Have you, too, found yourself scrolling on TikTok, only to stumble upon a “rushtok” set in a room that looks like a green screen of a Pottery Barn Teen catalog? Having grown up in the South, I am no stranger to the concept of “designer” dorm rooms: college dorms decorated and completely made-over by interior designers, hired by students and their parents. For years now, I’ve seen designer rooms both on social media and in person while visiting my friends in college. My first thoughts of the dorms were not positive: I was confused and didn’t really understand the point of spending so much money on a room you live in for less than a calendar year. However, I did remain somewhat open to the idea, allowing my opinions to change when I started college and moved into my dorm.
After starting college, moving into my dorm and eventually into an apartment, I can say that my opinions have not changed. I still think that it is an unrealistic amount of money, time and effort being spent on a room you do not spend that much time in. I loved my first-year dorm and I think I decorated it well, but I did not have it fully decorated right when I moved in. I gradually added and adjusted the decor over the course of the whole year. I hung posters on the wall and added mementos I had collected throughout the . I took a disco ball from home I had gotten a few years prior — but never hung up because I was lazy — and brought it as my carry-on for the plane ride to Fordham. I was determined to use it in my dorm room and I did – we got so many compliments on it. My roommate and I bought a fridge and I ended up finding Christmas lights to hang up. Designing and creating a space we were proud of was such an integral part of our first year. In the end, we did not spend more than $500 dollars on the decorations and supplies for our dorm.
As the interest in designer dorms has grown increasingly popular on social media, I have learned that people spend a lot more than $500 dollars on their dorm rooms. An article published by the New York Times titled, “Tuition: 9,400. Dorm Room Interior Designer: 10,000?” revealed that some students hire designers for their decorated dorm rooms. Eden Bowen Montgomery is one of many popular designers who created her own company called “Essentials with Eden,” which serves as a college dorm room-focused design company. Montgomery’s expertise became so popular that she eventually needed to hire more hands. Her business gained “more than 200 dorm clients, requiring 25 seasonal employees. She charges about $10,000 per room ($5,000 per student) for the full service, which requires Ms. Montgomery and her team to arrive on move-in day and put together the rooms from scratch.” The designer also has her own website where showcases different service options, including a recommended in-person consultation, a virtual consultation and even a remote design service. Montgomery also sells specific items such as lamps and paintings for dorm rooms. The different lamps, for example, are sold anywhere from $150 to $315.
While I respect everyone’s personal choices, I cannot grasp spending more than $2,000 on my own dorm room — especially for first-years. As a first-year, I loved my dorm, but I was not spending enough time in it to justify spending that much money on it. I spent my time in class, hanging out with friends, at the library, going out and ultimately doing a lot of things a first-year in college would do with their newfound freedom.
Another aspect that makes me hesitant to hop onto the designer dorm room train is the annual story dump and sale of all things dorm-related. I see Snapchat stories either at the end of May or the beginning of August every year where students try to sell their headboards, nightstands, lamps, decorative pillows and anything else that was a part of their designer dorm room. No one wants to use the same lamp two years in a row, right? I always wonder if they are successful in their story sales. I never know and I never ask; I’m not really interested in buying anything.
Although this is popular in many southern states and colleges, I’m not too sure how it would play out at Fordham. As there are many students from the South, I see it having some popularity, even if only short lived. Moving to college away from home, especially to New York, often changes your style and aesthetic. Something you may like now might not be your thing in a few months. If designer dorms did start popping up at Fordham, I think the students sharing the floor with the designer dorm owners would probably just be surprised. If a designer dorm popped up on my floor, I know I’d be surprised and a little intrigued. Ultimately, however you decide to decorate your dorm and spend your money is your prerogative, but I believe designer dorms are impractical and unrealistic.
Camille Morvant, FCRH ’27, is a biology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major from New Orleans, L.A.
