Think the poster vendor who was at the gates for one day was your only shot at decorating your room?  Learn from your peers and think again.  Our RoomHop feature shows just what can be done with a cramped room, institutional concrete walls, and some imagination.  Click the links to read the full RoomHops and be inspired.

Itanza Lawrence, Valerie Pinkerton, and Sofia Pacheco-Fores, Sonal Mallaya, and Jenny Shen, EC

StickyWhen taping, the suitemates say, you get to a point when you… can’t stop taping. The most frustrating part of the process, the girls report, was a night so humid that the tape fell immediately from the walls. The best part? “When we decided to turn the A/C to full blast and continue taping that night anyway, and stayed up until 5:00 am working on it.” Their enthusiasm seems to have been unflagging.

Wesley Yip, CC’12

pAArty“It just occurred to me one morning that I should start cutting through plastic cups,” recalls Wesley Yip, CC’12. Before long, his sublime realization helped him transform his Watt living room’s blank walls Held up mostly by office-grade adhesives, the unmistakable red plastic looms over the rest of his two-bedroom suite.

Jordan Sholem & Chloe Kling, BC’15

try this at homeThe best part? “Walking in after a long day and knowing our room is so cozy,” Jordan beams, “it really doesn’t feel like a dorm.” With perfectly arranged pillows and a tiny white bouquet perched elegantly on the nightstand, the carefully curated room has become something wonderful that Jordan and Chloe adore. 

Jonathon Balsano, SEAS ’14 & Sam Engel, CC ‘ 14

like a soccer ball but notYet all the perfection isn’t unwelcoming, and their room is far from stuffy. Quite the opposite–the eccentricity of their decor reflects the rooms use as a place of creativity and excitement. All the walls are covered except for one, which they are saving for a future project.

Will Hughes, CC ’13, Repeat RoomHopper

look out!In his new position on student council, CC should look forward to someone with zany ideas and the initiative to actually go through with them. “I don’t think I have decorating skills; I think I just like silly ideas and I believe firmly enough in devoting time to those silly ideas. I really believe that even though we live in these dorms for 8 months a year you should still do something with them. It’s not just having this idea, it’s being the person crazy enough to do it.”