This made me want to check out what goodies are in stock right now at Anthro:

When my freshman year roommate Laura (also a blogger) sent me this picture of our dorm room and asked me to do a post with her redesigning it I thought it was a great idea. And I was absolutely HORRIFIED by what I saw. I cannot remember it looking like this- a tapestry with Ralph Lauren floral bedding? Stacked plastic crates? Had I not gotten contacts yet? UGH! What I do remember was that it was the smallest dorm room in history! There wasn't Target, IKEA and the like to allow us to decorate cleverly on a budget. So here is my room re-do utilizing all the amazing resources out there today for parents and kids looking to make their dorm rooms look lovely without going broke (after all, in true college fashion, you'll want to throw oout most of it at the end of the year from it's pure nastiness).

A pair of large graphic chinoiserie (removable) wall decals would go on the slanted ceiling to make it feel like there were birds and branches overhead. No damage to the wall and a clever way to make a room like this look beautiful and custom! I'd use this one in brown with pink birds.

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Instead of the ubiquitous college futon I would splurge on this daybed from West Elm (using the school provided twin mattress to save $$) so it could serve as a sofa for friends as well as a bed- leaving plenty of room underneath for underbed storage, which I really needed!

 

 Can you believe this adorable orange and white trellis bedding is from Walmart?

 

These gorgeous throw pillows from Etsy are made of vintage dress fabric and are $40! Love them!And with some solid pink pillows from Target they would make a lovely little ensemble!

 To feel cozy on the feet on those chilly New England mornings in the old drafty dorm, a sheepskin rug

 

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Leopard doesn't have to be brown and black- check out these hot pink varieties from Marc Jacobs and Marchesa (dying over the little sequin mini dress-pricey, but gorgeous and so fun!)

Don't want to commit? These picks from Forever 21 are some subtle and bold options, but both are dirt cheap. (Wear the tone on tone tee under a blazer with a chunky necklace or the ruffle blouse with jeans or black pants, black heels and gold cuff bracelets!)

 

J.Crew is on board with a cardigan, and so is Tory Burch...

Shoes are a great way to add a little animal print without feeling like you've gone over the top.  Those Jimmy Choos down there, yeah, they are named the "Erin"- I kind of HAVE to have them now, right? Too bad I already bought the Ann Taylor calf hair ones on the top right!

Skinny or wide, a belt is another way to add just a dash of the wild:

And if your REALLY not sure about the leopard, you could always just get a pair of my new favorite underwear by Honeydew in a leopard print to keep it really on the DL!

Happy Friday everyone!!!