Freshman fashion major Staci Moening’s dorm room in Verder Hall is decorated with an Andy Warhol inspired comforter and other colorful décor. CAITLIN PRARAT | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: DKS Editors

Broken beer bottles and empty pizza boxes are no longer top decor in college homes.

While the occasional weekend party may lead to their return, striking artwork, vintage textiles and accents galore are replacing them on a daily basis in both residence halls and apartments.

Samantha Touarti, sophomore art education major, is waving adieu to her “hospital-like” walls by adorning them with colorful posters and artwork.

An eye-catching ink and watercolor piece and two psychedelic finger-paintings of vivid, swirling colors contrast the minimal striped bedcover in her single room in Verder Hall.

Art education majors aren’t the only ones who use colors to make bland walls pop.

hley White painted her walls powder blue, accenting them with a black wrought-iron candle holder and a set of tiered candles. The contemporary feel in her University Townhomes residence is amped up with sleek black kitchen chairs.

Personalizing a bedroom is an easy way to feel at home when sharing a space with others, and playing up the blank-slate bed is an easy first step in introducing a particular feeling to a room.

A gold bed cover is the focus of freshman exploratory major Naomi Wilks’ Verder Hall room.

“I really like it,” she said. “I came in and immediately put it on before anything else in my room.”

Another Verder Hall resident, Staci Moening, freshman fashion design major, also used colored bedding to create an energetic, youthful atmosphere.

An Andy Warhol-esque comforter and her painting of Audrey Hepburn brighten up the room and work well with her roommate’s use of pink accents.

Using bright colors is certainly not the only way to give a room a warm feeling.

Josh Goran, a sophomore visual communication design major, made his Verder Hall room an intimate and natural setting without spending big bucks.

Finding most of his items at yard sales, Goran dotted his shelves with wood and wrought-iron pieces that compliment his black and white, geometric-style bedding.

His roommate Alex Roberts, a sophomore electronic media productions major, also has a minimal approach to room decor, only bringing a black and white poster of Bob Dylan. The downplayed and modern room is a shining example of how personality can be threaded throughout a tiny space.

For some, using decoration doesn’t just make a room pretty – it helps make the space home.

Junior American sign language major Ashley Warholy said the most important items she brought when moving into her apartment at University Townhomes were her blanket and pictures of family and friends.

Warholy is not alone.

“I feel more comfortable in a room filled with things that express my interest like posters and photos from home,” said Laura Guardalabene, freshman visual communications design major and Munzenmayer Hall resident.

Guardalabene’s roommate, Bethany Clark, freshman fashion design major, said she brought her mother’s abstract paintings to spice up the room and remind her of home.

The girls went a step further in making their space feel like home by bringing a card table and tablecloth that they vow to keep set every day with their porcelain “granny-like” dish ware.

“We can have potentially four people over for dinner and tea parties,” Guardalebene said. “It will be so fun!”

Contact features reporter Brenna McNamara at [email protected].