in good taste, vol. 82: college
the dorm room diderot effect, a guide to having fun, and chickens
We took a trip over to Charleston to visit friends for Labor Day Weekend, to celebrate the informal end of summer, the formal end of wearing white, and the end of another turn around the sun for our two hosts. At a birthday party, I got into a conversation about dorm room decor and its evolution into a verified industrial complex.
There’s something eye-popping about the cost of outfitting a dorm room if you’re buying into it -- if the research is to be believed, about $1,459 per student.
Rather than just clutch pearls about “back in my day,” we talked about how her daughter was planning out her shared room with her new roommate with moodboards, paired palettes, manifesting a collective vision (yes, on Pinterest). A true shared room! But also, an approach that essentially Facetunes out the individual “sides,” once so critical to establishing a personal identity in those halcyon days of the aughts.
My approach: selecting my coolest band posters (they were pretty cool, and honestly I wish I still had them), packing a quilt and an Urban Outfitters Twin XL bedding set, ripping out some pages of Punk Planet (RIP) and hoping my new roommate and I would get along.
In short, nothing like these.
LINKS TO GET YOU AS INSPIRED AS AN 18-YEAR OLD WITH A MOODBOARD
An interesting history of decorating our bedrooms
Samin Nosrat’s efficient, two-toned kitchen
I’ve been on an organizing kick (at least for the highly satisfying content, if not putting it into practice). This guide on banishing bathroom clutter is good; this pro advice on home organizing is better.
The Diderot effect: buying new stuff begets buying new stuff
How to have fun again :upside down smile:
CHICKEN RECIPES HAVE I LOVED
No new recipe this week, it’s honestly been a stretch of restaurants and being away from home. However, some chicken dinners I’ve made that deserve your second look:
Oh, man, my dorm room definitely was not coordinated with my roommate! My side was bright shades of purple with pops of green and hers was anchored by a plaid comforter with browns, oranges, and dark blue. The same thing happened with a different roommate second year (my side rainbow-striped, hers I think another version of neutral plaid). I don’t think I coordinated with a roommate until I lived in my sorority house, and then we did come to some sort of compromise (I went more neutral, but still with florals). It’s interesting to think about how my decor style has changed over time because now the only thing that’s rainbow-colored in my house is my collection of Clothbound Penguin Classics!
Also I’m obsessed with the tiles in the kitchen you linked to, and the video with pro tips on home organization from an interior designer is so practical. I look forward to your newsletter popping up in my inbox because I know I’m going to love all the links!