Carlye Thornton | Lariat Photo Editor
Reporter
At the start of the semester, each dorm room was a generic, empty space with nothing to set it apart from the rest. The only thing to distinguish one from another was a name taped to the door. On the inside were just naked mattresses and empty dressers waiting to be claimed by new occupants.
In August, 40 percent of Baylor students moved into on-campus housing facilities, ready to start the year in a new place, according to the Campus Living and Learning office. Everyone started with the same blank canvas, but by the time they finished settling in, each student carved out a unique space all for their own. Each student planned and prepared their room in their own way.
League City senior Taylor Bielamowicz, resident of Brooks College, had an acquaintance send her pictures of the room she would be living in so she could begin the previsualization process. With the assistance of her mother, they came up with a concept for the room. Once they arrived and began decorating, the design they had in mind had to be revised a few times.
A wooden rocking chair sits by the window with pillows resting on the seat. It is Beilmowicz’s favorite part of the room.
“It’s what makes it seem like less of a dorm room and more of a bedroom,” she said.
Inspired by Kate Spade, the result is an eclectic blend of modern and shabby chic pieces with bright pops of color to create the homey feeling that Bielamowicz envisioned.
La Canada freshman Sophie Schnee, resident of North Village, describes her style as not quite eclectic but more on the bohemian side. Before her arrival at Baylor, Schnee spent the summer collecting various pieces to express her style. For the larger pieces, such as the duvet cover, she picked neutral colors and then incorporated brightly colored accent pieces and decorations to fill the space.
She said her favorite pieces in the room are the kissing balls, which are flowers arranged into spheres, suspended over the bed.
“I just think they are fabulous because they bring color in a fun and unique way to the room,” Schnee said.
Schnee said the flowers serve as festive accent pieces, but they also recreate the comfort of her bedroom back at her parent’s house in Los Angeles.
“I wanted this to feel like home and at home I have an entire wall of flowers,” Schnee said. “I wanted this to feel like it was my space and not just a place that I was living in for a few months.”
Danville freshman Sydney Biekert, resident of South Russell, wanted to create a relaxing and calm environment for herself.
Two of the walls are adorned with pictures of family and friends strung up by a clothesline, and one wall is covered entirely by a large tapestry with various shades of blues, purples, greens and oranges.
“We bought the tapestry first and we matched the bed and pillows to that,” she said.
During her decorating process, Biekert wanted to create a fun place to socialize. She enlisted the help of her mother to fill the area with accent pieces, like tissue paper balls hanging over the bed and a fuzzy circle chair to lounge around in.
Valley Mills freshman Jessica Tomchesson, resident of University Parks Apartments, knew she would have a large space to work with being in an apartment. To fill the area she brought in a white love seat with a gray seat cushion and accent pillows. She said her favorite piece in the room is the wings mounted on the wall. She describes her design style as early modern antique. Most of her belongings were found in garage sales and flea markets.
“I would say I really like junk,” said Tomchesson. “I like certain patterns and lots of accent colors.”
At the start, each student had essentially the same space to work with. Every design process is different and there are a myriad of styles but the end result is always a personalized space for each student to call their home away from home.
