amy good house's Profile

I agree with Anna Lisa. Considering students moving into dorms have so many other expenses and necessities, $250 is way too much to spend on decorations for the average dorm-dweller. A lot of this look can be thrifted (for goodness sake not on etsy for those prices) and when it comes down to it, a few posters and a throw pillow from Target might be the only extravagant new items you can afford. It would be cool to see some real dorm room makeovers for under $100 incorporating things the student already owns.

I have a lot less books than the examples above, but I did something similar:
http://itsagoodhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/office-update.html?m=1
Not so much a rainbow, more like blocks of color...

I would embrace that beautiful archway. Hang a curtain rod on the vestibule side of the archway. So that corner is sealed off from your apartment. Use a floor length fabric- so many fabrics to choose from - good luck!

I've used Benjamin Moore "SIlver Fox" - you can see photos here:
http://itsagoodhouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/pointless-exercise-in-aesthetics.html
It's a pretty neutral warmish grey - I love grey too - good luck!!

Hardwood all the way! Match the closest color to your existing wood. Lay the wood perpendicular to the wood in the hallway.

Stain the "threshhold" area (like 2-3 boards, or add one wider board?) in a purposefully darker color. Your eye won't see the difference between the bedroom and hallway next to the darker threshhold.

like this, but pretend it's wood:
http://ofb.net/~ania/life/mastermart/pics/20100220-_DSC0760.jpg

I'm not a parent but I get it. A full closed door would completely block off half the house. The half door accommodates talking to other people on other floors/areas.

I live in what I think of as a nice-sized 1920s house. Most of the Restoration Hardware furniture wouldn't fit through my door! The "kitchen" tables would work perfectly in my dining room. The "dining room" sized tables are over 100" long and would never fit anywhere in our house without looking ridiculous. The chandeliers would dwarf our ceilings. That place is out of control with their sizes!

What Dulcibella said, most of that stuff can be done in one day for under $100. Then go to Home Goods and get a nice big silver tray, silver soap dispenser and a bunch of white hand towels. Roll the towels and stack on the tray on the counter between the sinks. Add a real plant, like an orchid, for extra points.

I like this, however it doesn't fit the current house at all. I can imagine it next to a re-furbished and modernized ranch house out in the desert (something like this would work better: http://www.the-brick-house.com/2011/04/landscape-2/)

We have the almost the same room in our craftsmen-esque 1920s home.

Our living room layout works very well for us and accommodates the flow of traffic through the room - see photos here:
http://itsagoodhouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/state-of-our-space.html

- we currently have a loveseat couch floated in front of the fireplace wall, however we are looking to replace with two cosy chairs.
- Our couch is placed on the wall to the right of the dining room.
- Our tv is placed against the wall to the right of our front door (so the large couch faces it).
- we have a small console table and lamp along the staircase.
- since the above photos were taken, we added a rug which really unifies the layout: http://itsagoodhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/were-officially-grown-ups-now.html

I know many people recommended floating a larger couch in the middle of the room facing the fireplace (creating a "foyer" area inside the front door) --- but if your room is the same scale as mine, this would severly hinder traffic flow through the room.