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The trend of parents and college students shopping at budget-friendly stores like Target and IKEA for DIY dorm decor may be fading as more students are turning to professional interior designers for their dorm rooms, The New York Times reported on Friday.
An annual survey by the National Retail Federation reveals that college students and their families are expected to spend around $87 billion (an average of $1,364.75 per family) on back-to-school items this year, making it the second-highest figure in the survey’s history. Although this year’s total is down from the $94 billion anticipated last year, it marks a significant increase from the $48 billion spent a decade ago.
The survey also found that most students and their families are shopping online (50 percent), followed by department stores (35 percent) and discount stores (31 percent), reflecting a consistent trend in recent years.
“We’re moving away from Ikea, and getting the opposite of fast furniture,” Ginger Curtis, founder of Urbanology Designs, a Dallas-based interior design firm that works with college students, said.
Ginger Curtis
Increasingly, undergraduates — especially those attending Southern colleges and universities — are hiring interior designers to transform their dorm rooms, often spending thousands of dollars per room.
This trend took off post-COVID, as students realized the importance of having a comfortable personal space. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have further fueled the trend, with students sharing before-and-after photos of their dorm makeovers.
According to The NYT, Curtis’s dorm room projects typically range from $7,000 to $8,000, though costs can vary depending on custom elements like luxury light fixtures, custom fabrics for curtains and bespoke furniture pieces.
Dawn Thomas, an interior designer based in Mississippi, has been a pioneer in the high-end dorm design trend, starting more than 20 years ago when her two daughters went off to college.
Each year, her three-woman team arrives on move-in day to complete the dorm transformations, with each makeover taking about three hours.
The University of Mississippi | Martin and Stockard Halls
The University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss, where Thomas herself attended college, is one of the most sought-after schools for these designer dorms, but the process isn’t without its challenges.
“It’s a two-hour wait to get your stuff into the elevator, so I had my move-in team carry everything up nine flights of stairs,” Thomas said.
However, some parents and students still prefer the DIY approach to dorm decorating. Angela Hogan, director of design at Ashton Woods Homes in Georgia, offers a few budget-friendly tips for DIY dorm design:
Angela Hogan
- Bedding: Add a two-inch mattress pad and invest in a few sets of quality sheets that can be mixed and matched for a cohesive look.
- Lighting: Get a few clip-on lights for the bed or shelves.
- Storage and organization: Elevate the bed with risers for extra storage space, and bring a step stool, or a stool with storage, to make it easier to get in and out of bed.
A closet organizer that hangs over the door for toiletries, along with a rug, can complete the look. For an added touch, consider buying tension rods from Target or Amazon for curtains to cover open closets and windows.
