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Classy Dorm Room Style

06/04/14 | home decor, Pottery Barn

Thank you to Pottery Barn Dorm for sponsoring today’s posts!  My dorm room style when I started Georgetown?  Lively and bubbly but at the same time, not really me.  The side of the room was decked out in pink and green preppy-ness because that is what I thought I was supposed to do . If you REALLY want to see – it is here and my bed was on the right.  I knew I was going to a preppy school and wanted to fit right in so I went for the most typical color palette I could think of.  While it was fine wouldn’t have it been nice when I came home from a lecture to take my 20 minute nap in a pretty place that really defined my style?

Almost six years later I would have never let 17-year-old me decorate my room because it was what I had agreed upon with a girl I had never met.  If I had the chance to re-do my freshman dorm room I would do it completely differently.    There are two parts to every dorm room – your study space and your sleep space.  These are my inspirations for both:

Sparkles and Shoes - Home Office Inspiration - Dorm Room Style

Sparkles and Shoes - Soft and Feminine Bedroom Inspiration

Images: 1 2 3 4 5

Beautiful, yes. But dorm room?  Not so much.  So how do you go about achieving these looks?  I would steer away from pink and green that plagued my first few months of college and instead gravitate towards happy cool colors – think light blues and teals – and lots of white.  This was not too hard to do, picking items from Pottery Barn‘s dorm collection, and below is my inspiration board:

Sparkles and Shoes Calm and Class Dorm Room Style - Pottery Barn

Ooh La La Chair / Mia Faceted-Crystal Oversized Light / Hammered Scented Candle Pot 

Beaded Glass Bowl / Pop Color Pinboard Mirror

White and Light Grey Rouched Bedding / Paris Iron Lamp / Printed Desk Magazine Caddy

 

I think these items would achieve the look I would go for subtle glamour meets polish for a calm and classy dorm room.  Something I was sorely laking when I first got to college. Honestly though, the entire collection could work!  And to be perfectly honest, most of these items would work well in my new “grown-up” apartment today!

If you had the chance to do it all over, what would you change?

 

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Comments

  1. Clever Girl Reviews says

    June 6, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    Love the Tiffany blue! That candle pot is super cute. I might need that in my office 🙂

  2. Cristina Gomez says

    June 6, 2014 at 9:56 am

    I love the blue and white combination!

    http://memoriesofthepacific.blogspot.com.es/

  3. Madeline Mihaly says

    June 5, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    if it makes you feel any better your bed is cuter than your roommates haha! although its still not great 🙂

    Maddy

    http://cassidylou.com

  4. Helen Veyna says

    June 5, 2014 at 12:48 am

    I would definitely change my first-year dorm room if I were given the opportunity to decorate it again. But, I totally agree with you, these are suggestions that can be easily incorporated into any room/apartment.

    -Helen
    http://www.sweethelengrace.com

  5. Alexandra Aimee says

    June 4, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    These are absolutely gorgeous inspirations! I love the colors. The turquoise is gorgeous!

    — Alex at Cashmere Kangaroo

  6. Carolyn says

    June 4, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    this would be so chic! definitely didn’t it all together in my dorm room 😉

    http://heyprettything.com

  7. Always Maylee says

    June 4, 2014 at 11:07 am

    I love the blue, it’s so cute. And I want that lamp!

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

  8. Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird says

    June 4, 2014 at 10:59 am

    Gah I love this!

  9. 2girlsin2cities says

    June 4, 2014 at 10:40 am

    I love this color scheme. Very relaxing and chic! – J

  10. Ellie says

    June 4, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Very smart! My freshman dorm was definitely along the lines of pink and green and obnoxious haha. By sophomore year I was toned down a bit for sure. Love this style 🙂 I’m thankfully not going to live in a dorm ever again, but this a good color scheme for a bachelorette apartment!

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog founded in 2012.  After six years of living in London I am back in New York with my husband and two littles! 

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