Eden Bowen Montgomery
College students are done with the uninspiring shabby cinderblock walls, chipped wooden furniture and dirty carpeting of dormitories.
Now, those grim spaces are increasingly becoming far more chic with high-end designs matching the tastes of the TikTok-obsessed generation embarking on independent living.
As part of a national trend, college kids are increasingly asking their parents to open their pocketbooks and drop thousands to hire designers to transform their school-sanctioned housing into eye-catching custom worlds.
“I’d been piecing together a vision board for years, but I never thought it would come to life,” University of Alabama senior Madison Williams told The Post of her dorm room.
To help turn her vision board into a reality, Williams’ mother surprised her by hiring Decorilla, a New York online interior design service focused on connecting customers with interior designers who create 3D and virtual reality spaces for them.
Madison wanted her small space to “feel warm and welcoming,” and ideally include additional seating for guests.
Her completed space features a color palette of soft neutrals with pops of Madison’s favorite colors: turquoise, teal and purple. Highlights include a statement headboard upholstered in a soft velvet intended to add warmth to the cold walls; a multifunctional desk area that serves as both a vanity and a study area; plenty of clever storage solutions, including under-bed organizers; and a sheepskin blanket that was a bit of a splurge but is now among Madison’s favorite pieces.
In all, it cost her about $4,000 and took two weeks to plan, followed by approximately a month of the decor being delivered and installed.
The co-ed said it helped ease her transition into school.
“I was so nervous to start college, since I was moving a few states away,” she said. “You can’t imagine how much it helped having a space that felt like home.”
It’s a common feeling for her peers who custom-tailor their spaces, since a personalized room makes campus life feel much more homey.
For University of Mississippi freshmen roommates Madi Baker and Brittyn Wheeler, it was a bonding moment to collaborate on designing a dream dorm to share.
The pair — from Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, respectively — met on the Ole Miss Class of 2028 Instagram. When they decided they wanted to live together, the girls worked with Mississippi’s Mary Margaret Designs owner Shelly Gates to create a standout room.
“Both of us kind of wanted the same colors. I know Britt wanted to add green, and I was perfectly good with that. And we also just wanted something different that you wouldn’t really see in other dorms,” said Baker.
It was a fantastic fit for Gates, who prefers her clients “to allow me to interpret their vision and then put my spin on it into something that’s really, really unique” she told The Post.
The trio began planning the room in April. In August, the day after the pair officially moved to campus, it was ready for its “reveal day” — Gates set it up for the girls while they waited at a hotel.
“It was kind of like Christmas,” recalled Baker.
“We absolutely love it,” the 18-year-olds said, in unison, during a phone interview, highlighting the patterned covering installed to disguise an unappealing “yellowish” dorm wall, a painting of a girl and a dog in front of their closet and the desk chairs and the individual shelves they each have next to their beds.
Window treatments add a dash of elegance — and other decorations, such as ones that say “Howdy,” are a nod to their native state of Texas.
Gates said it’s common practice for college kids to eschew run-of-the-mill, plastic dorm decor for more ornate finishings.
“Especially in the South, when you walk in a dorm, every room is done to the nines for the most part,” she said. “I know that seems silly in other parts of the country, but here everybody’s dorm is beautiful.”
Budgets “can vary significantly, typically ranging from several thousand to over $10,000, depending on the level of customization and quality of materials,” said Ginger Curtis, founder of Texas’ Urbanology Designs.
Decorilla’s co-founder and lead interior designer Joyce Huston said their clients have all paid at least $1,000 and up to $10,000 depending on the quality and quantity of furnishings.
Curtis said the process begins with a consultation of the student’s style and the parents’ budget, followed by weeks to months of planning.
“Some families opt for more high-end furnishings and decor, while others may focus on just a few key pieces to elevate the space,” she said.
“Parents are typically involved because students are busy with their senior year of high school during the planning phase,” added Eden Bowen Montgomery, who started her company Essentials With Eden after her freshman year of college.
“It’s rare where we have a helicopter parent that just wants to be involved in everything. Because [generally, the student] wants to make their own decisions. They want it to feel like the room is theirs,” added Huston.
And although the spaces may be ephemeral, Montgomery advises students to plan their campus housing beyond graduation — and put their parents’ dime to good use well into their young adult lives.
“We encourage our clients to choose classic pieces and invest in quality pieces,” she said, “that will seamlessly transition with them to their future apartments and homes.”