dorm decorating

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I've spent the better part of today trying to figure out my dorm room next year. I'm living in the International House for my sophomore year, and it's time to step up the decorating. This is not Keeney. This is not 600 clueless freshman. This is Clara, living in a house with a boatload of sophisticated internationals. Clara is a little intimidated, but never fear! She has shopped her way out if it! For those of you in college (or boarding school, or whatever), here's what I've decided is necessary.

Bedding that I actually like
Last year I bought some bedding from Bed, Bath, and Beyond's college section. It was hot pink and really fun for about fifteen minutes, after which point I felt like an eighth grader. This year, I'm going for a ruffled duvet cover from Urban in a neutral color. That's because most of the color in my room is coming from...

A Rug!
This was my mom's idea, because last year she was convinced my room was depressing because it lacked a rug. Or, a rug that she liked. Whatever. I thought my old rug was fine (except that it was never vacuumed), but if my mom wants to buy me a big beautiful rug, I'm not going to stop her. This one was on sale on Gilt and we snapped it up like the last french fry.

A Sun-Lamp
Being of scandinavian origin, my dad's side of the family is mildly troubled by Seasonal Affective Disorder. I go to school in dark and frozen New England, so my parents decided I should take one of these lamps with me. It was one of the best ideas they've ever had. This lamp lights up the room like an airport or something. Also, the little lights that come with the room suck a lot.

Christmas Lights
Because I'm a cliche.

Postcards
I've been collecting gaudy tasteless postcards for the last year or so, and I'd been meaning to put them in a frame, but now I've got too many. The new idea is to buy some twine or something, and pin them to the string. We'll just see how that works out.