If you dropped by our site over the weekend, then you may know that we left our heart in Chattanooga last Friday. There have been a lot of feelings to process in the past few days. Our consolation prize is that he seems to be living his best life, and today, I thought I’d share a little tour of what we’ve been up to. Here’s a hot take: guys can have awesome dorm rooms, too. Today we’re sharing our spaces for the year, and College Apartment + Dorm Ideas for Guys {With Bed Bath and Beyond!}
{College can be one of the biggest transitions and most challenging experiences for everyone involved. UTC did a cute little snippet of all move-in shenanigans last week, and I had to share because Emerson + Aiden’s rhetoric at the end was oh-so cute. I know. Mom so hard. Our youngest stayed behind because of football.}
Meanwhile at home, we’re not even sure the dogs know what to think. Fitz keeps wandering into his room, and I haven’t had the energy to go in and make his bed or straighten it up in the ‘bald spots’ where he took things with him to school. Maybe later in the week. Maybe.
One of my love languages has always been creating spaces for my family. Nothing brought me greater comfort than creating his home away from home. Bed Bath and Beyond made this process so easy—no, really. I think all the parents out there can relate when I say, we all need something easy regarding this college journey. With everything else on my mind, I didn’t have to give creating a space for him a second thought. Remember our post a few weeks ago about prepping for the whole thing? {I have more fun round ups there!} Because this has been the fun part.
Aiden is in a Living and Learning Community for the Business College at UTC with three other roomies. Things were absolute insanity upon move-in. I wasn’t able to get a “proper” before, but it’s pretty great, even un-decorated. The apartment is on campus and comes equipped with a sofa and love seat, bookshelf, coffee table, and fully-functioning kitchen {they even have their own washer and dryer – WHAT} and each roomie {a grouping of four} gets a bedroom, with a shared bath per two. We are grateful for this space, and it’s a whole lot nicer than my cinderblock Auburn days circa 1998, {though I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.} It’s great practice for being on their own while still living on campus.
Psssst… You can find all the sources for these spaces here, but as usual, I also combined a few handmade and Etsy finds. I’ll link the original boards where everything is rounded up from Bed Bath and Beyond, along with some of those finds from artists individually, below.
So here’s what we were able to transform their living space into! Since the apartment included the sofas, we decided to tone them down a little with these simple covers. We love the dark grey and that they immediately took them to nice neutral {see the blue above}. The apartment was clean, but I think everyone appreciates a good cover on used furniture.
The rug also instantly anchored the space, and tied together the warmer hues with the cooler ones when it came to different wood tones in the space. And since this is a GUYS dorm, {I loathe stereotypes, but it IS college, so I had some of my reasonings} the rug won’t show stains since accidents happen. I’m also always game for a good round of subtle fringe. It’s crazy what a set of good curtains can do. We immediately rearranged all the furniture to make a more suitable seating arrangement for everyone. These blackout curtains let us move the TV in front of their window, since it didn’t seem fair to have it against anyone’s bedroom wall, and this arrangement keeps everything more open.
We were in such a hurry, I didn’t get my usual time to adjust the frame or fix an additional lamp we have, but it’s also linked in the board. I want to travel back in time now and adjust a few things, but I was trying not to be that person on move-in day.
We did a wall of awkward family photos for them since they all knew each other beforehand. We planned out a photo shoot this summer, and everyone was game after we were finally able to gather everyone in one spot. In retrospect, these may not last long, but it’s a really fun idea to personalize their walls, and it’s fun to see such a great sense of humor in their space. I paired it with this banner in their school colors. This small business carries some amazing options, so be sure to check them out for more fun ideas.
I paired some simple art from an awesome artist, for maps of both Chatt and Nashville. All four guys are from Nashville and we thought the combo of both their homes was fun on each side of the window. I highly recommend this artist. Within 24 hours they had a Chattanooga map to match the Nashville one, and they came as printables so that I could adjust them to any size. With dorm life, I highly recommend pairing something like this with a poster frame to make things more durable {again, linked in the board!}.
A fellow roomie brought these chairs for the space and major props to his parents because they’re perfect for their common room. I was happy to top them off with some awesome pillows {Again linked in the board along with similar chairs, if you’re curious} the striped throw also helped cozy up the space. Yes, these will probably all end up on the floor, but I figured it would provide extra seating for visitors, and also, there’s a giant basket for that.
I took an old tray off FB Marketplace, {ten dollars!} and I’ll share the simple how-to later this week and link it up here when the post is ready. I didn’t want to inundate y’all with all things college 24/7, but it’s such a simple idea that it could work with any school or version of home you might need. It worked as a great corral-er for all things coasters, remotes, game controllers, and more.
This art is actually a photograph of Chattanooga’s Market Square circa 1907. I adore an excellent classic vintage image and thought it was a great nod to their new city. It’s also an amazing reminder of how quickly things change in a little over a century. Again, check out more in this Etsy store owner’s space as well because they have some amazing images.
We love that you were able to check out their little common-space tour. Be sure to check out the entire board here for all of our fave Bed Bath and Beyond accessories! You can find all the sources for this space here.
And on to my favorite… our oldest’s personal space. Again, we were so busy unpacking in the chaos of multiple roommates I didn’t get good befores. The school was highly organized with plenty of amazing helpers and we are oh-so grateful. But it’s still a crazy day. Here’s where we started…
And here’s where we ended up! Again, I don’t believe that just because he’s a guy, doesn’t mean he can’t have a nice space or that he doesn’t care. I saw way too much of this nonsense on the parental message boards. His roomies feel the same way because you should see their spaces, too. We love the way this room ended up. You can see all the links to this space, {or at least sources that are VERY similar if they were no longer available} here.
I loved creating layers of bedding with Nate Berkus’ bedding line, {which also felt full-circle, great designs from one of my faves} LOLZ -along with a quilt and a few other finds to cozy it up.
It’s amazing what a good pair of curtains and a headboard can do. The rooms already had beds that could lower or raise, so it helped to get it to just the right height for the bed skirt, {because don’t forget that under-bed storage-we used two simple large plastic bins} and then add the headboard to really ground the space.
The nightstand is my fave because it has a charging station at the top. That makes it simple for a busy college student to charge his phone at night and anything else he may need. The terrarium lamp is one of my faves from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I have a full tutorial of what we put in it. {This was one of his requests- full how-to here.}
His desk setup is simple, and unobtrusive with some of his faves intact, from records to an old street sign we’ve had since his homeschool days, along with smart storage with things I’m sure he doesn’t know he needs yet. I just know he’s going to wake up in a few days and go “WOW MY MOM WAS RIGHT! GOLLY GEE WILLIKERS, THANKS!” and also probbaly not. He took an art class senior year, and did this awesome printmaking project, which I had framed for his desk. It’s the little things.
Aiden also took an astronomy course his Senior year, and it was by far one of his favorite classes. I’m pretty sure it was because of the teacher, but he’s always had an interest in all things interstellar. Because of that, I found this vintage lithography print of the moon {be sure to check out their entire site for more vintage prints – your inner graphic design nerd will thank you} from a this awesome business, and had it framed by Bed Bath and Beyond.
Three of my fave elements on the desk side of his space, are this amazingly-easy-to-break-down-box underneath that comes with rollers. It can hold all the things, and slides in and out easily when needed. The other is this wall-mount coat rack for all his hats + boxing gloves. Perfect for his space, and this bulletin board, where he was able to showcase his friends and family in easy ways he can switch out over the year. Proudly decorated by his sister. {All linked here}
I keep telling you guys he had one request. This was the other one. I honestly started to think I was running out of time between work and other obligations this summer, and I’m so grateful I was able to pull it off. He is a big history buff, and loves anything WW2 and planes. His favorite? The P-51 Mustang. So I created a fun, stylized take on the plane, against a moody backdrop. I also wanted it to feel aged with character, so I had fun playing around with sandpaper and other mediums to give it that vintage vibe. There are a lot of interesting, subtle details in this one. I’m selling prints in my store, so be sure to check it out here.
UTC is now the MOCS as in Mockingbirds, which we love. The mascot’s name is Scrappy and he’s growing on me. But once upon a time, they were the water moccasins. I found this vintage pennant and framed it in a simple project. Comparable items I’ve found online range well into the hundreds, so putting this easy project together was a simple solution. I’ll share the basic how-to with links next week and include it here as well when it’s up… I loved how easy it would be for any pennant and college or idea, so I thought it would be fun to share. I also found this humorous take on Auburn’s rivalry with them in an old game flyer.
found via here circa 1960-something-war eagle sorry not sorry.
Just another glimpse at this corner!
He said his bed is super comfy, thanks in part to that amazing mattress cover we found here. And raising the bed slightly gave us plenty of room underneath for storage containers.
His closet gives him a ridiculous amount of space to hold all the things and we loved finding extra elements to make that possible. He’s all set. It’s the little things, I guess, as a mom.
He’s living his best life, as far as I can tell. Since we actually left him ON his birthday {double jab to the heart} he and his roommates threw a {wholesome- no worries he just got there} party in their dorm that night. He FaceTimed us when we were at a football game watching our youngest play. But when we picked up, it was other kids from the dorm that he just met. They asked us to design their spaces, too. It was really adorable. But we couldn’t have pulled it off without Bed Bath and Beyond {and his amazing roomies, of course!}
Thanks so much for coming to our little dorm tour today. If you ask me, it’s a real testament that guys can have lovely spaces, too, if they wish. Just any student who wants to have one, and we don’t have to stick to those silly stereotypes. Fun and smart decor for all.
What are some of your favorite elements about these spaces? We’d love to hear. Have any questions? We’re happy to point you in the right direction. Be sure to check out these boards and more at Bed Bath and Beyond for all those great finds! Especially if you’re gearing up for that college shopping. Have an inspired day!
{Our post today was sponsored by Bed Bath and Beyond, but I am sharing my own opinions and curations today – thank you so much for understanding!}
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