Luxury college dorm rooms are going viral. What’s going on?

Some of the rooms have custom artwork. Others, chandeliers. One even has a disco ball hanging from the ceiling.
No, these aren’t houses that got revamped on HGTV. (Though, some of the creative transformations would fit right in on the channel.) They’re college dorm rooms − and the jaw-dropping lengths to which some are going to make the tight student living quarters as luxurious as possible are going viral on TikTok.
Online, some parents seem to spare no expense to take their kids’ dorm rooms from drab to chic, even employing professional interior designers and decorators for the task. But in some cases, students are the ones seeking out the design help or re-doing their dorms themselves, DIY-style.
Alethea Jay, an interior designer who went viral for revamping her sister’s dorm room, says in a housing market where owning a home seems more and more out-of-reach, many Gen Zers want to make the most of what they already have, even if it’s just a dorm room they’ll be in for a year.
“l see so many people say, ‘I can’t wait to do this when I get my home,’ or ‘I am going to call you when I get to buy my first house,'” Jay says. “And I just keep reminding people you don’t have to wait. There is a process. Give yourself the experience now in an affordable way. You don’t have to wait until you get your forever home.”
#DormTok − the corner of TikTok for all things college dorms − is replete with stunning designs in small quarters. In comments, users marvel at how much rugs, wall art, headboards and lighting can elevate a space.
Some dorm designs are more elaborate than others. In one video with 1.7 million views, a designer shows off a dorm room she decorated for two college students that includes a bar cart, a wall installation, custom art and a glass coffee table. “We’re talking about dorms they only stay in for one school year right?” asked one person in the comments. “Those types of dorms?”
It might seem like an unusual and unnecessary investment to some, but psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis encourages people not to underestimate how much décor can impact one’s mental health. As long as students and families keep the designs within an affordable budget, she says #DormTok can be a healthy space for expressing creativity and sharing how to make a space your own.
“To see someone take something and transform it, I think, is an art,” Sarkis says. “When we feel more at home, we’re more likely to be productive, more likely to get good sleep. We’re more likely to feel a home away from home.”
According to Jay, a common misconception about #DormTok is that parents are breaking the bank for their kids’ dorm rooms. That may be the case for some; however, she says she and other designers find creative ways to give rooms a luxury feel for a reasonable price.
Her sister’s dorm room for instance, Jay says, cost $500 to decorate and took about three hours of work. The final product − which featured framed portraits of her sister, ceiling lights and glass decorations − has 13.2 million views on TikTok.
“It’s so important to talk about the budget part of it,” Jay says. “People feel like it’s either they do nothing, they can’t afford it, or they do the most and spend a really, really big amount of money. … It isn’t the longest amount of time, so you don’t want to spend too much money, but you definitely want to spend enough to make it feel like home.”
Jay worked as a nurse until her college dorm design videos started taking off online. Now, she does interior design full-time and gets numerous requests from students seeking to hire her for dorm rooms revamps. Jay says she’ll decorate dorms in-person in the New York City-area as well as around the country virtually. For a virtual dorm design consultation, she charges $300.
Each dorm room, Jay says, presents its own creative obstacles and finding a style that caters to the personalities of her clients is a fulfilling challenge.
Still, not everyone’s a fan of #DormTok, with many questioning the need for a luxury dorm room. “And next year there will be a new theme and all this goes where?” asked one user.
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Jay doesn’t pay attention to the critics. In her view, they miss the point of what #DormTok is really about, which is self-expression and making the most of what you’re given − even if it’s just a tiny dorm room.
“I did the room for my sister for her to enjoy, and she loved it,” Jay says. “I loved it. And I think for the people who it inspired, it inspired them to do either something with their rooms or to go out there and try for themselves to be creative in their own way. So I’m all for anything positive about it; but anyone who doesn’t have anything positive to say, I just don’t care.”