See How This Freshman Created a Content Corner in Her Minimalist Dorm (So Cozy, Too!)
Kenzie Webster's dorm room at Ottawa University is a minimalist's dream. She decorated it in a cream color palette, soft textures, and a DIY project to make her room the perfect filming location for all her social media content ( @kenzie.quinn on IG; @icedchaitealatte101 on TikTok). Her minimal Scandinavian style has transformed the space from being "cell-like" to a place she calls home and hangs out with friends.
Kenzie's Space
How'd you end up in this space? I found out about my dorm online. I knew I wanted to live in this building from day one. I didn't get to choose my room or roommate, but I did get to choose this building. I looked over pictures and saw that every room had the same layout, so I would be fine no matter what I was assigned. My first impression when I walked in was that it felt a little bit smaller than I'm used to, and a bit cell-like. I was really not sure how I would like living here. Then, once I added all of my personal touches and things from home, the size wasn't a problem, and it actually made it pretty cozy.
Now that you've made the space your own, what specifically do you love about it? I love my makeup mirror and desk where I study and make "get ready with me" videos for my TikTok. I also really like my "dress-up" area, which is a space with my mirror and closet directly beside it. I made my own paintings to hang behind my bed, as well as bought posters for the other wall. All of these things make my room unique and homier.
What's your space best known for? Definitely the place where all of my friends come to relax. Movie and self-care nights are always great in here because it's super cozy, and like I said, my bed is one of the best assets of my room.
Kenzie's Style
Define your personal home style: Minimalistic, in terms of colors and decor. I get a lot of my inspiration from Pinterest, but overall, I wouldn't decorate my room like I do unless I actually liked what I put in it, so it's also really just my style.
What's your favorite element of your space? I love my bed. I have a lot of different pillows and blankets, and plushies that I decorate with when I make it. It just pulls my whole room together.
What's your proudest DIY or product hack? I knew I wanted some modern, simple paintings for my wall, specifically plaster paintings that I've seen everywhere. But I had a feeling those would be super expensive and also way too heavy to hang on the wall using only command velcro strips. So I decided to DIY them by myself. I bought four plain canvases from a dollar store, probably for a total of $10, and I used some plaster that we already had at home. I kept referring to the pictures that I saw online and making them as similar as possible, and they ended up turning out even better than I ever could've expected.
Kenzie's Budget
To remove the stigma associated with talking about money in college, we're asking students to share how they plan and budget for their space.
How much does your housing cost per semester? $19,000
Do you have anyone helping to fund your housing? My parents
Do you pay for your living expenses? Partially
How do you earn your income? Summer jobs
How much did it cost to decorate your space? Around $300
Do you have anyone helping to fund your decor? My parents
What was your best budget find for this space? My paintings were only $10.
What was your biggest splurge for this space? My mini makeup mirror, and it was around $100.
Kenzie's Advice
What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? I didn't really have a budget for decorating my room, but I did take most of my things from my home that I lived in previously, just so that it wouldn't feel like such a new space, and things would be familiar. The layout in my room is pretty much a square, besides the door, which is on a slanted wall - and where the heating vent is, the wall comes out a bit farther. But I think those little things made the room even cozier and made the layout more unique. One of my goals for this room was to try to take people's eyes off the ugly carpet and walls. So by using a crème-colored carpet and adding paintings and posters to the wall, you don't really notice either of those things anymore. Also, the lamps they provided had a yellow tint, which I hated, so I decided to just bring my own instead.
What's your best tip for optimizing a small space? Having a lot of storage is super important to make sure your room doesn't look cluttered or messy all of the time. I have storage bins under my bed, in my closet, and under my desk. I even have a shoe rack, which makes something boring decorative.
This submission's responses were edited for length and clarity.
Share your style: Dorm Tour Submission Form
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