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We asked Debbie Wiener, a Washington, D.C.-area interior and furniture designer known for her practical approach to interiors, how she prepared to send her own son off to college. “I know my son, and I know his roommate, and they are both slobs,” she says with a ready laugh. “I am looking to buy my son things that I don’t expect to last for more than the first year, so I’m not putting a lot of money into them. I want to give him things that are actually sturdy: colorful two-sided rugs that can be flipped over after they get disgusting, and items that don’t cost a lot yet aren’t so fragile that they’ll break.”
Here are some of her tips to maximize space and minimize investments:
“Because dorm rooms have very small footprints, you’ll want to use the vertical space on the walls and even the ceiling,” notes Wiener, designer and author of “Slob Proof! Real-Life Design Solutions.” “I like lots of deep wall shelving. Some of the best sources for that are Pottery Barn Teen, Pottery Barn Kids and Home Decorators Collection,” she says. “They all have inexpensive and colorful wall ledges that are perfect for holding coffee cups or beer mugs – not that they’d actually be drinking beer.
“Hammocks are also great for adding seating, because they give you the ability to store things underneath,” Wiener continues. A hammock chair can be hung right over the bed and tucked out of the way when not in use. Not that I’m encouraging it, but they can also store laundry and extra bedding in a hammock chair.
“I’m going to make his bed do double duty as a sofa, with my favorite secret – Crypton® dog beds. They are big, square cushions in totally indestructible, waterproof and stain-resistant fabrics. You can use them as bolsters, sit on them on the floor, or use them as an extra bed when someone sleeps over,” notes the designer, who worked with the manufacturer to introduce a new line of Crypton Slobproof upholstered furniture. She’ll top the bed with a throver, a designer cover really made for dogs by Crypton. “This way, the bedding underneath will always stay clean and dry. Throvers are a great way to add style, color and pattern in stain resistant fabric to dorm beds, chairs – anywhere that needs some extra stain protection.
“Clip lights are indispensible. They are totally adjustable and inexpensive. You can clip them on the ledges, bed and desk,” she says.
Her main intention, she says, is helping her son learn to live with less. “There’s a washer and dryer in every dorm. I intend to buy him really durable clothes and have him wash them more often. I told him to take the bare necessities, wait a semester and see what he really needs,” she says.
Taking the time to make your young adult’s dorm room feel inviting is critical in their freshman year, when homesickness is sure to kick in at some point. “I think it makes all the difference between the dorm looking like a prison cell and looking like a place that they can’t wait to get back to,” Wiener says.
Yet at the same time, she cautions against getting caught up in the agony and expense of making sure everything is just right. “They really went there to study and to grow as human beings. If your focus is on the dorm room, you’re missing something,” she notes.
Feminine touches
Girls tend to be a little easier on their possessions and to have additional requirements, Wiener says, offering some suggestions of things she’d do differently for a college-bound female:
“For a girl, I would select several main colors – like hot pink, red and orange – and coordinate all their shelves, rugs and bedding.
“I’d take plastic stacking cubes and stack them literally up to the ceiling, with the open side facing into the room. They can hold folded sweaters, cosmetics and more.”
Other ideas she mentions:
• “I’d hang a full hammock close to the ceiling; not for sitting, but for holding pillows, stuffed animals, coats and gloves, etc.”
• “I’d get attractive baskets and hang them from the ceiling by decorative hooks to hold rolled-up towels, shower necessities and more.”
• “To overcome the natural tendency to bring everything, I’d have her pack winter clothes and gear in shipping boxes before she leaves. Simply send them to her when she needs them, and have her return out-of-season clothes in the same boxes.”
