Check Out This Year’s Most Unbelievable Dorm Room Makeover

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
From left to right: Walmart; Barnes & Nobles; Kate Spade New York

The best way to describe a college dorm room at first sight, before any makeover magic happens, is an empty, sterile box. Cement floors, creaky bed frames, plastic-covered mattresses, and some sort of linoleum flooring—these are the calling cards of the basic dorm room. And at many colleges, these relics hail from decades past, making it all the more dismal.

Southern ladies don’t take this sitting down. Instead, we engage is some much-needed sprucing. We roll out the cute patterned rug, hang those twinkling lights over the windows, and pack as many fluffy throws and pillows as we can fit into that 15x15 box. Some go even further, like Ole Miss student, Lindy Goodson, who’s turned into a bit of an expert. (Her freshman dorm room went viral in 2016.)

This year, Goodson and her roommate kicked off junior year with a dorm room makeover that made us do a double, and then triple, take. Where are the creaky wooden lofted beds? The sad gray walls? Apparently, hidden strategically behind some genius design sorcery. Check out the full transformation below, and find Goodsons’ related blog post here.

Start Slideshow
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

1 of 9

Check Out This Amazing Ole Miss Dorm Room

We don't often think of college dorm rooms as being "fancy," but there are two students who've put together the fanciest dorm room we've ever seen. Abby Bozeman and Lindy Goodson are freshmen at Ole Miss with an impeccable eye for interior design. When the two girls (who were strangers prior to becoming fellow Rebels at the University of Mississippi) saw their cinder block walls and dorm mattresses, they immediately went to work turning their cramped space into an elegant retreat. With tufted headboards, mirrored furniture, and matching monogrammed pillows, this dorm space is truly a work of art. Following the dorm rules of not putting holes into the walls, the girls resorted to hanging everything in their room with Command Strips. Using T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, and antique stores as their guide, Lindy and Abby transformed their dorm room on a budget. The girls did spring for custom-made headboards, pillows, and bedskirts to complete the look. Abby mentioned that she did consider interior decorating at one point, and it's something that's she picked up through the years. "I feel like it's a skill that we just acquired from our moms," she said.

We joined Abby and Lindy at Ole Miss to take a look at the room that's gone viral since Lindy posted it on Twitter. “Some of them were like, ‘I can’t believe you painted the walls,’ but we didn’t!” Lindy said. She also mentioned that other girls have reached out to ask Abby and Lindy to help them decorate their own dorm rooms (a request to which the girls enthusiastically agreed!). We're not sure what career paths that Abby and Lindy have chosen, but Chip and Joanna Gaines had better look out – these Ole Miss freshmen have the talent to take the decorating world by storm. Take a peek inside this incredible room with a tour from the decorators themselves.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

Before the Makeover

@the_real_lin_shady

We weren’t joking. Found in the Phi Mu sorority house, the teeny tiny room leaves a lot to the imagination. It’s bare, it’s boring, and it needs some loving.

3 of 9

After the Makeover

@the_real_lin_shady

Pick those jaws up off the floor. If this dramatic transformation tells us anything, it's that HGTV needs to hop on this wagon. Fast. Forget tiny homes, we're ready to binge dorm room wars on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

"Our main goal: beautiful, cozy, affordable,” Goodson said in her blog. “We re-used a ton of things from my house last year and dorm room freshman year.”

Advertisement

4 of 9

After the Makeover

@the_real_lin_shady

The Ole Miss students show their school spirit with custom lettering paying homage to the Rebels, but it’s the décor dripping in pink and gold that really takes the cake.

"In a small room, the main attraction is really the beds, and the beds are really the single totally customizable part and the one thing that can set you apart from the rest," Goodson went on.

5 of 9

Custom Touches

Lindy Goodson

As for her dorm room tips, a custom headboard will make bare frames feel cozier and stylish, which you can find here on Etsy.

"I ended up getting my quilt in the full/queen size to ensure that it had a long enough drop on these raised beds, and to make sure I could reuse it in the future," Goodson noted.

For those who've recently had the dorm experience, the decked-out abode doesn’t seem too crazy. Most dorm décor can be passed down (or in this case, perhaps auctioned off?) to younger siblings, friends, or sorority sisters. It's like passing down heirlooms, college edition.

6 of 9

Get the Look: Bedding

Annie Selke

The cute dorm bedding came from Annie Selke’s Bed 101 collection.

(From left to right)
Buy It: Washed Linen Quilt; $190; annieselke.com
Buy It: Pom Pom Slipper Throw; $118;annieselke.com
Buy It: Bed 101 Layer It Up Set; $208+; annieselke.com

 

 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

Get the Look: Pillows

From left to right: Wayfair; PBTeen

(From left to right)
Buy It: Mike Square Velvet Throw Pillow; $50; wayfair.com
Buy It: Fringe Border Monogram Pillow Covers; $19.50; pbteen.com

 

8 of 9

Get the Look: Décor

From left to right: Walmart; Barnes & Nobles; Kate Spade New York

(From left to right)
Buy It: Dimond Lighting Castile Table Lamp; $198; walmart.com
Buy It: kate spade new york: all in good taste; $27; barnesandnoble.com
Buy It: ‘Out of the Box’ Jewelry Box; $50; katespade.com

 

 

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Popular in Southern Culture

All Topics in Southern Culture

Advertisement