Eca BathroomsVanities BathroomsBathrooms ShowersTile ShowersMaster BathroomsSmurf BathroomsGirl BathroomsShower BathroomBathroom RenoForwardFor the master bathroom shower nook... white ceramic subway tile mixed with marble hex tile accent (inset & floors). great look for the main bathroom.Explore Threshold Moroccan, Threshold Green, and more!MorePinNEW COTTON FABRIC SHOWER CURTAIN GREEN FLORAL MEDALLIONS GREEN/BLUE/BROWN/WHITE #Threshold #ContemporaryMorePinThe porch furniture on this North Carolina breezeway was all found or passed down by family. The curtains give this outdoor space a pop of color and help it feel like a real room; they were made from umbrella fabric that cost $1 per yard! (Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn)MorePinShower Curtain Chevron YOU CHOOSE COLORS 70 by SwirledPeasDesigns, $78.00Morepin 1Ikat ShowerYellow Shower CurtainsCute Shower CurtainsShower Curtain RingsCurtain TieCurtain GuestCurtain GrayCurtain MasterBathroom FeelForwardTo use as no sew valance? I think I will!

By some miracle, I lucked out last spring and got a low housing lottery number – meaning that  a) I could choose from virtually any sophomore dorm (Charles Commons, Bradford, McCoy, or Homewood Apartments) in any room arrangement (single, double, triple, quad, or efficiency) and b) the 350+ sophomores with worse lottery numbers probably hated me. As much as I loved living in Wolman with my freshman year roommate (hi Jane!), I was really looking forward to living in my own space (see: walking around half-clothed at my own discretion – just kidding, I did that anyways! Don’t lie, you do it too). So, naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to be independent and live on my own in an efficiency. Out of the sophomore dorms, Bradford and Homewood have efficiencies (or condensed singles//studio apartments) and don’t require its residents to purchase a meal plan (which is a huge plus). Homewood efficiencies come with a bedroom, small kitchen (equipped with a full fridge and an oven –  HAY sophomore sixty), a walk-in closet, private bathroom, and hall closet.

The room is furnished with a large desk and desk chair, a rolling set of drawers, a nightstand (with a lamp), a six-drawer dresser, and a small dining table. Even if I was living in a dorm, though, I didn’t want it to look like a dorm. So come Move-In Day, I convinced my parents to let me overload our minivan with more DIY projects and furniture than a small Asian girl – or any person, for that matter – needs, and incorporated elements from my dorm last year to make my efficiency more “home-y.” (Note: If my milkshake shop idea doesn’t take off, I’m thinking TLC should find me and make me viewer-friendly and give me my own show called “Extreme Makeover: Dorm Edition,” am I right or am I right) I’m really happy with the results, and thought I’d share – Welcome to my Crib! Left: I used the same comforter that I had last year, but brought my favorite quilt from home and added extra throw pillows with colorful patterns from Target. The “Keep Calm and Cuddle” pillow is an apartment-warming present from London, given to me by my big, JHU_Tess!

I put it on top of the long ottoman at the foot of my bed – it’s a great spot for reading/studying.I decorated the wall above my bed and my windowsill with DIY art that I made over the summer, framed pictures, and fashion magazine cutouts to bring all of my accent colors together. hemp shower curtain torontoLast but not least, I have a cream and navy area rug with a damask design that complements my comforter.curtain pole brackets b&q Right: A close-up of my nightstand, which holds magazines, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. odyssey grommet curtainsBecause standard wood furniture is the ugliest effing thing I’ve ever seen (let me know when my Mean Girls references are no longer appropriate…), I covered my nightstand drawers with fuschia wrapping paper!shower curtain rings homebase

(Clockwise, from L to R) My monogrammed initials in coral pink, which I made online and framed in a plain wooden frame that I painted sea-foam green. A deer head silhouette that I made by collaging magazine cutouts of flowers and fun prints. Even though you can’t see it that well, the silver piece is a rendition of the one-legged jester from Picasso’s “Jester on Horseback” that I made by poking holes in thick cardstock with a needle to form a raised impression of the figure and dry-brushing it over with silver paint. The horizontal Salvador Dalí print (Art Institute of Chicago) was a birthday gift from my friend Matt, who goes to UChicago. A picture of me and Matt in Central Park, NYC. Alessandra Ambrosio on the cover of Japanese Vogue, which I bought a few years ago in Taiwan. A page from the fashion spread in the same issue of Vogue. Right: A large corkboard (also from my big – love you Tess!) that hangs on the wall on the other side of my window. I covered the cork with teal tissue paper and used giant pushpins to hang some of my bracelets!

Left: The rolling set of drawers, which I also covered with wrapping paper, is supposed to go under the desk. However, I moved it right next to my desk and am currently using it as a mini-vanity. The clear plastic organizer holds all of my makeup and brushes, and I just pull out my desk chair to sit on when I get ready in the mornings, which is super convenient!The upper shelf holds my printer and extra boxes for storage. The chevron-print box is another gift from my big (Do you sense a recurring theme here?) and holds purses and miscellaneous costume items (such as a red cape, a bullfighter hat, a neon cap, etc.). The lower shelf holds books (from home on the left, and for my English classes on the right), a piggy bank (You never know when you’re going to need a vast amount of pennies, okay?!), pens/pencils/highlighters, and another framed chevron print that I painted.The hanging shelf organizer holds all of my sandals and flats, and there are two shelves (not pictured) above that fit more bins, which I use to store my winter scarves, hats, and gloves.

Over-the-door hangers are especially useful – they provide a place for me to hang my rain jackets and belts, which can get tangled and disorganized easily.I saved the white stackable bins that I put on top of my dresser last year in Wolman, and now I use them to organize my fall/winter boots! Being a part of MSE Symposium means that I have to dress in business professional for all of our events, so the open shelf holds my pumps/ high heels (So judge me, I have a lot of shoes). Nice shoes have also come in handy for job/internship interviews, formal parties, and/or a nice dinner out downtown! Each drawer holds shirts, shorts, jeans, sweaters, socks, etc. – aka anything I couldn’t manage to cram into my closet. Left: I covered my kitchen cupboards with white metallic striped paper to complement the blue, green, and white accent rug. As much as I love having my own kitchen, I was a little pissed peeved when I discovered that the drawers are not, in fact, real. I improvised by organizing my measuring spoons and spatulas in the stainless steel utensil holders from Ikea (on the right) and the rest of my silverware in a drawer organizer on top of my microwave (not pictured – it’s on the lefthand side of my counter, which is blocked by the fridge).

Right: The full-size fridge – a definite upgrade from the mini-fridge I shared with my suitemates last year. I decorated it with magazine ads, a large magnetic bumper sticker that I made in art class in high school, a picture of me and my brothers from when we were little, my official “invitation” from Alpha Phi last spring after recruitment, a grocery list, take-out menus, and other random tickets/receipts. Left: Efficiency kitchens come with a small table and chair, which I used to divide the kitchen from the rest of my room. The table also functions as extra counter space on the (rare) occasions that I decide to (pretend like I know how to) cook. Right: Case in point – last Saturday, I made pumpkin pancakes (from scratch! Thanks Martha Stewart recipes), southern-style hashbrowns, and fruit salad for me and my boyfriend. Recently, I’ve also made chicken and pasta, quinoa and vegetable stir fry, and chicken and broccoli without burning down the building. Unfortunately, I don’t have a toaster (see: didn’t think I would need one…

FALSE), so I’ve resorted to toasting my bread on the stove, Amish-style – something I don’t recommend. Joy and I also used my oven to bake chocolate-chip cookies for our PA groups – not that this really encouraged any of them to come to any meetings past the first one (Bitter? no…). Left: I chose gold, dark grey, burnt orange, and deep purple/blue as the color scheme for my bathroom. If you can’t tell, I’m obsessed with chevron print right now, and had my heart set on having a chevron print shower curtain – so I made one myself! I used the same white striped paper to cover the cupboards under the sink (which you can see to the right) because I thought they would complement my shower curtain. Right: The DIY typography is one of my favorite quotes by the author John Green. I bought the orange candle from Su Casa, an interior design/furniture store in Fell’s Point  – it smells like roasted chestnuts, which is perfect for fall! I arranged some of my perfume bottles and a wire hand to display more rings, as well.