This Cornell University Junior’s Study Abroad Souvenir Makes the Cutest Wall Decor (So Fun and Creative!)

When it came time to decorate her room, junior Isabella Hanson (@bellaholland191 on TikTok, @isabellaloie on Instagram) turned to Pinterest for inspiration. While studying abroad for a month in Turin, Italy, this past summer, Isabella collected plenty of keepsakes from her travels. To commemorate her time abroad, she made a collage that doubles as wall decor and an awesome souvenir. 

How’d you end up in this space? I chose to live in this space because I wanted to be located in my school’s college town. It is pretty spacious and I love that my window view faces the town area.

Now that you’ve made the space your own, what specifically do you love about it? I love how pink and cozy my room is. Pink is my favorite color and I think that with the pieces I picked out, it meshes really well with the other decor. I also like having a clothing rack in my room to display my favorite items. In my downtime, I enjoy sitting by my window with my succulents and catching up on a TV show or reading a book.

What’s your space best known for? My space is best known as a comfy hangout area for friends. I also like to relax in my space after a long day of classes.

Define your personal home style: I like to collect items that match my favorite colors and represent the vision for where I want to live. There are hints of pink within my room and then also some nice green plants. I really love designing photo walls and I tried something new with my study abroad collage that is framed on my wall, which I had seen on Pinterest.

What’s your favorite element of your space? My favorite element of my room is my bedside window where I placed a few succulents and a mini disco ball to brighten it up. I also really love my tote bag wall.

What’s your proudest DIY or product hack? I am very proud of my study abroad collage. This summer, I lived in Turin, Italy, for a month while taking a summer course. From every new city I visited to every restaurant I dined at, I collected a memento from each spot and created a super cute board for my new room. I was super excited about this because I used an old frame from home and mapped out how I wanted it to look from images on Pinterest. I am also proud of this because now it’s something that I can keep forever and bring with me on my next adventure.

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? Free (I’m an RA).

Do you pay for your living expenses? No.

How do you earn your income? Paid internship, being an RA.

How much did it cost to decorate your space? About $600.

Do you have anyone helping to fund your decor? My parents.

What was your best budget find for this space? My $30 desk mirror. I’ve had it since freshman year, and it is very reliable and a staple for my desk.

What was your biggest splurge for this space? An $80 tower fan for my dorm since it does not have AC. 

What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? Since my dorm is located in our school’s college town area, it was difficult to move my items into the dorm itself efficiently. Also, I tend to overpack, so deciding which items to keep and which to send back home was challenging for me.  

What’s your best tip for optimizing a small space? I tend to hide everything under my bed that is not necessary to have out. I have most of my winter items and cleaning supplies under my bed, giving me more open space for visitors.

This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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