This WashU Freshman’s Dorm Is Like Stepping into a Pop Culture Dreamscape
Dorm (suite)
Washington University in St. Louis
Contemporary
Eclectic
Organic Modern
104
St. Louis, Missouri
If you’re looking for a fun and affordable way to decorate your plain dorm walls, Xavier Mason (@xavierrmasonn on Instagram, @xavier_m1217 on TikTok) has some inspo for you. His WashU dorm is anything but bland thanks to his large collection of posters and prints of his favorite movies, shows, and musical artists. Here’s what Xavier has to say about his eclectic dorm room.
Xavier’s Space
What do you like about your space? I am really happy with my dorm, and I knew that I did not want there to be any large, blank areas on my walls. Since I have my own room, I had four large, blank walls to start with, and it felt very bland and empty, so I knew that I wanted to fill them. A lot of the things I just took from my room at home, but I also got a lot of new stuff for my walls.
What is your space best known for? My snack box is on top of my fridge — I always have snacks stocked in there.
What was the biggest challenge in decorating your space? Filling such blank and standard walls with something fun and colorful on a small budget.
Xavier’s Style
How would you define your personal home style? I like decorating with pieces of media I enjoy, like music, movies, TV shows, and sentimental items.
What is your favorite element of your space? I love the mirror closet doors; they are so helpful when getting ready in the morning because I can see my whole outfit.
Xavier’s Budget
How much does your housing cost per semester? Around $8,000.
Do you have anyone helping to fund your housing? I am on financial aid/scholarship.
How much did it cost to decorate your space? I don’t have an exact number, especially since a lot of things in my dorm are items I already owned. Maybe $300, or $500 if you include my mini fridge.
Do you have anyone helping to fund your decor? No.
Do you pay for your living expenses? Yes.
How do you earn your income? Part-time job. I was able to work before college to save enough to get me by my first year, and the refund checks I got from my scholarships helped as well.
What was your biggest splurge for this space? Everything in my room is pretty affordable. My mini fridge is my most expensive thing at about $200, but I won a gift card for it.
What was your best budget find for this space and how much did it cost? I used a website called FreePrints for the little prints on my walls and they were all free — all I had to pay was shipping!
Xavier’s Advice
What small space tips do you have? Zip-tying plastic storage containers on wheels back-to-back is a good one. I store a lot of things in there.
What is your proudest DIY or product hack? I love the record painting that I have of oranges. It was something I sort of did as an experiment, but it is one of my favorite pieces.
This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.
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