Picture, if you will, a sweltering day of heat and humidity and a miniscule dorm room without air conditioning. Add to that picture 3 grown women trying to decorate and you can imagine what yesterday was like. Heidi and I drove down to New Jersey (a 2 1/2 hour trip) to help Heidi’s daughter, Whitney, with her new dorm room. Whitney is a resident advisor this year, so she gets to move in early and she has a room to herself. Whitney had already moved in the day before and we were coming to ‘tweak’ everything.

The 2 and 1/2 hour trip turned into over 3 hours. On one of NJ’s famous roundabouts we encountered an overturned tractor trailer and had to find a new way to get to the campus. By the time we got there we were starving and went to lunch. Then it was off to Target and Home Depot with a list of things for the room.

Plant shopping at Home Depot. Heidi and I repotted everything on the lawn in front of the dorm.

Forgive the less than stellar quality to my photos – small dorm rooms and my camera don’t get along! The photo above is of a typical dorm room. Two people usually share one of these closet sized rooms.

This is Whitney’s room. She got to take out the extra desk and bed, thereby freeing up more space. Look at her wonderful sheer purple curtains from IKEA. Oh, look at that chair – what do you see?

Yes, yes, you see a cute teddy bear, but I’m talking about the beautiful green and blue throw! Who made that gorgeous thing? Oh...I made it! (It was Whitney’s graduation present.)

This is my favorite thing in the room. Whitney took a set of old bedsprings, spray painted it and then attached clothespins (also spray painted). It is on the wall behind her futon/sofa. Now she can attach photos, notes…you name it, and have a fun way of displaying everything.

Here is her trunk/coffee table. Also spray painted and decorated by Whitney. That’s an IKEA rug underneath.

Heidi – resting on the futon/sofa.

Futon/sofa and corner after we rearranged things.

New hanging spider plant from Home Depot – by this time, as you can see, Wheel of Fortune was on.

Tired Whitney – her bed is covered in pillows and a spread from Anthropologie. It was the basis for all the wonderful bright colors in her room.

All 3 of us were wiped out at the end of the day. Heidi and I headed home and stopped at McDonalds for the perfect pick-me-up: a giant chocolate shake and french fries. I headed for the shower immediately upon entering MHC.

I wish I had the photography skills to capture the whole dorm room. It is charming, full of color – the perfect place to nest and hang out. These girls are going to want to visit their RA! Great job, Whitney. You remember Heidi owns a home and antique shop nearby? She has a fabulous eye for presentation…and I would say the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree!