a magazine is to get it organized and keep it that way. Create a master list of everything you’re going to need in your room at school. (Clothes, shoes, school supplies, toiletries, etc…) Separate them into categories based on what you might keep together. (Hair ties with bobby pins and brushes) Now, think about the space you have in your room. Where would it make sense to keep these things? (School supplies in desk, toiletries by sink) Considering the size of the objects and where you want to store them, think of exactly where each item will go and make sure you have enough containers to store everything. I have 9 storage bins under my bed. One for t shirts, one for sweatshirts, sweaters, jeans, pajamas, linens, cleaning supplies, bags, and my refills on toiletries. I keep all my hair products in a medium basket by my desk, school supplies in another, my electronics and random odds and ends in three large baskets on my shelf, food in four large plastic drawers, medicine and skin care products in a smaller plastic drawer, makeup in small basket by the sink, clothes and shoes in the closet, jewelry on an organizer in the closet, belts in a plastic bin, and papers in a letter tray. Everything in my room has a place, so nothing looks sloppy or like an accident. It also makes it much easier to stay clean and to clean up knowing exactly where everything belongs. 

I hope you enjoyed this post as well as the pictures of my first dorm room! Any questions I'd be happy to answer so that you can be confident in creating your own home away from home!

Best of luck!

-Brittany

Hinckley Hall BYU

The Dets on Hinckley Hall
Getting ready to live in Heleman Halls at BYU? Not sure what to buy or what the room looks like? Look no further! I have all the details you'll need!

Measurements
I went through and got a rough measurement of each area in my dorm room in Hinckley Hall. If you're going to be living in another hall, don't worry. The measurements are pretty much the exact same. If you go to the BYU On-Campus Housing Page Here and click on Heleman Halls, the pictures are a pretty adequate depiction of what the room looks like. Hinckley is a shared room with a sink, and I believe David John is the only shared suite style room. So Chipman, Stover and all the rest look like the first two pictures.  Everything here is pretty much all you need to know if you are planning to move into Heleman soon. Here are the measurements I came up with:

Room Dimensions

Desk Area

Desk top: 46.5x23 inches

Desk Height: 26 inches

Desk Top to First Shelf: 20 inches

Desk Drawer: 9.25x18.75x2 inches

Shelves Under Drawer: 23x10.5x8.25 inches

Bottom Floating Shelf: 47x12x13 inches

Upper Floating Shelf: 47x12x19 inches

Bulletin Area on Back Wall: 46.5x16 inches

Bulletin Area on Sides: 23x52 inches with interruptions from the shelves

*4 plug outlet, one desk has wifi cord, hole in back of desk for cords, bulletin board material on walls can take pushpins but is not very deep and can’t hold heavy things, there is a light under the first floating shelf.

Closet

Drawers: 21x18.5x5.5 inches

Top Shelf: 46x22x12 inches

Shoe Shelf: 23x22x9.5 (height adjustable)

*You can lock the top shelf, the shoe shelf is adjustable for different heights, there is a mirror on the inside of the short closet door and a towel rod and towel hook on the longer door, I fit 5 coats, 10 dresses, 2 skirt hangers with 16 skirts on them, a jewelry and scarf organizer, 5 jackets, 17 cardigans, 7 vests, and 40 hanging tops with little wiggle room on the rod.

Bed

Twin XL that can be set at 20 inches off the ground or 32 inches off the ground. They are brand new beds and mattresses so they are pretty comfortable. If you’re someone who likes their beds really soft then you might want a small mattress pad but if you sleep on just a regular mattress at home and are fine with it then this mattress on its own should be fine for you. Personally, I think it is really nice and have never been uncomfortable. If you do raise the bed to 32 inches, you are going to want a step stool to help you get into bed. Trust me.

Sink Area

Sink Top: 30x20 inches with sink in the middle leaving about 5 inches on each side

Under Sink: 30x20x28 inches with a pipe towards the back and this is also where the small trash can is located when you move in.

Fridge

The fridge is a standard mini fridge with a small freezer compartment and different shelves. You can fit a good amount of stuff in this fridge and a full size fridge is available in the basement of the building and is shared with everyone in the hall. Be careful what you put in the fridge in the basement though. Anything unmarked could be taken and the fridge and freezer fill up fast. I suggest only buying what you need on a weekly basis and going to the creamery once a week to restock so you can keep your mini fridge in your room as your main source of food storage.

Storage

There are multiple storage units down in the basement which are a great place to keep luggage, (if you don’t plan on traveling often) seasonal equipment like skiis, and maybe even seasonal clothes like big coats. These are open during move-in and are locked during the semester and can only be unlocked by an RA. The thing is, RA’s aren’t available at all hours on every day. I would only store things you don’t want in your room until you ABSOLUTELY need them. The thing about Heleman rooms is that there is little storage room. The desk is plenty of room to keep your office supplies, books, makeup, hair stuff, etc… but I found that a lot of my clothing didn’t fit in the closet, and I had no where to store snacks or dishes and other cosmetic things that I might need throughout the semester. I ended up buying 9 plastic drawers from bed bath and beyond to store my jeans, sweaters, sweatshirts, t-shirts, cleaning supplies, bags, pjs and other toiletries. I purchased 2 large, 2 medium and 1 small stackable drawer from the container store that fit nicely between the end of my bed and the mini fridge to store my medicine, food and dishes. Also to save on space, I put my luggage behind the 9 drawers under my bed, I put my ironing board, lap desk and laundry baskets under there too. I wanted to note that my bed is closest to the door and when I propped it open, the door blocks my laundry and part of my first set of drawers. It’s kind of annoying sometimes but it’s manageable. Also, the sink area is just the sink. Under the sink is open and could house some containers for toiletries, but I decided I didn’t want to store my things over there. Also, the room came with one small trash can, but I purchased one of my own as well just so I could keep it under my desk for easy access. It helps reduce the amount of time I spend taking out the trash.

Cleaning

There are cleaning supplies that are available to you. There is a vinegar spray for the sink area that works really well, glass cleaner, vacuums and rags that are for the whole hall to use. They are in a closet near the bathrooms. They also have a few trash bags. I would suggest buying your own Clorox wipes because sometimes it just cleans areas better and also get a duster of some kind. These rooms get dusty real quick for whatever reason so it’s nice to just dust the place down once a week. Cleaning checks happen once a month and aren’t hard to pass at all. There is a clear list of chores to do and it is split evenly between you and your roommate. Everyone in the hall tends to clean at the same time so supplies may be limited during this time (like vacuums, rags and sprays) but if you get it done earlier in the day, it’ll still pass cleaning checks as long as you actually clean. Takes 30 minutes tops. (unless you’re a slob) Also, living in a small space means that you should take time to pick up after yourself often. It doesn’t take much to make your room look like it is super messy.

Extras J

The carpet (if you can’t see in the pictures) is multi-colored with navy, maroon, tan, green, idk it’s just a neutral mix of colors but IT HIDES DIRT AND HAIR! You don’t have to vacuum every week like I would have to at home because everything just blends in which is nice. Don’t let it stress you out when picking décor. Yes, it’s ugly and you wouldn’t pick it for your future home, but no, it won’t clash with your super cute bedspread. TRUST ME. Also, note that the walls are white cinder block. That being said, you cannot use tape, screws or nails to hang anything up. Cinder block makes it hard for command hooks to stick and hold large weights up. If you want to hang picture frames, trust me when I say to get the Velcro picture frame command strips. It’s not a hook, but it holds picture frames up nice and flush with the wall and won’t fall off. I have one for each corner of my picture frames that I hung on the walls. There is a cork strip across the wall your bed is on which is nice to put up a poster or something, but again, it isn’t deep and won’t hold heavy things well. For those printed pictures you want to hang, either use command hooks to hold up a garland of pictures, or sticky tack in each corner of each picture. Yes, it’s a hassle. Yes, it’s time consuming, but it’s what you have to do to not get charged damage fees. Also, note that you can’t use washi tape on anything that was in the room before you arrived. You can put it on your own mirror you brought or your set of drawers but not on anything not belonging to you. The side by the window is always the darkest side. I would invest in a lamp to go on the window sill or Christmas lights to hang by your bed. It makes the world of a difference.

But What Do These Rooms ACTUALLY Look Like?

Here are a couple of pictures of my room before and after moving in:

My Bed Before

The Fridge and Space between the beds

My Bed After Move-In

My Desk After Move-In

My room has changed throughout the semester, but this is pretty much what every room looks like. It's a decent amount of space and has suited me just fine. I wish I could have decorated it better if I would have known the space and dimensions before coming out to Utah so I could've planned a little better, but I'm satisfied with how my room turned out!

Good luck dorm shopping, and welcome to BYU! You're going to love it!

-Brittany

Why I Chose Heleman Halls- BYU

Why I Chose Heleman Halls- BYU

When I first discovered that I was accepted to Brigham Young University about a year ago, I was super excited...... and really nervous. High school was a part of my life where I knew exactly what to expect and exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to take certain classes, be involved in certain groups and everything I had planned my freshman year happened. I had no idea how easy I had it until I got to college. In this post, I would like to address one of the first issues incoming college freshmen have to face... THE DORMS

Choosing Where to Live
At BYU, freshman have four choices when deciding where they want to live:

1. Heleman Halls- On Campus
2. Heritage Halls- On Campus
3. One of the BYU approved apartment complexes- Off Campus
4. To live at home (If you're close enough)- Off Campus

Considering I was coming to Utah from Ohio, living at home was not an option. Not having a car was the reason why I didn't even consider off campus housing. (There are shuttle services, but I've been told having your own car is still crucial to get to the store, church on Sundays, and anywhere after the hours of 9 pm) It came down to two options for me: Heritage vs. Heleman.

I got on BYU's housing page Click Here and read about the two different options. I didn't get taken in any of the dorms while I was taking a tour of campus one summer, so I actually had no idea what I was getting into. I knew NO ONE at BYU to help me make a choice, it was all up to me. 

Let Me Break it Down
So here is the break down of living in Heritage vs. Heleman:

Heritage

Heritage halls is an apartment style suite with three shared bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen and a living area. Let me be the first to say, these dorms are SUPER NICE! They are all 4 years old or younger which means they are clean, up to date, and just plain fancy. You'll hardly see anything quite this nice in any other place on or off campus your first year at school. What's nice about Heritage is that there are elevators in each building, and you have your own apartment. What people don't like about Heritage is YOU HAVE YOUR OWN APARTMENT. You are living with 5 other people who you may or may not get along with, you are all using the same bathroom and kitchen, and you all can be in your apartment whenever you please. This also means you all have to decide how you clean your apartment. 

*IMPORTANT* No matter where you live, YOU WILL HAVE CLEANING CHECKS about once a month. 

This being said, if you are like me and enjoy your living spaces to be clean, you know it will be spotless at least once a month! For those of you who are not so tidy, get ready for some long time spent cleaning each month. Heritage is a lot bigger of a cleaning responsibility than Heleman. You also aren't provided as many cleaning resources as Heleman either. The main difference between Heleman and Heritage is the fact that in Heritage, you don't need to get a meal plan! The Creamery on 9th is right there by the buildings and has just about anything you need to prepare any meal you should desire. But you have to cook or eat out. That's all you've got. You have to provide cooking utensils and you have to clean them as well. While eager freshmen are excited and motivated to cook in the first few weeks, all of my friends in Heritage get tired of cooking and cleaning real quick. 

It's also important to point out that you will probably not know your neighbors. With everything you need within your own little apartment unless you actively go out and seek more friends, you're most likely only going to be close with the 5 other people in your apartment. The atmosphere in Heritage is not super social and it makes it a lot harder to meet people. Heritage is a great option for people who want to feel independent and fend for themselves and be super acquainted with just a small number of people. 

Heleman

So, I guess considering the fact that I am currently living in Heleman, I might sound a little biased when I say that this is the best place for freshmen at BYU to live. But I totally mean it. One great thing about Heleman is location. I can get to the other side of campus from my room in about 20 minutes without too much traffic. I can also get to the football stadium in about 20 minutes only crossing 1 street, 10 minutes to the basketball stadium (where devotionals are held), plenty of shops and restaurants within 20 minutes of walking (Wendy's, CVS, Ritas, Papa John's, Noodles & Company, Panda Express and the DI to name a few) and the Dining hall is right outside my door. Along with the Cannon Center, (where you eat food, have dances and activities and pick up your mail) there is a smaller version of the Creamery which sells your basic groceries, snacks, toiletries, and yes, ICE CREAM! The food there is great and reasonably priced. You are forced to buy a meal plan there which is nice because you can use the meal plans anywhere on campus! You can buy food at any creamery, any of the restaurants in the student center, most of the cafes in the different academic buildings, and yes, the Dining Hall. The Cannon center has a pretty good selection. You can always find something to eat at any time of the day. It can get old and repetitive after a while, but you're not cooking it, you're not cleaning it, and you're not paying for it out of pocket. 

The dorms at Heleman are your typical dorms. Two people per room, 20 rooms on a hall and an RA to keep you all in line. The bathrooms are communal which kinda stinks, but is also awesome. There are 3 toilets, 4 showers, and 1 handicap stall with a shower, toilet and sink in my building. (Hinckley Hall). Really, the bathrooms aren't bad. Yes, the showers are small and don't have the best water pressure, but there's plenty of hot water and as long as it isn't Sunday morning when everyone else is also getting ready for church, you'll most likely never be left waiting for a shower. There are also irons and ironing boards available in the bathrooms. The irons aren't the best quality, so if you like your clothes extremely iron free, I would suggest investing in your own iron. There is also a water fountain right by the bathroom which tastes fine and is moderately cold. 

The best thing about the communal parts of the dorm is that THEY ARE CLEANED FOR YOU! That's right! No scrubbing toilets, picking hair from shower walls, NOTHING! They are cleaned every day but Sunday which has been so nice not to worry about. The only thing you have to worry about cleaning each month is your own room. This includes dusting the window sill, defrosting the mini fridge, wiping down your desk, cleaning your sink area, all of the mirrors and vacuuming. What they don't tell you on the BYU page is that window cleaner, vinegar, trash bags, freshly cleaned rags and vacuums are provided in a communal cleaning closet right by the bathroom. This is really all you need in order to pass cleaning checks, but I suggest having your own paper towels, duster, clorox wipes and trash bags (if you don't like the cheap stuff).

The best part about the dorms is that it is such a social place to live. You get to know plenty of people in your hall, in your ward and just in Heleman in general. You all eat together, share amenities and the lobby is open to guys and girls from 8 am-midnight most nights. People are always hanging out in the lobby because it is huge, has plenty of seating, and the vending machines are located down there. I have a group of about 15 girls just from my floor that I hang out with on a daily basis. We all get food together, go to the activities put on by Heleman Halls, and explore all of the things there are to do on campus. It really is an amazing place to meet people and make good friends. 

There is a basement in each building which has laundry (6 washers and 6 dryers), two practice rooms with pianos, storage for luggage and other items you don't need in your room, tables and couches, but also a small kitchen area and communal fridge. The kitchen is small. Like one person can cook at a time small. You can check out a whole array of cooking supplies from the office on the first floor for free. You just need to wash them and return them within 48 hours. The fridge/freezer is large, but trust me, it fills up quick. The rule is that any food that has a name on it is off limits, but any unmarked food is up for anyone so MARK YOUR FOOD! It only gets cleaned out at the end of each semester, so it can get gross by the end of the term. This kitchen has been nice when the Cannon gets old or you are just craving some home-cooked meals. My friends and I usually take turns buying ingredients and cooking dinner on Sundays for whoever wants to join. I spend maybe $20 of my meal  plan a month to cook a meal for my friends and I. IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!

In Conclusion...
I ended up being forced to live in Heleman Halls because Heritage filled up so quickly. I originally wanted to live there, but I am so grateful that I didn't because the Heleman life is amazing! It's the best transition into college and allows you to get to know so many people! If you're an incoming freshman getting ready to come to BYU, CONGRATS! You are going to have so much fun no matter where you live. If you're nervous about the transition, don't be! BYU is a great school, and living on campus is an amazing experience I wouldn't change for the world!

Please leave a comment if you have any questions regarding life on campus! I'd be more than happy to help!

Thanks for reading, and happy dorm living!
-Brittany

My First Post

My First Post
Well, I've been contemplating whether or not to make a blog for a while now, and being a full time student in college has made it hard to find any time at all to come up with material to even blog about. I don't expect this blog to get very far or to be paid to write posts, but I do just want to put information that I've learned out to the viral world so that someone else in my same situation can have all of the details I wish I had before. 

A Little About Me
I'm a freshman at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah trying to major  in Music Education (Emphasis in General Music) and Minoring in the School of Family Life. I'm originally from Columbus, Ohio which is also where I have resided the majority of my life. I love to sing, play my french horn, do crazy things with my friends, listen to music, play Just Dance, and waste many hours a day on Pinterest. 
I really enjoy interior design. I love being able to make spaces look neat, organized and appealing to the eye. I grew up watching HGTV so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I'm also super into clothes and jewelry. I have way too many clothes that can't all fit in my tiny dorm closet, and I have about 30 statement necklaces which are my pride and joy. I really enjoy creating new outfits and I get all of my inspiration from Pinterest. I've read so many blogs about how to put outfits together and how to roll sleeves, tuck in shirts, and much, much more. 

One Thing You Should Know
I am obsessed with organization and knowing all of the details. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am OBSESSED with things having their place and everything having order to them. I was going crazy trying to shop for my first dorm room because the housing office couldn't give me all of the measurements, and my roommate and I never coordinated colors. Luckily, the color situation worked out as we both picked pretty neutral colors that worked together, but I had to show up to the dorms with my parents three days before move in so that I could take all the measurements and be able to find containers and decorations that fit my room. 

What YOU Can Expect from this Blog
I plan to create posts that could be helpful to someone in this world as concerned with the details as me. I want to post about the dorm life, college life, clothing, jewelry, music and more! I don't expect to have regular followers who always read all of my posts, I'm kind of all over the place! I don't feel like an expert in any sort of category, so I can't imagine only blogging about one specific topic. I just want to post things as they come and hopefully be able to help or inspire one person out there so that they can be better off than I ever was.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope I can write something beneficial to you in the future!

-Brittany