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students bring their own bedding to a dorm room, but other touches of home like a stuffed animal or an area rug can add cosy comfort. bringing plenty of storage containers can help keep a room tidy and organized.
courtesy sfu
you’ve followed your calling to the hallowed halls of higher education. your courses are chosen, your books are ordered, your residence is set, and now it’s move-in day. whether you have your own room or you’re bunking with others, it helps to do your homework on how to decorate your dorm for form and function.
classes of haves and have nots
most university dorms are furnished with the basics, including bed, desk, shelving, dresser, closet and sometimes a mini-fridge. larger residences come with kitchens and are equipped with refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, etc. students are required to bring everything else — within limits — including cutlery, dishes, pots and pans for those with kitchens.
even before students set foot on campus, universities send them a list of what to leave in and what to leave out of their moving boxes. sfu’s packing tips encourage students to bring bedding, desk lamp, laptop, extension cord and power bar, toiletries and cleaning supplies. verboten are personal modems, wi-fi printers, smart home devices, air conditioners, amplifiers and subwoofers.
ubc’s packing list includes pretty much the same, as well as suggested clothing for a rainy day. kawa ada, associate director on the residence life team at ubc student housing and community services, says, “we encourage students to bring what they absolutely need, particularly because of the space limitations, but also because of sustainability objectives.”
about 14,000 students live on campus at ubc which, he says, generates a lot of waste. everything you pack in (and accumulate during the year) you need to pack out when you leave, or donate, sell or recycle.
the art of decorating
over and above the essentials to outfit your room, adding a touch of home can make the transition easier, especially for students who are away from home for the first time.
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“students find ways to make the space their own, things that remind them of home,” says zoe woods, director, residence and housing, at sfu. “it could be a bed kit that you regularly use or a new one your parents gifted you when you moved out.”
even a teddy bear? “stuffed animals may remind students of home and make them feel settled in a space,” she acknowledges.
eighteen-year-old sienna walker, who’s entering her second year at ubc majoring in english literature and languages, says, “i brought a lot of books to fill my shelves as well as photos of family and friends for a photo wall. i brought a lot of pillows, comforters and blankets to decorate my bed and give it a homey feel. i also had posters for the walls.”
while students are free to deck their walls with pretty much anything, there are a few rules. posters and pictures must be hung using poster putty, painter’s tape or command strips so as not to peel the paint.
“if the room is altered in any way, students need to ensure it’s back to its original condition when they depart or they are responsible,” says woods.
wallpaper, even the temporary kind, may take some effort to remove, unless it instantly peels off without damaging the paint.
before: most university dorms are furnished with the basics, including bed, desk, shelving, dresser and closet.
supplied
after: students can personalize their dorm rooms, within the limits.
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rooms, which, at sfu range between 120 to 150 square feet, also include window coverings such as blinds, but if a student is really attached to their own drapes, woods says they could use tension or pressure rods to hang them.
ali udaipurwala, 22, who is in his fourth year majoring in business administration at sfu, says he brought a rug from home as well as family photos to make his space cosy and comfy. but he says his best buys were organizer-type boxes to store stuff in and avoid clutter.
“i also brought led lights that are controlled with a remote,” he says. “you can set them for mood.”
woods agrees that throw rugs can make a space feel more homey and they can also help muffle noise.
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crystal moon, principal and creative director at vancouver’s crystal moon design, says, “having a rug that’s a bit bigger gives layers to the space, and adds coziness. it also can keep you warm in the cold rainy months if the place is a bit drafty.”
for arty decor, ada says ubc offers crafts and materials to newly arriving students to personalize their space through programs like plant potting, designing your own t-shirts or tote bags, and door decoration. “the residence room is an expression of who they are, their past lived experiences and their memories,” he notes. “through the year they often find that room becomes a place to call home, so we absolutely encourage students to bring things that are tied to their identity.”
space savers
ada says dorm beds can be lifted with risers to allow for a couple of extra feet of storage underneath. “some students put their dresser drawers under their beds to optimize their space. most of the furniture we have is quite modular for those kinds of customizations.” he says some students push their bed against a wall and line up a row of pillows so it doubles as a day bed or sofa.
moon, who specializes in designing and decorating small spaces, says, “wall space is so underrated. you can get shallow wall cabinets that come in a range of depths and sizes to use for functional storage as well as a place to put photos or a piece of art.”
she says using a small dresser instead of a nightstand does double duty for more storage. “there are also ottomans that fold out so if students have guests staying over,” it can convert to a bed. “you can even get sideboards that fold out into double beds now.”
udaipurwala, who has his own room, says he stores his skin care products, books, and gym equipment on his shelving units, and photos of family and close friends on his study desk.
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walker says ubc rooms have an abundance of shelving space, much of which she filled with photos and trinkets from home. last year she had a roommate, and the two repositioned the beds, desk and wardrobe to maximize and delineate their space. “the school has the furniture all placed the same way so if you move it, you have to put it back in the exact same way the school left it,” she notes.
co-operating and co-ordinating
nearly all new students who share a dorm will not have met their roommate ahead of time, so woods suggests they reach out to each other before they move in to ensure they’re on the same page in terms of expectations. “we have had students with very different styles but are comfortable learning about each other and sharing that space well,” she says.
walker advises being mindful of your space and the other people who live in it, noting there are floor advisers who routinely check that students are following room restrictions as well as proper etiquette such as noise, cleanliness, etc.
“my roommate and i made a list of things we were comfortable with,” she says, “which included how late we wanted to stay up or how early we would head to class, if we wanted to bring friends into our rooms or not, who did cleaning duty certain weeks, etc.
“all in all, first-year dorm experience is a great way to adjust to university life. if you prefer your space 24/7 then a shared dorm might not be for you. but it’s a great way to meet new people you wouldn’t have otherwise.”
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