[Published in SCAD District]

https://scaddistrict.com/welcome-to-my-crib-dorm-room-edition/

When it comes to living in dorms, everyone has the same blank canvas. All the rooms in the Hive are indistinguishable with two bedrooms, four beds, a living room, a toilet and a shower. Even though they all start out identical, each artist decorates their canvas differently. Whether it’s a fun tapestry or endless strings of vines hanging from the ceiling, each room ends up completely unique. I took a look into a few different rooms at the Hive, and to be honest, I sometimes forgot they were the same layout. Let’s take a look at what I found.

To start, I examined my own room. To me, of course, it seems pretty normal. Our living room contains a star tapestry, a painting of Forsyth, some string lights and plenty of pillows and blankets. Sure, some things are a little random. By our door hangs Kingsley, an orange skeleton my mom sent us for Halloween.

He stays up year round and, of course, wears a bee-utiful headband that was a gift from another mom. He also holds a random earring we found in the hallway that we decided to name as his tiny purse. And next to Kingsley is Dale, a wooden thing I don’t even know how to describe. They’re best friends. So no matter how pretty you plan on making your dorm, the best inside jokes always make it to the wall.

I played golf in high school but didn’t even think about bringing my clubs to SCAD. In these dorms, I have no idea where I would be able to fit them. Clearly, I wasn’t nearly as creative as my neighbors a few doors down. They store two sets of golf clubs in their toilet room. The clubs sit nonchalantly next to a Swiffer Sweeper and extra toilet paper. They claim that “we use the bathroom as our storage unit,” which is honestly pretty smart. So if you ever need a little extra space, look to the bathroom. Besides the storage bathroom, my personal favorite part of their room is the “Wall of Shame.”

Foundation classes can be hard, especially if you’ve never drawn before (I’m speaking from experience here, trust me.) This dorm room laughs over their least favorite pieces and places them on the wall for decoration. Only in art school can you find such unique wallpaper.

I’m not going to lie, I think “The Jungle” has to be my favorite dorm decor I’ve ever seen. We’ll ignore the awkwardly positioned couch and random desk chair that greets you at the door. Still, in this room, they went all out. The animals, vines and leaves that hang from the ceiling really add to the environment. Of course, “the theme is jungle boys” and “each monkey represents a roommate.” It definitely doesn’t feel like a traditional dorm room. Although the living room is the only area that is jungle themed, the rest still has some pizazz. For example, I found a bottle of Chick-Fil-A sauce casually sitting on the bathroom counter among everyone’s toothbrushes.

It truly adds to the eclectic vibe that I assume they’re going for. “The Jungle” definitely proves that you can transform a dorm room into whatever you want it to be. So, when decorating your own dorm, don’t be limited by the layout, space or furniture. Feel free to make it your own.

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Welcome to My Crib: Dorm Room Edition