Sanctuary

The first impression on entering the room is that of space. Dorm rooms often feel cramped. But with only one student in what is usually a double, there's room to spread out a little. To allow for a bit of empty space that makes the room feel larger.

To the left a stacked bed and desk are pushed against the far wall. Between the door and the desk sits a papasan chair. The purple cushion is stained from years of life in a college dorm, and the base is beginning to come apart. It's still a comfy retreat when homework tends more to reading than working on problem sets.

The bed against the wall is covered in a bright sheet: blue and orange and green stripes. It was the cheapest set available at Target, with a texture not that far removed from sandpaper. Though the bed isn't meant to be slept on, it's a nice way to brighten up the room. And it was certainly necessary to hide the standard-issue mattress, which may very well be as old as the dorm itself.

Below the bed is the desk: homework central. A laptop computer and printer take up most of the space. A two-shelf bookcase on the desk holds textbooks for calculus and quantum mechanics, along with novels for classes on Arthurian Literature and 16th Century Europe. There's also a complete set of Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, about the only form of pleasure reading a college student has time for. The desk also holds a notebook and all the other detritus of a student at work: pencils, coffee mugs, chocolate, etc.

Forming on L with the bunk is an unstacked desk. This one has a television, rather than a laptop, though it's not good for much other than playing video games, of which there aren't very many. It does a good job of cutting the room in half, dividing the work space near the door from the relaxation space on the far wall. With only one student in a room built for two, the space can be divided horizontally rather than vertically, a rare luxury in dorm life.

The second bed is underneath the window, as far from the door as possible. Rather than cheap, bright sheets, this one is dressed in pastel colors and a soft, fluffy comforter. Though this comforter has also seen better days by now. It's nearing the end of its life faster than a blanket should, probably because it sees so much more use.

If you walk towards the back of the room, rather than standing by the door, you'll see the other touches that indicate this area is geared more towards free time than work time. A mini-fridge, placed between desk and bed, is stocked with alcohol. The set of drawers beneath this desk is filled with snacks rather than office supplies. And hidden beneath the desk is a hookah. Hidden beneath the hookah is a missing patch of carpet, burned away by a stray coal one evening.

Taken all together, the room presents the balanced life that the student is striving for and seems close to achieving. It's not dedicated solely to homework, the way so many dorm rooms are. You don't have to climb to a bunk bed to escape from the constant work, just move behind a second desk. There's plenty of room to entertain friends, not to mention the readily available snacks and entertainment. All in all a perfect space.