How To Make A BU Dorm Feel Like Home
by Geneve Lau
Photography courtesy of Sofia Koyama
A dorm room is more than a place to sleep every night. If you compare the months you spend in college to the months you spend at home on break, it’s no surprise that you actually end up spending a majority of your time during the year in your college dorm.
Factors such as location on campus, window view, external building appearance and facilities all factor into how a student might pick their dorm room for the school year.
Maria Estefania Ruiz (CAS ’21), currently living in The Towers, said, “My favorite part of [my] dorm is the peripheral view of Bay State, the Charles River, and Questrom. From there I can see the sunset and sunrise.”
Simone Migliori (COM ’20) resides in a brownstone for a second year on Bay State Road.
“My favorite part of my dorm room is the space itself,” said Migliori. “We have two large windows that let in a lot of light.”
GianCarlo Lobo (CGS ’18), a resident in a brownstone on Bay State Road, recalled his favorite part about his living space being his fire escape.
“I always hang out there and sometimes sleep [there] if it’s warm enough,” Lobo said.
Once the challenge of picking a room is complete, an even bigger challenge presents itself. Each September, as Terriers unpack their boxes and suitcases, browse through the aisles at Bed Bath & Beyond and Target and make multiple trips hauling stacks of boxes from the mail room, a common goal is shared: to create a space that is unique, comfortable and homey for nine months.
Some students plan out a theme and coordinate bedding and other decor with roommates so the room is cohesive.
Ruiz wanted her dorm to be a rendition of her room from home. “I am very attracted to shabby French styles,” she said. “I started with the colors and patterns on my bed so that it could be the focal point of the room. Once I chose the gold and pink scheme I chose accessories that would match.”
Similarly, Melody You (COM ’20), didn’t decorate her room with an intended theme but said, “I brought some of my favorite pieces from my bedroom back in Georgia to make my dorm look as much like my room back home as possible.”
Migliori and her roommate started out with a color palette that they mutually liked. “I personally like neutral tones like white, gray, tan, and dark blue,” she said. “My roommate likes dark blue and white so these colors obviously merged very well together.”
However, more important than sticking to a theme, BU students enjoy filling their rooms with things they love.
Arianna Bouchard, (CAS ’20), currently residing in 1019 Comm. Ave, loves her desk “because of all [the] sticky notes, pictures, postcards and hockey tickets” along with the memories attached.
Carolina Toledo, (COM ’21), living in Claflin Hall in West Campus, chose to adorn her space with posters.
“I picked two things that mean the most to me,” she said. “California and Gilmore Girls.”
Claire Whitney (COM ’19), currently living in 1047 Comm. Ave, filled her and her roommates shared space with “a lot of pictures, quotes and drawings that [they] love.” In addition, they added a “friendship wall” where visitors sign.
“It’s really special to us and is something we can take away from this year with us,” Whitney said.
Regardless of location, there is a general consensus of what the most important vibe a dorm room should give off: a feeling of home.
“The most important part of a dorm room is how cozy it is. I wouldn’t want to live in a room that was so minimalist it seemed almost clinical. I like a lived-in feel,” said Migliori.
Bouchard felt similarly. “The most important part in my opinion, is that when you walk in, you can look around and identify the parts of it that show it’s yours,” she said.
Toledo used her theme to make her dorm room “feel larger and homey” with all white.
It is evident that Terriers from West to East have gotten in touch with their creative sides to make their dorm rooms a cozy place to come home to after a long day of hard work. As Lobo said, “Anywhere can become home if you make it homey!”