Gone are the days when you could move into your college dorm, hang up a mass-produced poster and leave it at that.
Now it's all about matching bedding, personalized artwork, and even bringing in interior designers to make sure the aesthetic is ideal for the first-year roommates.
Students from the South – including Kansas City Chiefs heiress Ava Hunt – show off their dorm transformations on TikTok and redevelop basic rooms into mini-apartments ideal for just two semesters.
Not everyone uses a decorator: some college girls are savvy and look for bargains on Amazon and HomeGoods.
FEMAIL spoke to one of the go-to designers for new students to find out how they manage to transform their small living spaces.
Eden Bowen Montgomery, 25, graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2021 and launched Essentials with Eden
Eden has quickly become the go-to designer for incoming students at Ole Miss and Mississippi State, known for her preppy and feminine designs, as seen above.
Eden told DailyMail.com: “We use queen size bedding to cover the bed frames well and to reuse it in subsequent years.”
Eden's fans love her before and after photos. She says of this one: “We delivered the items, the girls and moms installed them perfectly.”
Jaci Osment shared a video showing his freshman dorm room at the University of Mississippi.
The dorm tour revealed lighted makeup mirrors, matching bedding, framed artwork above the bed, and a sleek white couch with throw pillows — a far cry from the worn leather futon found in most college dorms.
In the comments, the Southern beauty queen explained that most of her purchases were affordable. She purchased the posters on Etsy and had them framed at the craft store Hobby Lobby.
Jaci bought the rug at Target, the couch on Amazon, and the floor-length mirror at Walmart. She didn't change the furniture, since most freshmen can't move it out of their dorm rooms, and instead found ways to camouflage the bulky wooden furniture.
The clever student simply covered much of the bulky parts with white fabric.
Netizens were impressed by the elaborate piece, with one exclaiming: “This is so pretty. I'm 47 and I want my bedroom to look like this.”
University of Alabama student Meredith Harwell also went viral after giving his followers a TikTok dorm tour.
Meredith showcased pink bedding, disco ball pillows, and custom neon signs above her and her roommate's matching beds. Both young women had matching makeup stations with a pink toile, which was actually a LoveShackFancy ottoman cover placed on top of the desk.
As of 2024, Essentials With Eden has worked with customers in 43 different states as they offer delivery and installation services in Mississippi and also ship items nationwide.
Eden worked with her Mississippi State roommates to install custom artwork and ice blue velvet quilts, showcasing the stunning before-and-after transformation.
The two roommates usually split the costs in half, although one will buy most of the furniture and accessories to reuse in their apartment the following year, while the other will simply buy their bedding.
Eden usually starts by doing a consultation with both roommates and their mothers to make sure everyone is on the same page.
University of Alabama student Meredith Harwell went viral after giving her followers a TikTok dorm tour, showing off pink bedding, disco ball pillows and personalized neon name signs
The student bought her disco ball pillows at Target and hid the drawers containing her clothes under the bed.
Meanwhile, University of Alabama freshmen Bre Morris was one of the first incoming 2024 students to share a dorm tour in August, much to the delight of her followers.
Bre, who went viral for her Bama Rush outfits, showed off the transformation of a bare dorm room, which she turned into a hot pink bedroom complete with a plush rug and a makeup station.
Eden Bowen Montgomery25, graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2021 and launched Essentials with Eden, where she became the go-to designer for incoming students at Ole Miss and State of Mississippi.
In 2024, his company The essentials with Eden has worked with customers in 43 different states as they offer delivery and installation services in Mississippi and also ship items nationwide.
Eden works with most of her clients starting in their first year and encourages them to choose quality items that will last them the next four years as they leave campus and move into sorority houses or apartments.
And as for how they achieve the complete transformation, Eden told DailyMail.com: “We use queen size bedding to cover the bed frames nicely and to reuse them in future years.”
Jaci Osment shared a video showing her freshman dorm room at the University of Mississippi
University of Alabama freshman Bre Morris was one of the first 2024 freshmen to share a dorm tour in August, much to the delight of her followers.
Her team uses custom desk and bed skirts to soften the dark brown furniture the dorm provides.
Eden usually starts by doing a consultation with the roommates and their mothers.
“Most girls come with ideas for their room, so we don’t really see a problem with matching aesthetics,” Eden said.
“We work with all budgets and do our best to satisfy everyone.”
The two roommates usually split the costs in half, although one will buy most of the furniture and accessories to reuse in their apartment the following year, while the other will simply buy their bedding.
Eden's company offers complete room installations, where the team designs, installs and sets up the room.
This option is especially useful for students arriving by plane, so they don't have to worry about collecting all their belongings before move-in day.
