How an Arkansas State University Senior Made Her Dorm Stand Out with Personal Touches (Love the Gallery Wall!)
Apartment (on-campus)
Arkansas State University
Maximalist
Vintage
Jonesboro, Arkansas
1418
1418
Graphic design major Lydia Strickland (@lydiastrick on Tiktok, @lydiastrick_ on Instagram) has a passion for art that goes beyond the classroom. The senior at Arkansas State University says her space is known for having nearly every craft supply imaginable.
Lydia has her own room and bathroom in an on-campus apartment, and she made most of her decor herself with thrifted items. Take a look at how she created a space that reflects her style and design tastes, including an impressive gallery wall.
Lydia’s Space
How’d you end up in this space? I found this apartment on campus! The building has the nicest apartments on campus and they are hard to get into. I was drawn to the idea of having my own room and bathroom.
Now that you’ve made the space your own, what specifically do you love about it? My apartment is on the corner, so it is a little bigger and looks slightly different than the other rooms in my building.
What’s your space best known for? My space is best known for having all the art and DIY supplies! I have almost every kind of craft supply on hand somewhere in this room!
Lydia’s Style
Define your personal home style: My personal style is vintage DIY. I love to find old things and make them new! I am an artist, so I made most of the decor in my apartment. I also love adding little bow details to everything!
What’s your favorite element of your space? My favorite element is my gallery wall! I designed most of the prints and made some of the art on the gallery wall. I also love the giant mirror. The mirror is from Sam’s Club. It ties in well with the gallery wall.
What’s your proudest DIY or product hack? I am proud of my DIY pin boards! I got most of the supplies from Hobby Lobby. I purchased two corkboards, fabric, and lace trim. Then I filled the board with different pictures and mementos!
Lydia’s Budget
In an effort to remove the stigma associated with talking about money in college, we’re asking students to share how they plan and budget for their space.
How much does your housing cost per semester? $3,645.
Do you have anyone helping to fund your housing? All of my housing and living expenses are covered by scholarships.
Do you pay for your living expenses? No.
How much did it cost to decorate your space? Around $350.
Do you have anyone helping to fund your decor? No.
What was your best budget find for this space? All of the gold frames. I thrifted most of them and used them for DIY projects.
What was your biggest splurge for this space? My mirror was my biggest splurge! It was $150.
Lydia’s Advice
What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? My biggest challenge was trying to hang everything I wanted to! I ended up using Ccommand strips, and even put some nails in the walls to get everything to hang!
What’s your best tip for optimizing a small space? Plan early and start collecting things ASAP! Even ask people if they know of something that would work well in your space! I told a family member I was looking for a chair for my room, and she gave me one for free! And it matches perfectly!
This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.
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