Tidbits, Odds, and Ends: Getting Homey and Settled in the Dorm Part III

In Part I of this mini series we asked, "What makes a dorm room a home?". We have received some more pictures from inside Vassar students' rooms to help us answer this query.

Photo: Margot Mayer

These pipes belonged to my grandfather before my grandmother made him quit smoking 50 years ago. They remind me of him, so I took them with me to school to keep a bit of him always with me.

-Margot Mayer

Photo: Jacob Gorski

I always keep my eye open for interior decoration opportunities on the college budget. I snagged this gorgeous set of Andy Warhol Marilyn glasses at a tag sale–what better than to drink out of a vessel of popular consumption!

-Jacob Gorski

Photo: Olga Voyavides

I recently bought a record player, as I have wanted one for a long time. I love listening to an album of songs in the order that the artist intending, really allowing the album to tell its story. There's nothing like listening to a vinyl record on a Sunday afternoon when I'm procrastinating doing homework. I seem to also be keeping Darkside Records in business, as my record collection is quickly expanding!'

-Olga Voyavides

Tobacco... Alcohol...ROCK AND ROLL! Vessels of vice are in every room. What has become of Vassar's Brewers? 

By: Michael Gambardella

Tidbits, Odds, and Ends: Getting Homey and Settled in the Dorm Part II

In Part I of this mini series we asked, "What makes a dorm room a home?", and we've received some more submissions answering this question. Here's what Vassar students had to say:

Photo: Rachel Garbade

After the Loeb featured the Polaroid exhibit last year I was hooked. I immediately searched all over Ebay for a Polaroid camera of my own and quickly stumbled upon this one. Four months later, I've gone through over five packs of film and taken photos with it in three different countries (France, Italy, and the USA). At this point, I like to call it more of an obsession than a hobby.

                         -Rachel Garbade

Photo: Emily Selter

I have had this framed picture of me and my friends since freshman year, and it always makes me smile when I see it when I put on my perfume. The Hello Kitty band aids are a must, so I always have some with me.

                        -Emily Selter

Photo: Chris Farrell

This bright, beautiful orchid brings a little nature into my humble abode and contrasts with the minimal style of my space. It was also a gift from someone special.

                                 -Chris Farrell

So there you have it: cameras for foreign travels and excursions, pictures from romps-past, and foliage from that special someone. What makes your room homey? Share with Vassar, email blog editors and let us know.


Written by: Michael Gambardella

Tidbits, Odds, and Ends: Getting Homey and Settled in the Dorm Part I

What makes a dorm room a home? Is it the pictures of friends and family that we tape to our walls or the warm glow from a simple string of Christmas lights that somehow magically transforms our humble 15x13 feet of rented space into a welcoming safe haven? In this series, we will showcase some of the pieces that give Vassar students' rooms a uniquely homey character.

Photo: Michael Gambardella

I have had my eye on this statue since I was little. My dad picked it up on a business trip to China in the '80s and it had been in his office ever since, but I finally convinced him to let me take it to school with me. It's always one of the first things I see when I walk into my room and it never fails to remind me of my childhood and  family back at home.

                                     -Michael Gambardella

Photo: Emilia Petrarca

I saw the Impressionism show at the Musée d'Orsay while I was abroad in Paris last year and it was so wonderful, but I couldn't take a poster back with me in my already overstuffed suitcase. I went to the show again when it came to the MET in New York. It was way worse, but at least I got the poster!

                                         -Emilia Petrarca







What makes your room uniquely your space? Let us know and stay posted for more glimpses into the rooms of Vassar students.


Written by: Michael Gambardella

Vassar Cribz

The inhabitants of 139 College Ave are those lucky people that seem to possess an effortless flair for decorative design and creative ambiance that forces you take a second look at the barren white walls of your humble dorm room and begin to seethe with jealousy… We’re all aware of how environment can affect the interiority of one’s being, and so in one way or another, we each attempt to adapt our spaces with a fundamental charm that suits our independent likeness. Sure, I may have a couple vintage posters or an elaborate collage of text-images making use of my wall space. Perhaps some cheerful lights installed for the holiday season that keep for the rest of the yearlong, but 139 has a true semblance of homey comfort. I’ll refrain from stooping to a wallowing depression for now, as I’m assured that one day I too could be like them. In an interview with Contrast Editor in Chief and current dweller of 139 Ali Dillulio said, “me and my few friends [that I live with] have always wanted to live off campus… I think it was partially shaped by the fact that when we were freshman there were a lot of really big parties off campus and we had this stupid, idealized, glorified perception of living off campus. We were like ‘Ahh one day we will be them.’” Fitting with the growing trend for those that have found shelter under the roof of the blue Victorian style house, “It just worked out that this place fell into our laps,” said Dillulio.

The interior of the house was decorated with furniture found and collected by various house members. Some pieces were left behind by past residents of the house, some were taken from family members and other pieces contain mysterious origins. “We had this granny aesthetic that developed from the start that was totally accidental and kind of horrible but… it works,” said Dillulio. This “granny aesthetic,” may explain the presence of an abundant amount of embroidered pillows, scattered across the house. 

Each room appears to have its own decade of influence along with its tone and feel. Dillulio’s room (which amounts to the entire attic floor) centers on a large brown 70’s rug that dominates the floor space. “There’s no way to get around it and because of it my room looks like the set of a 1970’s porno.” The architectural design of the room contains many built-in aspects, including a large wooden desk and side panelling. Dillulio chose her room because she enjoyed the idea of having her bedroom also be a proper workspace. Many of her housemates take advantage of the space to do readings or to lie down on the floor and roll about the room. “A lot of furniture that had been left up there and left around makes it kind of like a hodgepodge of things that turned into this hilarious 70’s mod thing.” Dillulio’s favorite piece and the only furniture she plans on taking with her after Vassar, was left behind by the landlords; a multi-tiered wooden table that now sits at her bedside. Dillulio took on quite the task of the carpenter in restoring the vintage desk. “Everyone was just going to throw it out but I had this love for it and hung on to it for all of last semester. I never did anything with it until this year when I finally glued it all back together and refinished it,” said Dillulio. This bedside table compliments the warm tones of her bedroom, which can feel like a dark cave without the lights hung up in the corners.

The attic receives barely any natural light, unlike many of the rooms in the house that attracted other housemates to their respective bedrooms but Dillulio didn’t mind that, in fact she’s grown ever fond of her cave. Except for one tiny problem, “I call it the child’s morgue.” The overflow of unwanted goods left behind in 139 manifests itself in the attic, bringing a bit of gothic character to the attic space. Enough to give any stable person nightmares for days. “There’s like cribs and dolls and all these drawers that are built into the wall that are four feet deep. When you pull them out they look like coffins that could fit children and then there are these weird abandoned toys.” Dillulio finds the remnants of this American Horror Story setting somewhat amusing, as it only seems best to assume these attributes of the house are merely coincidental. As for quirky antics taking place in other corners of the house, one must look no further than above the living room fireplace and below the oversized clock. There lies an array of unusually unsentimental knickknacks that have found a home atop the mantelpiece, contributing to the rustic charm of the room. “It’s a really weird collection,” said Dillulio. “One of them is a drawing from one of my housemates grandmothers which I guess has a lot of sentimental value, the others are like ‘ohh we need to put something here’.” A phrase that pretty much sums up the Contrast approved approach to interior decorating. Sometimes when things are meant to work out, they just do.

Photo cred: Rachel Garbade