Living in a dorm can be a once in a lifetime experience. Although dorms may be small, they provide space for students to express themselves when they move away from home. They’re also an opportunity for students to foster relationships with people from across different divisions and majors, that they may not have met otherwise. Despite the confines of dorm living, those who make the best of their tiny spaces know how dress up the dreary white walls and cold, metal bed frames.
The NSFP Dope Dorms feature is back, and in this segment we will take a peek into the rooms of four New School students who are residents at Loeb Hall. Though they reside in tight quarters, they make city living charming. With James Dean posters hanging from the walls, enchanting fairy lights lining the rooms and endless stacks of books, these residents have let their personalities shine through their decor.
When I arrived at the home of freshmen students Anna Molera, Claire Cohen, Hannah Abu-eideh and Jennifer Yaing, I immediately entered a space that was inviting and cozy. I was surprised by how spacious their common dining area was in contrast to the closet-sized kitchens at Stuyvesant Hall. They even had a stove, something Stuyvesant lacks. While Hannah prepared a batch of potatoes and yams, Claire gave me a tour of her room.
Claire a first year at Lang, is from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. While visiting their dorm, I asked her how moving to Loeb Hall felt different than living at home, and if it was strange to be a New Yorker who now resides in a dorm so close to where she grew up. “It’s been strange in certain ways. It’s a lot louder, and there is as a younger vibe near here.” Claire explained that the transition was fairly easy since she knew the neighborhood pretty well before coming here. “I guess in some ways it is a little strange being so close to home, but it’s very comforting knowing that if I need an escape I can get on the subway for 15 minutes and just go home and relax.”
Claire is a simple person, a character trait that is reflected in her room. She described her home decor as bright, functional and cozy. “I don’t wear much color and the only color in there is blue.” Her room is decorated with items she’s collected from around the world, including a grey blanket with white stars that her dad picked up for her in London and a silver ottoman from Morocco. Hanging above her bed is a map of New York City. “I’m from here so, it’s like oh yeah I’m home, but I’m also looking at my home.”
I asked Claire to tell me about her favorite item in the room. She pointed to white, wire, storage units holding her Glossier products and toiletries on her wall. “They’re little baskets so that I can have somewhere to put my toiletries, I’m obsessed with [Glossier]. I have all their products too and they’re just cute and pink.”
Hannah, who is also a first year at Lang, is from Dallas, Texas. She lived in dorms prior to her stay at Loeb as she attended a boarding school in Oregon, which makes her experience different from most students. “There is more freedom,” she said. “You get a personal kitchen and a bathroom. There are also boys living next to me which doesn’t happen at boarding school.”
Hannah described her room decor as simple, fun and girly. Walking into her room, my eyes gravitated to a sideways photo of James Dean above her bed, and stacks of books featuring everything from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, on her desk.
With limited closet space, Hannah displays most of her clothes on external racks. “It reflects my personal style because the closets aren’t big enough so you get to see all my clothes.” The photos she posts on her bulletin board are very reflective of who she is. When asked what makes her feel at home away from home, she said her roommates because they keep her entertained. “We watch movies together and we cook, well Jen cooks, so it makes it feel more like a home rather than a place we are staying for a temporary time.”
Jennifer, a freshman at Parsons for Strategic Design and Management is from a small town half an hour outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Although she and her roommate don’t have the same aesthetics, the contrast of Claire’s simple bedding and wall decor fit well with Jennifer’s playful decorations. Jennifer characterized her room as childish, cartoon-like and funny. “I enjoy things that are pleasing to the eye with a humorous twist,” said Jennifer. The cartoon lover dressed up her walls with Adventure Time and Cyanide and Happiness posters and a hand painted canvas of Spirited Away, which is one of her favorite movies.
Lying on her bed is a worn out, panda pillow pet. During her junior year of high school, Jennifer was working on a sewing project with a lighter. “I started flickering with it and then the fire engulfed the paper. I grabbed the first thing I saw which was my panda and now he has a little scar. It’s alright,” she jokes. “He’s fine now.”
Anna, a freshman at Parsons for Fashion and Photography is from Dallas, Texas. The first thing that stood out on her side of the room, is her shoe collection, with at least 20 pairs stacked below her bed, from Doc Martins to Stan Smiths. Anna described her room as simple, neat and minimalistic. When asked what’s her favorite thing in her room she said her sheets, not a response you would expect right off the bat. “They’re the jersey kind that’s really fucking soft. You can feel them if you want to.” Her enthusiasm for her bedding continued as she pulled out an old yellow blanket from under her pillow. “My parents gave me [blankie] when I was an infant. One time I forgot her at our beach house and didn’t realize until we got home. My dad had to drive 15 hours back to go get her.”
If you think your dorm room is unique and would like to be featured please email Talia Moore at moort128@newschool.edu
