OlioHop Dorm Decor

"Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I'm not a fool"

Happy OlioHop Monday everyone! We're talking dorm room decor today, and this is something that hits close to home. It was just eight short years ago that I was packing up my bags and heading South from Massachusetts to Greensboro, NC to move into my first dorm room! Personally, I HATED living on campus, but looking back on it much of those feelings were in my own control. I never made my space my own or feel anything like home until I got into an apartment. There are SO many things I wish I had done differently! Honestly, dorm rooms should be treated like first apartments (some are) and less like an awkward first experience. College will provide plenty of awkward first experiences!
Sometimes schools provide bed frames, desks, chairs, etc. Note to past self, this DOES NOT mean you HAVE to use them!!! Sometimes you're lucky enough to have a single all to yourself (lucky from my raised as an only child used to my own space point of view!), and sometimes you have an actual apartment feel with two or four bedrooms, a common space living room, and even a small kitchen. If you, your child, or family member you are joining us on behalf of are gifted with this, do a happy dance NOW! You have so much space to express your style! Most often, you'll have one room that you share with other people and still need a way to make your space your own; both physically and with personal style.
Here are the most important things to think about when talking about Dorm Decor:

• Storage - so many things, so little space, and you must be able to be productive!
• Organization - where did you put that paper? How about your ID card? 
• Functionality - if it's hard to use, it won't be fun to live in!
• Communication - this is VERY important when you have roommates to pass along messages!
• Personality - make it your own with things from home! 
• BUDGET - let's face it, college is expensive! Dorm room decor doesn't have to be!

First, you're going to have to plan and pack up to get there, and I found a great packing list on Pinterest so be sure to repin and take a closer look when you have the time!

This past weekend we made the drive to Charlotte, NC to IKEA for the finishing items for Dablet's playroom! I was inspired beyond belief for things I wish I had done in my dorm room in college! So, I created an Olioboard for today's hop using all IKEA items...yes ALL!

To see this board and shop the look click here

So, I'm sure you're wondering...how much does that room cost? $1,078.74 thanks to Olioboard's handy budget tool in their pro plan! That's for the following:
Twin bed with storage, dresser, desk, chair, sofa bed (yes that folds down!), coffee table, side table, rug, table lamp, floor lamp, two overhead lamps, double laundry basket, two square ottomans, mirror, wall clock, filing, blankets, and all decor elements!
Yes, I know $1,000 is a chunk, but you don't need all of this, and for everything that I included in this design you must admit that's a fabulous price! IKEA is perfect for college because it's trendy, functional, easy to pack (ships flat!), and will give design savvy students more bang for their buck! Chances are you have some of these elements already and can bring them with you, or could find something similar at your local thrift stores! As a side note, I added all of these elements from IKEA into Olioboard myself with the "one click add" tool!
Let's knock out three bullets in one: Storage, Organization, and Functionality, after all college (and the rest of life) is about effective multitasking! Items that can serve duel purposes, think storage ottomans and room dividers with built in shelving, will save you time, money, and space in the long run.

To see this board and shop the look click here

Etsy is great for prints and you can shop these directly from this Olioboard. Also, I'm seriously loving Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and West Elm for the pops of color in shower curtains and dishes!

Shower curtains pack a lot of punch in a small package. Sometimes when you get to your dorm room, your closet space is more like a "large" cubby without a door and you'd like to cover it for privacy! Chose something that reflects your style and brings some color into your room. Those same shower curtains can add dimension to your room if you beat the "you can't paint your walls" battle by hanging command hooks and draping fabric on your walls! Color, texture, and even the look of a hidden (but nonexistent) window! You'll likely notice (whether this is your first dorm or your third) that the thing you have the most of is walls! Put them to use with fun and funky shelves, organizers, and hooks and get your clutter off of the floor.

Trust me, this is another thing your family will appreciate when they come to visit!
I think futons are the ultimate one, two, (sometimes three) punch. You can sit, sleep, and store using them! The ones in this board (from Target) come in about eight different colors and are less than $200!! OK, so maybe your mom won't be crashing here, but I'm sure your friends from high school and maybe a few newbies might appreciate something other than floor space!

I mentioned communication right? There are a few easy ways to be the good roommate and make this an easy practice. Even if you have a single, your parents will appreciate coming to visit you when they know you're leaving yourself notes, staying organized, and maybe even have "call home" written on your schedule!

Pinned here

The chalkboard calendar! We've seen it, loved it, and it works! This is just another use!

Pinned here

I've shared this before, and I'll share it again! Calendar, hooks, chalkboard, and organization! 

For my next look, I wanted to recreate a photo I found on Pinterest that I added to my Dorm Room Decor board. Here's the photo:

This look is pinned here

Why does this work? The biggest reason is the storage room divider between bed/personal space and common/living space! 

To see this board and shop the look click here

I used some finds from Target, West Elm, and Lamps Plus to recreate the elements in the pin. Most importantly I wanted to show you how easy it can be to create a shopping list from Olioboard of something you fall in love with on Pinterest! Also, you can make it your own by adding fun pops of color like the wall hooks and art panels! College is the first time many people are "on their own" and your living space should reflect your personal style. What if your style changes? Choose pieces that you can grow up into, recover, change the bedding, or use different accents!

One final piece of Pinspiration is this "bookcase" created by stacking different colored and length benches! This is a fabulous way to use something in an non-ordinary way that brings color, dimension, and use of vertical space into your room!

Pinned here

If you need some more ideas for effective organization, check out our recent OlioHop ALL about organizing! Head over to Olioboard and come up with your own ideas for your dream dorm room and share them with me! You can always find budget friendly ways to make your biggest one room dreams come true, and I'd love to see what you're dreaming about!

There are 10 other fabulous designers blogging with me today, so go check them out for more dorm room inspiration, and of course, don't forget Pinterest! I'm going to be pinning on my Dorm Decor board all day so be sure to stop over!

- CMC Design Studio - Fashion House Interiors - Frugal Finds - Simply Savvy -

 - HLM Interior Design - Homestyling 101 - Focal Point - Push Interiors -

- Selma Hammer Designs - White Linen Interiors

OlioHop Nurseries - Girls, Boys, and Twins!

It's OlioHop Moodboard Monday! Welcome to all of the new wandering eyes, and of course "Hello" to my faithful friends! I am truly honored to be included in the inaugral blog feature brought to you by Olioboard, a fabulous design tool that I have blogged about on many occasions! Please be sure to check out the bottom of this post for the links to the other nine blogs featured in today's OlioHop! Don't forget, you can create fabulous designs yourself (just click on any Olioboard link, or the "Get creating here" link at the bottom of the blog!)
When I received the email asking me to participate and shared the topic of the Blog Hop, I reached a level of excitement that is best described by 3 year old girls squealing in tandem over something no one truly understands! So, what is the topic you ask?
Nurseries and Kids Rooms!!!!
Pretty perfect right? After all, it won't be too long from now when I have to look at Dablet's nursery and figure out how to transform it into a room for a little lady! (forgive me as I quietly shed an emotional tear!) It seems as if Kyle and I are surrounded by babies recently. Friends, family, neighbors....everyone is having babies!! It is seriously not helping my case of "baby fever". Although, I will admit that through the last few weeks and the process of perfecting this post for all of you, I have realized that nurseries are my favorite room to design! There is something sacred about the first space your child will call home. Putting together all of the little details, taking your time to plan for the late night feedings, wardrobe malfunctions, tummy time sessions, and reading nook exploration bring an amount of joy to me that cannot be matched elsewhere! I am officially focusing my work to nurseries!!
Enough about me! Let's move on to what you're here for: Nursery design!
Starting "close to home" for me, we shall begin with a room for a little girl!

Find all of the items and shop this look here

The great thing about Olioboard is...well, there are several....but to begin with they have fabulous brand partners! AND you can import your own images and link them back to the store you sourced them from. (This is why creating a virtual showroom for an etsy store using Olioboard will help boost sales, especially when you pin it!)
The paint colors for this room have two different schemes with Gray Owl as the common element in each. Benjamin Moore is Olioboard's paint partner and always provides more than enough colors to choose from! I am a sucker for paint color names. Some of the names seen here are "Little Piggy" and "Funky Fruit"! How fabulous are those for a baby's room?!?! I found the wall art on Etsy! The left three pieces are from Nicole ap, and I actually came across her work through I AM THE LAB featuring a giveaway of her designs.
What I love about this look, as the mom of a little girl, is how it is clean and pure. Sure, it has pops of color from the Lili Alessandra coral pillow from Layla Grayce and the Currey & Co red lamp from Zinc Door, but it is sophisticated. I love modern nurseries! Trust me, your little ones will add plenty of "baby" to the space, and when you start hanging clothes, changing diapers, and adding an abundence of things that say "Fisher Price" and "Playskool" you will appreciate this kind of look fit for a baby!
Now it's time for me to pretend a little...let's talk boys!

Find all items and shop this look here

For this Aquatic (sounds a bit more chic than "under the sea") themed boys room I had to use colors called "Caribbean Azure" and "Tropicana Cabana" with a little bit of "Calypso Orange" to pack the punch! When I showed this board to Kyle the first thing he said to me was, "that's for a boy? That pillow doesn't look very boy" pointing to the Maze Pillow from One Kings Lane. Maybe he has a point, but until your baby starts bringing in dump trucks (with the sand), and all kinds of things that stick (to everything) I don't see what's wrong with a little bit of sophistication to a boy's room. The trend right now for nurseries has far surpassed the "out of the box" look and moved to something that has elements of purity, pattern, and elegance without all of the fluff. Now, if you can afford to spend $25,000 on your nursery you might disagree with me about the lack of fluff!

Things I love about this look:

The pop of color on the DucDuc panel crib from Layla Grayce.

Nurseyworks changing table, also from Layla Grayce, for all of the versatility (and storage!!) that it offers! How about that geometric pattern on the door too??

The ease with which you can mix geometric patterns with this Roundabout rug from CB2

Finally, another Etsy find, this time from Raw Art Letterpress! The "Breathe" turtle print is something I could put anywhere in my house (just about) and be happy with it. With the amount of money you could potentially put into a nursery, try to think about how you could reuse pieces around your home when your babies grow up!

Speaking of spending money...let's talk about twins! Has anyone else noticed the boom in multiples?!?! When I was pregnant with Dablet, Kyle thought it would be great if we were having twins because we could knock out two at once. Maybe you can imagine who knocked out whom after that..... :) No matter what, twins are twice the blessing and twice the expense. So when planning a twin nursery, it is important to think about budget and sharing spaces!!

Find all items and shop this look here

I wanted to make this look gender neutral so that parents of boy/girl twins could be comfortable creating just one nursery without detracting from any special elements!

Color names: "Warm Comfort" "Fairy Tale Blue" "Bunny Gray" and "Spring Leaf" - great names for kids!

Budget in mind, you could make these curtains out of any fabulous fabric with a great bold pattern that you find! It's not too hard to whip up a nice set of curtains, and they add quite a style element to any room! With twins comes need for even more storage than the normal nursery! The combination of an 8-drawer dresser from Target and the multi-size drawer Skylar Changing Table from Pottery Barn Kids will provide ample space without taking up much of your floor plan.

Another one of my favorite tricks is tupperware containers under cribs for extra toys, blankets, and things you want in the room but out of the way! Crib skits provide great hiding qualities! I also wanted to show you the Kendall Crib from Pottery Barn Kids for it's simplicity. The look in the picture actually shows you how you can have a boy and girl in the same room. Keep it white (or neutral) and add pops of color in their own area.

If you are expecting twins, or any amount of multiples, check out this great program from Layla Grayce that offers discounts for purchases made for multiples (just scroll down ~3/4 of the page!). These ladies know what it's like to plan a room for more than one infant, and will be more than happy to assist you in making all of your dreams come true!

Another fun lady who can help give you a little something extra for your bundle of joy can be found at Ashley Brooke Designs! I am a nut for custom stationary, all types, sizes, and uses! Check out this announcement for twins!

I have always tried to find an extra special touch for clients and a personal way to say thank you to them for allowing me to become part of their lives (even if in a small way), and I think ABD and I are concocting a fun plan to do so! You can have your own custom illustrations done, or shop her ready made designs here. The ladies involved in this company make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, and I cannot wait to work with them on some custom designs! I think an illustration of your nursery is the perfect way to capture your treasure that is sure to change!

Remember, small spaces are FINE for babies! They're small!! It really comes down to the organization of it all. You can get what you want and still afford to send your child (or children!) to college. Prints and photography should tie your room design together. Something like this "Love You Word search" print also found on Etsy by Sydney N Company. Don't be afraid to go bold for a baby!! Above all, find pieces you can reuse later!!

With all of this nursery planning it probably won't be too long before Dablet gets to share her expertise with another little one, but until that time I cannot wait to design the perfect spaces for the little ones sprouting up all around me! Do you have little ones sprouting up around you too? I would love to hear about them! Also, don't forget that Olioboard is SO easy to use, and offers FREE membership!!
Get creating HERE today! Do you have a design you'd like to share? Post the link in the comments section, I'd love to see it!

Please take a moment to check out my fellow bloggers featured in today's OlioHop!

-  Design Magnifique  -  Fashion House Interiors  -  Focal Point Blog  - 

-  Jennifer Reynolds Interiors  -  Pinklet and C  -  Push Interiors  -  Selma Hammer Designs  -  

-  Stacy Naquin Interiors  -  Swaygrl  -

Thank you again to Olioboard and all of the amazing brand partners on the site for this opportunity and the tools to create visions of creativity perfect for little ones!