An Ohio State Sophomore Wanted to Create a Stress-Relieving Dorm She Could Come Back to Each Evening

Bailey Wynne Rehkopf, a sophomore at Ohio State University, decorated her dorm room to be a relaxing, stress-relieving space. She’s made it her home away from home when she’s not studying strategic communications or creating social media content. 

How’d you end up in this space? I selected this space with my roommate through my school! Initially, we bonded over the large amount of anxiety that college brought us and also talked about being nervous to be living in such a small space with a stranger. Now, we both look forward to making memories and decorating the dorm together.

Now that you’ve made it your own, what specifically do you love about it? This space had large open windows that drew me in, along with a desk hutch that came with the room. I was inspired by how I could use the space to decorate. I value making my dorm feel personal and like home to me as it relieves large amounts of anxiety with my time in school. 

What I truly enjoy about my dorm is the warm lighting along with numerous personal posters, plants, jewelry holders, and more from my hometown. At the same time, my space is also decorated with things I have collected while at the university. I believe it showcases different parts of my life and brings me a lot of gratitude for all my experiences. 

Additionally, I have the opportunity to live with an incredible roommate, who has truly taught me exactly what friendship should look like while at Ohio State.

What’s your space best known for? I believe my space is more of an area to just relax and unwind. Although I try to do some work at the dorm, I prefer to keep it more as a place I can return to in the evening and release any stress. 

Define your personal home style: I am truly inspired by incorporating lots of color into my space. Additionally, I believe a variety of throw blankets and different stuffed animals always make a space feel more comfy! I also featured a lot of plants in my dorm along with different crystals I have had for over four years. Throughout my desk, I have a variety of skincare I have obtained from different brands over the years that I am endlessly grateful for. 

What’s your proudest DIY or product hack? Likely utilizing heart cutouts I got for free at an event last year. I enjoyed how they filled up the wall space in places I felt were empty. 

What’s your favorite element of your space? The large window — I love the light it lets into the dorm. Rainbow catchers above the window create beautiful rainbows across the dorm when it is sunny outside. 

What was your biggest challenge in decorating your space? Definitely choosing what to bring since my dorm is quite small.  Before moving in, I looked at the dimensions and figured out what wall accessories (posters, tapestries, etc.) would be best in certain areas. 

What’s your best cleaning or organizing tip? A ton of dust builds up in the dorm room since it is so small! Ultimately, what works best is making sure I have an air purifier and cleaning any spots with a duster when I can.  

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

Share your style: Dorm Tour Submission Form