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[ Friday, Aug. 27, 1999 ]
PHOTO: Tobin Lehman
Matt Gaudy adjust his dart board yesterday at his apartment. Designers suggest light colors and mirrored walls to help make most of small college dorms and apartments.
Deck the halls
Designers weigh in on how to spruce up your living space
By KATE DAILEY
Collegian Staff Writer
When looking for a creative way to decorate a dorm room or apartment, here's a hint: Someone's already thought of the vodka bottles filled with highlighter.
When it comes time to leave the comforts of home and squeeze into college housing, decorating is a big issue. Not only are space and cash limited, but also the room has to look cool enough to last at least an entire semester.
Vini Nathan, director of interior design at Philadelphia University, has spent many years not only teaching design, but also observing how students trained in the art of interior decorating outfit their rooms.
Nathan said many of the design students at Philadelphia University make the most of small spaces by "going vertical" through lofting beds and using the space underneath.
She also noted many students create the illusion of space by completely mirroring one wall.
"It looks like the room is twice the size," she said.
Light colors make a small room seem bigger, Nathan said, adding that students should keep the walls and ceilings light and choose a dark rug or floor surface to divide the space.
"Try to have different flooring, even if it's one huge space," she said.
Incorporating a different color carpet also can differentiate between a living room and sleeping area, Nathan said.
When lighting the room, opt for incandescent lighting rather than harsh fluorescent lights, Nathan suggests. Many students use "task lighting," she said, by placing small lights around the room and only lighting the space in which they are working.
"It looks quite surreal and cool," she said. "Design students like it a lot . . . They are able to cut out distraction."
PHOTO: Tobin Lehman
Kevin Ligon (junior-graphic design) hangs a poster yesterday in his apartment.
Above all, Nathan said, minimalism is key. With fewer objects to clean and take care of, there is a more visually calming setting.
"A small room with a lot of clutter looks worse," she said. "You can't expect a student to clean the room all the time."
When choosing furniture and linens, it's important to keep minimalism in mind, said Mark Randall, designer and owner of Area Interior Design in Philadelphia.
"Try to keep everything one color, or of a similar pallet. That allows the space to seem bigger," he said. "If you feel a need for color, try to use one complete wall as a bulletin board."
Color also can be placed throughout the room with pillows, Randall said.
"The rest of the room will still have a neat, open feeling," he said.
Like Nathan, Randall suggests going vertical — this time with storage. He recommends buying wall hooks to hang bikes, Rollerblades, tennis rackets and other items. Randall suggest purchasing accessories that not only store and hide clutter but also decorate such as wicker baskets in which to place laundry or trash and screens that can be placed in front of a cluttered desk.
"You want to be able to move your eyes around the room and find someplace quiet," he said. "If a room gets too crowded, nothing shows off, nothing means anything."
For those who really want to add meaning to their rooms, try practicing Feng Shui. The Chinese art deals with living harmoniously with nature, and therefore harnesses nature's beneficial energies, known as chi.
"The purpose of Feng Shui is to promote good heath (and) energy," said Rhea Slichter, a Feng Shui consultant who works outside of Philadelphia.
"You want to invite chi into your room," Slichter said. To do this, she said, the door entering into the room should be decorated with personal, colorful mementos.
"(It will) invite energy as well as other people into the room," she said.
If the entrance to a room is directly across from a window, special measures must be taken to guard the chi.
"Hang a crystal in the window, or use blinds or hanging plants to prevent the flow of energy from going right out the room," Slichter said.
According to the principals of Feng Shui, different areas in the room symbolize different areas of life. By decorating the room accordingly, one can influence the direction life takes, Slichter said.
"Place lights, plants (which encourage growth) or special mementos to activate that area," she said. "If you have a doorway in the middle of the wall . . . look at the opposite right-hand corner . . . That's the relationship area."
According to Slichter, to attract dates and romance, one should place red candles in the relationship area.
The far left-hand corner is the self-empowerment area. Slichter said.
"Some students place desks there, which is appropriate," she said. "It's very important to have books and things that promote self growth."
Decorate the desk in bright colors to encourage learning, Slichter said.
