By Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub
Knight Ridder News Service
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12 DORM ROOM MUST-HAVES
If this is your freshman year, you may not have a clue what you'll need for your dorm room. Here are 12 must-haves:
1. Hamper: Forget the old laundry bags. Try a pop-up hamper with wheels and a carrying strap.
2. Mattress pad and feather bed: Dorm mattresses are notoriously uncomfortable. You'll need something to cushion your body such as a waffle pad, foam mattress topper or feather bed.
3. Sheets: Check your dorm to see what size you'll need. Most have beds that require long sheets.
4. Pillows: Two for sleeping and some throw pillows for cuddling.
5. Towels: You'll need at least two sets in case one is still wet and you need to take another shower.
6. Towel rack: One of the best options is an over-the-door rack — won't take up floor space.
7. Area rug: Cover a yucky floor and coordinate your room decor.
8. Surge protector: Protect your computer equipment against power surges.
9. Easy storage: Rooms are small, so vertical storage is best. Look for a vertical bookcase or crates that can be stacked.
10. Shower tote: They come in bright colors with sections so your shampoo and soap don't slip around. Look for one with holes so the water can drain out.
11. Task lighting: You'll need a desk lamp for reading and writing; adjustable goosenecks allow you to focus on your work.
12. Ironing stuff: You may actually have to iron something. Buy a collapsible board and an iron.
Source: Anne Evans of Linens 'N Things; Noemi Villani, Bed, Bath&Beyond
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Color and bold stripes are in, like this lounge mat ($39.99) from TYU Collection at Sears.
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Knight Ridder Tribune photos
Some ottomans have lift-off lids for extra storage
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It's all about bold and bright colors. You'll find lots of hot pink, purple and blue. Other collections draw from the '70s with combos of orange, avocado green and brown.
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Desk lamps no longer rule alone. Stand-alone and hanging lamps from discount and specialty stores are available in wild shapes and many colors.
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Storage space is getting better. Bed risers allow you to raise the dorm bed high enough to stow plastic containers underneath.
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12 DORM ROOM MUST-HAVES
If this is your freshman year, you may not have a clue what you'll need for your dorm room. Here are 12 must-haves:
1. Hamper: Forget the old laundry bags. Try a pop-up hamper with wheels and a carrying strap.
2. Mattress pad and feather bed: Dorm mattresses are notoriously uncomfortable. You'll need something to cushion your body such as a waffle pad, foam mattress topper or feather bed.
3. Sheets: Check your dorm to see what size you'll need. Most have beds that require long sheets.
4. Pillows: Two for sleeping and some throw pillows for cuddling.
5. Towels: You'll need at least two sets in case one is still wet and you need to take another shower.
6. Towel rack: One of the best options is an over-the-door rack — won't take up floor space.
7. Area rug: Cover a yucky floor and coordinate your room decor.
8. Surge protector: Protect your computer equipment against power surges.
9. Easy storage: Rooms are small, so vertical storage is best. Look for a vertical bookcase or crates that can be stacked.
10. Shower tote: They come in bright colors with sections so your shampoo and soap don't slip around. Look for one with holes so the water can drain out.
11. Task lighting: You'll need a desk lamp for reading and writing; adjustable goosenecks allow you to focus on your work.
12. Ironing stuff: You may actually have to iron something. Buy a collapsible board and an iron.
Source: Anne Evans of Linens 'N Things; Noemi Villani, Bed, Bath&Beyond
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Decorating for back to college used to be a no-brainer. All you had to do was buy a new bedspread, sheets, pillows and a plastic bucket to take to the communal bathroom.
Not anymore, dude. You don't want your room to look played out. You want it to be hot.
This is huge, and everyone is competing for your back-to-dorm dollar — from Ty Pennington's TYU Back to Campus Collection at Sears to Kmart, which is is trying to generate hipster hype with the 0-60 Collection, a brand kicked off just in time for back to school.
What's happening here?
"We are seeing part of a broader trend that has to do with kids having more input into their home furnishings and caring more about them," Michelle Lamb, publisher of the Trend Curve newsletter, said in a telephone interview from her office in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Years ago, Lamb said, college students lived with whatever their moms suggested. Folks "made do" with what they had or what they were given.
"People don't 'make do' anymore," she said. "College kids don't want used stuff. That's politically incorrect. If it's used, it's vintage. And even that's not about making do, it's about making a statement."
You've got a lot of choices to make that statement. And retailers are trying harder to entice you with their offerings.
At Sears, there's the celeb hook of hunky Ty Pennington, host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Pennington's TYU Back to Campus Collection emphasizes casual living, comfort and color. Each of the three new looks — Horizon, Lagoon and Loft — includes bedding and mix-and-match accessories. Some capitalize on Pennington's fave expressions such as pillows with "Love This" or "Kick It."
"My collections make it easy and fun to create the sweetest hangout and study space," he says in the Sears' ad featuring his photo. "Mix texture, colors and patterns. Your personality, your room!"
Jon Gieselman, Kmart's vice president of advertising and public relations, agrees that individual style is an important ingredient in dorm design.
"Kids want to make a personal expression of style," he said. "They can do it with apparel. They can do it with accessories. They can do it with a backpack and notebooks. It translates into home decor. You can create a personal sense of style in how your dorm room looks. The days of bringing the hand-me-down comforter from home are gone. People want to differentiate themselves from the crowd."
Kmart, Sears' new sibling company, is appearing more edgy in its back-to-school launch of the 0-60 Collection, a new brand that will continue throughout the year with products geared to different seasons. The youth-driven collection, which evokes a fast-paced lifestyle, also includes bedding, decorative pillows, furniture, storage and lighting.
"We are injecting a great deal more of design into the product," Gieselman said. "Take a storage bin. Just because it has a utilitarian need doesn't mean it can't look great."
The pioneer in bringing good design to the masses is Target — where Hawai'i students who room on the Mainland may well shop — and this year's Room Solutions doesn't disappoint. It includes exclusive products from California Closets to help organize tight spaces, funky furniture such as foam lounge chairs, retro-style clocks and bright bedding and bath stuff in blue, green and orange stripes and waves. There are also decorative file boxes with matching folders and chrome Memorex radios.
These collections join the offerings from other spots in Hawai'i and on the Mainland where students shop for dorm decor, including discounters such as Ross and TJ Maxx, locally owned home-furnishing boutiques and chains such as Linens 'N Things, Bed, Bath & Beyond and The Container Store, where colorful options are abundant.
"Students want things that are fun, not staid," Bed, Bath & Beyond spokeswoman Noemi Villani said. "You are going into a dorm with white walls and accessories are a great way to make it your own. And, if after a year you are sick of your pink shower tote, you can get one in another color."
Over time, the emphasis has moved beyond bedding to other parts of the room, said Anne Evans of Linens 'N Things.
"We realize that kids do a lot of living in small spaces," she said. "We try to cater to their multifaceted lifestyle of sleeping, socializing and studying in their room. The emphasis has moved dramatically to extra seating and fabulous chairs. Technology has driven the need for additional furnishings. We take into consideration that the kids may be using laptops and have things like the computer lap desk with a wrist rest. Kids want to be comfortable."
Comfortable and distinctly yours. Sweet, isn't it?
