Why elaborate (and expensive) dorm room decor reveals have taken over TikTok
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reveals → take → TikTok
Some U.S. parents spend tens of thousands of dollars for professional designers
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parents → spend → designers
There was a time, back in the olden days us elder millennials called "the early 2000s," when dorm room decor consisted of a "bed in a bag," a milk crate and a shower caddy.
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decor → be → bag
It didn't do much to cheer up the cement room you shared with the Bio major you'd never met until orientation day, but it was something — and it was yours.
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it → do → day
Now it would seem, at least according to social media, that the prison cell esthetic is no longer a rite of passage.
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esthetic → seem → passage
"Emily and Hadley, are you ready for your grand reveal?" a professional designer said in a TikTok "dorm reveal" video last week before showing two freshmen their new space — complete with ruffled bedspreads, matching canopied headboards, an accent rug, a sectional sofa, soft lighting, framed art and a vanity.
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designer → say → bedspreads
By Tuesday, it had been viewed 1.5 million times.
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it → view → times
Dorm room upgrades — and their reveals — are so popular online that there's a #DormTok hashtag where videos can get millions of views, and Facebook groups like "Dorm Rooms of Mississippi and Beyond" where some 80,000 members swap design ideas.
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members → be → ideas
There are countless magazine articles that list dorm room "essentials" such as dust ruffles and monogrammed pillows, and Pinterest boards full of "cottagecore nature dorm room" and "coastal dream dorm room" inspiration.
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that → be → inspiration
Even Ikea has a dorm room transformation page on its website, with design suggestions for a "modern whimsy" look that comes with about a $2,700 Cdn price tag.
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that → have → tag
There are interior designers who specialize in dorm rooms and charge as much as $20,000 US.
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who → be → US
The U.S. National Retail Federation estimates that college back-to-school shoppers will spend about $14 billion US on dorm and apartment furnishings this season — a 10 per cent jump from last year.
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shoppers → estimate → year
In another video posted this week, a professional designer shows off "all the details" for a dorm room makeover at the University of Mississippi, including floor-length drapes, a carpet runner, a ruffled white couch with throw pillows, side tables, lamps, a coffee table, custom-built padded desk chairs, custom-built headboards, bedside cubbies and matching ottomans to help the girls step into their raised beds.
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girls → post → beds
"Moved the baby of the brood into her dorm at East Tennessee State," posted a mom on Threads earlier this week alongside photos of a similar room makeover: raised beds, matching ottomans, headboards, floral carpeting, and a lit-up makeup vanity on what used to be a desk.
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what → move → makeover
"12 hours to set up but it was worth it," another TikToker writes alongside a video with 3.5 million views where she reveals a carpet, velvet headboard, shelving and floral decor.
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she → set → carpet
What's driving the decor trend?
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What → drive → trend
If you're wondering what-in-the-upholstered-headboard is happening on college campuses these days, you're not alone.
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you → wonder → campuses
The comment sections on the many (and there are many) videos and posts of so-called dorm room reveals flooding social media this month are a mix of admiration, confusion and disbelief.
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sections → be → admiration
"Does anyone else think this is insane?" reads a comment on one of the TikTok videos.
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comment → think → videos
The comment was liked 30,000 times.
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comment → like → ?
"Living in a shitty dorm is a part of the college experience," someone commented on another video.
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someone → live → video
"Remember when we were dropped off with a 'bed in a bag' and a dream?
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we → remember → bag
Take us back," commented another person.
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person → take → us
Dalhousie University starts building $67M residence in Halifax
Students in Windsor are looking for housing.
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Students → start → housing
This is what the market looks like now
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market → look → what
As House Beautiful magazine recently reported, "on-campus living is becoming a full-on design flex," due in part to our influencer culture where curating a certain esthetic has seeped into daily living.
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curating → report → living
And in the U.S. at least, move-in day has become a social media event, reports Today.
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Today → move → U.S.
The more elaborate dorm transformations being seen online appear to be largely a U.S. trend, and social media is definitely driving their popularity, Trevor Kruse, the CEO of Interior Designers of Canada, told CBC News.
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Kruse → see → News
It also doesn't surprise him that student dorm decor is taking off, he added.
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he → surprise → him
"A dorm room is often their first opportunity to create a space of their own that reflects their personalities," Kruse said.
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Kruse → create → personalities
"Even small changes to an interior environment can influence mood, productivity, and overall comfort, helping students create a space that supports both learning and downtime."
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that → influence → learning
Mississippi interior designer Shelly Gates, who reportedly charges as much as $20,000 US for a dorm room makeover, says the goal is to make the spaces feel "warm, happy and like home."
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spaces → charge → home
"Most dorms start out with cinderblock walls and fluorescent lighting, and honestly, they can feel a little cold and intimidating," Gates told the New York Post last week.
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Gates → start → walls
Is it happening here?
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it → happen → ?
Decorating your own space isn't new.
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Decorating → decorate → space
But while professional-grade overhauls appear to be mostly in the U.S. — and especially the southern states — there are signs a more subdued version of the trend could be creeping north.
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version → appear → trend
On Pinterest Canada, for instance, dorm-related searches are trending, while "dorm room" searches on Google Trends are up 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
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searches → relate → time
And Canadian retailer Simons has a dorm decor section on its website, advertising "whimsical objects, bold patterns and contrasting colours to create a room" with personality.
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Simons → have → personality
Kruse notes that while Canadian students certainly personalize their dorm rooms, Canadian schools may have restrictions about how much can be changed.
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much → note → restrictions
Audrey Leveridge, 17, says she found some inspiration on Pinterest for her upcoming move into residence at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and bought some decor based on her preferred colour palette.
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she → say → palette
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
