This UGA Freshman Decorated Her Side of the Room as Pink as Possible

When Jayla Jackson (@jaylalynnjackson on TikTok) agreed to live with a middle-school friend in college, the most difficult part for her was agreeing on a color scheme they both liked. The exercise and sport science major at the University of Georgia loves the color pink, while her roommate prefers other hues. The two compromised and chose to decorate their room half pink and half purple, and Jayla says the neon name lights in pink and purple, respectively, over their beds were the highlight of their space.

How’d you end up in this space? The main thing that drew me to this space was the size of the dorms and the private bathrooms. 

Now that you’ve made the space your own, what specifically do you love about it? I absolutely love the cozy vibes that I’ve created. From the neon lighting, to the throw blankets and pillows, my dorm has become the favorite place on campus for my friends and me. 

What’s your space best known for? My dorm is definitely known as the spot to chill and relax after a long day of college chaos. My dorm itself is very studious and quiet. There are private kitchens in my dorm, which is not common in a lot of the other freshman dorms where my friends live. Because of this, my dorm is usually the spot where we come to make different foods that require a stove or an oven. Our favorite thing to make is definitely Buldak Spicy Carbonara Ramen. After a long day of classes and studying, we each take turns with our single pan and make our ramen and head to my room to either chat or watch a movie or show of some sort. I love that this is what my space is best known for, because my favorite things to do are watch good TV while I eat so it’s very fitting.

Define your personal home style: My personal style honestly depends on my mood. My interior design style resembles my clothing style in the sense that it depends on what is trending at the time. My favorite thing to do is take trends and incorporate a hint of what I naturally like and make it my own.

What’s your favorite element of your space? My favorite element of my room is the lighting created by the various pieces I have incorporated. The biggest contributors to the ambience of my room are the giant neons my roommate and I bought that spell out our names. Her side of the room is purple, so her sign is purple, and mine is pink. The mix of the pink and purple lighting create a beautiful shade of fuchsia that’s so powerful that we never turn on the overhead light. It sets the perfect mood for any situation, whether it be hanging out with friends, making TikToks, or getting ready for bed. 

In addition to the fun lighting, I adore the practical lighting in my room just as much. I purchased a big “Hollywood style” mirror that sits across the length of my desk, and I use it for lighting to film TikToks, put on my makeup, and do various homework assignments. It adds to the decor of my room since it’s not just a basic desk lamp, and it is also very functional and gets used on a daily basis.

What’s your proudest DIY or product hack? The DIY project that I am most proud of in my dorm is my huge UGA painting I did over the summer. It is a trend for college students to have big, handmade, graphic paintings of their school hung up in their dorm. I knew for sure that I wanted something like that for my dorm, but when I looked at the prices people were charging for these paintings, I realized that the only way I was going to have a painting was if I did it myself. People were definitely charging what their work was worth, but I personally am a little artistic and knew I could do it myself for much cheaper. 

I went to Michaels with my best friend and we picked out two canvases, a variety of paints in different shades of red, and a pack of paintbrushes. In total everything cost about $25. We went back to my house and spent about three hours painting, and then we were done! In total, everything cost about $25. I saved myself about $120 and turned it into a fun activity, so it was definitely worth it and a win-win situation.  

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? $4,200

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

Do you pay for your living expenses? No.

How do you earn your income? Part-time job.

How much did it cost to decorate your space? Around $800.

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

What was your best budget find for this space? Mini fridge for $70 on Facebook market place.

What was your biggest splurge for this space? My lockable mirror from Amazon for $249.

What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? The biggest challenge was trying to incorporate my style with my roommate’s. Since we have a double, the room is just one open space so we had to figure out to make our styles match or else the room would look like chaos. I am a very pink girl. I love everything pink and super girly while my roommate on the other hand prefers more neutral and cool toned vibes. At first she was a little hesitant about all the pink that I wanted to do so we came to the compromise that my half would be pink and hers would be purple. 

I was unsure of how split decor would look in such a confined space, but it honestly looks fantastic, and I couldn’t be more happy with the way everything turned out. My roommate and I have known each other since middle school so I am very fortunate that we are comfortable enough with each other to talk through a problem and come to a compromise that works for the both of us. 

What’s your best tip for optimizing a small space? This might seem like something simple, but containers and bins make a space look overall more organized and cleaner. When things are left loose in a confined space, it tends to look junkier than it actually is. Having everything organized and in bins not only allows the room to look more put together, but it also makes things easier to move out. If you already have a container for everything in your room, packing everything up is 10 times easier and quicker, which is perfect for the end of the year when you are more focused on acing finals than moving out.

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

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