This Fashion Major Designed Her Apartment to Be a “Yearlong Birthday Party”

For Madison Renee, an RA and senior fashion design student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, her apartment is a space to put her vibrant, playful style on full display.

How’d you end up in this space? Going into my third year as an RA, I was placed on a staff that was supposed to live and work in a brand-new dorm building that was under construction. It was a typical SCAD residence hall with two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchenette per unit. However, after a whole summer of anticipation, it was announced that construction had halted and the building would not be opening. So, SCAD found a brand-new apartment complex to place all of us in for the academic year. 

What are the biggest differences between the dorm room you were expecting and the apartment you got? Our surprise apartment came with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, a living room, two bathrooms, and … drumroll, please, in-unit laundry! My roommate and I got a corner unit that has huge windows for ample natural lighting — I’m obsessed. We’ve settled in and made this beautiful apartment home. 

Define your personal home style: I’m definitely a maximalist. My vibe is yearlong birthday party. I love silly things and pink!

What’s your favorite part of your apartment? My desk! I love that it’s my creative space and I can be surrounded by all of my past works and resources to create more.

What’s your home best known for? My space is known to be a social and creative space. I love to have people over to work on our projects while we chat. My space is meant to be colorful, inviting, and inspiring.

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? It’s (mostly) covered by RA compensation.

Do you have anyone helping to fund your housing? Nope, hence the RA thing.

How much did it cost to decorate your space? I’ve acquired quite a few things over the years, so this year I only spent about $100 on new decor.

What was your biggest splurge? My rug needed to be replaced this year; it was $60.

Best budget find? I found my pink rolling cart in the trash two years ago, lol.

What was your biggest challenge in designing your apartment? We expected to be living in a dorm, not an apartment building, and we had a bit under a week to prepare. Coordinating what items we needed and where to place them took a lot of time. For example, the apartment doesn’t come with any overhead lighting (a blessing for me, TBH) and I only had one large lamp, so I decided to put it in my bedroom and opt for a smaller one in the living room.

As an RA, do you have any cleaning or organizing tips? I love a good drawer divider so you can file-fold clothes and save some space. Also for cleaning, pretty much anything can be hit with a good Clorox wipe. They’re so handy to keep around and get some cleaning done quickly.

Best DIY tip? Wall hooks always! Also, putting literally anything and everything on the walls — if it’s on the wall, it’s decor!

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

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