Hiring a decorator to trick-out your campus living quarters might come across as a tad eccentric. Not to mention a little out of our meager price ranges.

All hail the Internet, our default solutions provider. Dormify.com, an online boutique providing modern dorm room decor and accessories, just launched an e-shopping site for the Nate Berkus in every college student.

This DC-based company puts style within reach. The site serves as both a design inspiration tool and a shopping destination, featuring products specifically geared toward us: stylish bedding, organized storage options, plus unique wall prints and decals. It stocks a variety of lines from over 15 acclaimed companies, including Dwell Studios, Jonathan Adler, Alexandra Ferguson and Blissliving Home.

In addition, the portal offers an easy-to-use gift registry for soon-to-be grads, a wish list tool for design enthusiasts, and an aspirational blog chock-full of interior design tips and tricks from style savvy students themselves.

Yeah, we might have just moved out of the dorms but it’s never too early to start pimping out our rooms for next year. And really, what else do you have to do all day at that summer internship?

It’s official.  The holiday season has started.

I’ve spent weeks and weeks bemoaning the fact that Christmas commercials were airing in November. Macy’s has had their holiday decorations up for months. The Starbucks baristas have been wearing Santa hats since the day after Halloween. “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet,” I kept saying. “Why are people already doing their holiday shopping, why are the decorations already up? The holiday season starts after Thanksgiving. That’s the way it goes!!” The early start seriously upset me. And I refused to take part in it. But now, it seems, I have nothing to complain about.

Thanksgiving is over.

We’ve watched the parade. We’ve carved the turkey. We stuffed ourselves with stuffing and cranberry sauce and ate pumpkin pie until we wanted to puke. And then, when the feeling passed, we ate more. The holiday season is upon us. So I better just get in the spirit. Here’s how.

10. Watch a Christmas movie. Everyone has a favorite holiday movie. So what better way to get into the holiday spirit than by watching Tim Allen in The Santa Clause or the Olsen twins in To Grandmother’s House We Go? There’s always the recently made into a musical, Elf, or the kind of creepy but still enjoyable The Polar Express. Everyone has a favorite. Just find yours on YouTube and enjoy.

9. Order a peppermint mocha or a caramel latte. These have been available since the first of November and although I drank my coffee from Starbuck’s Christmas cups I refused to indulge in a peppermint mocha until the day after Thanksgiving. So after I did some cyber shopping, I went out and got one. It was worth the wait.

8. Decorate your dorm room. Don’t wait until you’re back home to decorate for the holidays. Get into the spirit now. Studying for finals and finishing out a semester that should have ended the day before Thanksgiving is depressing enough without prolonging your holiday cheer. So don’t. Hang twinkle lights. Make paper snowflakes. Throw tinsel everywhere. And while you’re decorating… Read More »

When it comes to interior decorating, I am all about making the living space feel as comfortable and homey as possible. Despite my love for modern furniture and glam decorating, I still want warm colors, photos of family and friends, and seasonal smelly candles (pumpkin spice…mmmmm) around to remind me of home.

After all, moving to the big city (NYC!!) from Georgia was definitely a change. I went from sweet southern porches to a 5th floor walk up above a dingy pizza shop…and I absolutely love it.

But despite my utter obsession with this city, my new mostly black wardrobe, and my sudden fondness for cosmopolitans and the closest Duane Reade, I can’t forget my Georgia roots. Home is where the heart is after all. So in an ode to my hometown (and my thinning wallet), I crafted an easy and inexpensive art piece to spruce up my current home and remind me of my former home.

It’s fun, it’s personal and it’s cute. And if you don’t need wall art of your own, this makes the perfect gift for homecomings, housewarmings, and holidays (it is almost Christmas… YIPPEEE!). Read More »

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Photo credit: styleathome.com

It’s almost time to move to campus – away from parents, rules, younger siblings – and into the most drab room ever?

Yeah, dorm rooms aren’t really known for their architecture or beauty. More likely, they’re small cells with white walls and hideous flooring. So how can you take that space and make it all your own…without sacrificing your security deposit? It’s way easier than you think.

Adding a little pizazz to an otherwise boring space doesn’t take much. And thanks to all the advancements in “temporary” decorating, you can give that cell a total makeover and have the coolest room on campus. (And this goes for all you upperclassmen out there, too!)

Goodbye juvenile poster collages and hello chic sophistication! Read More »

August has arrived, and for those of us that are college-bound, that means shopping for dorm items! Everywhere you go right now there are pillows and posters and chairs, all of which would look perfect in that 10X12 box you’re about to call home.

You could go with the typical Yaffa blocks and collapsible hamper (like every other kid on your floor), but that’s just boring. Especially now that there is some pretty awesome new dorm-wear on the market. It’s all unique, adorable and totally functional. And, OMG, I want it all. Here are some of the best things I’ve seen on my daily hunt for the perfect dorm decor (I’ve got a lot of time on my hands…): Read More »

We hate to be bearers of bad news, but it’s August — meaning the glory days of sippin’ summer cocktails and rapidly developing skin cancer at any locale offering a mid- to large-sized body of water are, unfortunately, coming to an end. We know it’s hard to snap out of the beach-bum mindset, which is why we’ve got you covered with a checklist of things to do before full-time academia is back in swing.

Beautify. Nothing like cruising into a new semester of classes feeling like hot sh*t. Book your appointments early for those caterpillar eyebrows, exposed roots, and crusty feet.

Prepare for potential hanky-panky. (Yep, I did just call it hanky-panky.) Visit to the gyno? Check. Birth control stockpile? Check. Brazilian wax? Check. Stop trying to salvage period-stained panties — as my motto goes, new school year, new lacy underthings.

Buy new dorm / apartment / house décor! Draw some inspiration from Apartment Therapy and go to town. May we suggest wall decals, some choice picture frames and scented candles?

Pick up a new planner. Steal one from freshman orientation if you have to, and then neatly pencil in important dates (your boyfriend’s grandmother’s birthday, any club meeting with free food, the three-year anniversary to the day you got your v-card swiped, etc.) There’s nothing quite like touching a spankin’ new notebook — devoid of uncompleted to-do lists — for the very first time. Read More »

Perhaps that cover idea wasn’t the best idea.

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No dorm room is complete without the neon sign.

DIY circumcision? With a nail clipper?!

The time is not yet ripe for incoming college freshmen to begin shopping for their dorm rooms, as many of us don’t even have our room assignments yet. But since I’m suffering from acute Senioritis and have nothing else better to do, I’ve taken to scouring the Internet for the best dorm buys.

Some of the things I’ve found have made me laugh from their sheer absurdity, while others have made me cry, usually because they’re either too expensive or they violate my university’s safety policy. Whether they’re indulgent or utterly necessary, here are some of the items that have set my heart a-flutter with desire: Read More »