Did I grab power strips? What about a mattress topper? Is it Twin XL? When you enter Bed, Bath & Beyond the summer before your freshman year, concerns about what to buy typically overpower thoughts about how your environment affects your mental health and wellbeing. HGTV General Manager Allison Page calls interior design “escapism” from the distress we face almost constantly. Interior design is often seen as a luxury, but with home decor becoming more affordable and accessible with websites like Wayfair and Joss & Main, anyone can become their own interior designer, channeling their inner version of Nate Berkus or Kelly Wearstler.

After spending an entire summer carefully studying the intricacies of HGTV (especially “Fixer Upper”) from my couch, I realized that interior design not only reflects the personality of the individual but creates a safe and comforting space much needed for college students. Each resident at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) is given the same mundane set of furniture to fill their space, but some students go above and beyond to bring comfort to their little home in the city. Here are some of the little decor details that make FLC students feel at home:

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Chelsea Ashley, Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’21, and her plants and Polaroids “What makes my apartment feel like a home away from home are the small details that make the whole room come together. My suitemate, Alejandra, and I made it our mission to find decor that wouldn’t get us fined but would also make the drab walls of McMahon seem livelier.” This mission included getting as many plants as possible, as well as posters, cards and mini calendar sheets to fill the walls. “My favorite part, though, would have to be our Polaroids we put up of everyone in our suite because it makes it feel like we truly belong in this apartment and we’re a little family.”