Dorm-It-Yourself: Ryerson School of Interior Design Students Give Tips on Setting Up Your Dorm Room

Newswise — For many post-secondary students, going to university or college means moving away from home and into a residence or another small and/or shared space. It might not be much, but it is your first opportunity to really create a space that is yours. It is possible to design your dorm room in a way that maximizes your (tiny) space and creates a comfortable oasis you can call home in the craziness that is university life. Ryerson School of Interior Design students and Haiti Shelter Initiative members Kathlene McGuinness, Clancy Snook and Evelyn Stewart present some Dos and Don’ts for setting up your new room:

DO'S

· Choose one focal point: A small room can QUICKLY become overcrowded and busy. If you pick one thing in your room to have major visual impact (usually the bed in such a small space), your space will immediately feel cleaner and more interesting. · Maximize your vertical space: You don’t have a lot of floor space, so you need to make the most of the space you do have. Make sure you have a shelf (or two) and try to build up wherever possible. We made a desktop shelving unit out of salvaged drawers that provided both storage and display space, but cost nothing. Invest in storage: We cannot emphasize this enough. The more storage you have, the easier and cleaner your life will become. Nothing is worse than trying to find your textbook right before class under a giant pile of stuff in front of your bed. Also, have one catch-all that you can put things in quickly when mom or that girl/guy you like surprises you with a visit. · Make sure furniture and accessories are flexible and multipurpose: The bedside table can be a step-stool/laptop-bench/seat; hanging clipboards on the walls let you change your art regularly; etc. Making sure most large pieces you own can do more than one thing means you can do more with less - and that’s good for your dorm room, the environment and your wallet. · Mix and Match: Buying everything at one store does not a cool dorm room make. Vintage stores, IKEA, the Dollar Store, and even found objects make amazing conversation pieces. Just make sure they have a unifying feature like color or style. Found objects are often the best things of all - we have seen a stool made out of the inside of a washing machine and a desk made out of old ironing boards! · Introduce the element of surprise: It’s always good to have one small thing in a room that may not seem to go with anything else - this introduces a bit of surprise, which is a big lesson for any designer - have fun in your space! · Use frames: Frames can be found in second-hand stores, at IKEA, or by the side of the road. Use them! They really elevate your décor out of high school and into adulthood. They make your pieces look clean and put together, you can lean them against the wall (if you can’t use nails or tape) and they keep your favourite images from getting damaged in the craziness that is life in residence.

DON'TS

· Start from scratch: Bring one object from home that you can use as inspiration for your whole room, and go into it with a colour scheme, which is simply a few colours you repeat in your room (disclaimer: check with your roommate - maybe you can coordinate your colour scheme together). Usually it is good to pick two to four (max) colours for your room, with only one being something bold, the other two or three should be light or neutral colours that complement your bold colour. Save the boldest hue for a few accessories and maybe part of your focal point. ·Try and use it all: Editing a space makes it cooler. You may not want to put up every rock poster or snow-globe you own - pick one or two of your favourites and leave it at that. Too many snow-globes comes off as weirdly obsessive: one or two says fun-loving and witty. · Be married to the layout: Change everything you can change - move the furniture around (a dresser in a closet frees up a lot of floor space), take down the curtains (but keep them and put them back when you leave), add some shelving. You’re going to live here for eight months; make it home! Just be sure to make changes that are easily reversible so you can get that security deposit back.

DORM ROOM MUST-HAVESBetween goods brought from home, recovered from the side of the road, purchased at the dollar store and at IKEA, you should have for your dorm room:

· A catch-all, for quick clean-ups and de-cluttering. · Multi-purpose furniture - a small table or stool can function as a bedside table, guest seating, night stand, etc. · Shelving to maximize vertical space. If the budget allows, splurge on stainless steel for a reflective surface that will make your space look bigger. ·Frames for your art. Framing a poster makes it look much more sophisticated than just tacking it on the wall - that worked for your high school room, but you’re post-secondary now! · A rug to define your space, make the room homier and cover up dingy old carpets in res rooms. · Storage, storage and more storage: boxes, tins, bins, chests, etc. Because floor space is limited, you'll want storage items that can be stacked, stashed or stowed.

Watch Kathlene's video tour of do's and don'ts and see the madeover dorm room at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up-jhPBG2bU

Expert available for interviews:Kathlene McGuinnessThird-year Ryerson School of Interior Design studentFounder, Haiti Shelter InitiativeContact Suelan Toye (details below) to speak with Kathlene

For more expert advice on back to school, visit http://www.ryerson.ca/news/media/spotlight/bts2010/

If you require this in another format, please contact Ryerson University Public Affairs at 416-979-5000 ext. 5304.