August is the beginning of the end for most people, but for coeds heading to college it's time to get in gear for another (or a first) year in the dorm. Just because the school of your choice has pre-selected bland desks, beds and wardrobes for you ahead of time doesn't mean you can't add a splash of your own personality to the mix. And now there's a tool that help you do it before you move in. DesignYourDorm.com allows users to select their dorm rooms (using a drop box, you choose your university and residence hall - though many school's specific dimensions still haven't been added to the database) and choose from a wide variety of products that they can actually place in the 3-D model of their room to see how things will fit (and look).
I put together a double room complete with matching nightstands, paper lantern lamps, a flatscreen tv, framed art and a black shag rug to tie it all together. Each time you add an item to the room it automatically gets listed in your shopping cart, so that once your room is complete you can purchase all and have the order shipped directly to your dorm. (No more U-Hauls, mom and dad!) You can even choose to add/purchase portable gaming centers, Nintendo Wii and kitchen and bath products. The selection is pretty complete.
The site also has a feature that allows roommates to share their saved rooms and select their own gear to fill it. Because it truly would be a shame to have clashing color schemes, wouldn't it?
The site still has a little ways to go (for starters, it really needs to enhance its database of schools and residence halls for more accurate dimensions), but as a concept, it's pretty genius; an all-in-one design/compare/shop/ship tool so that all you have to worry about upon arrival to campus is how you're going to fit all of your clothes in that tiny closet. Good luck with that.
Comments (10)
What a gem!!! It's so sad more people haven't heard about this place, this article had just the thing I needed!!!
Posted by install microsoft activex | December 13, 2009 5:59 PM
Posted on December 13, 2009 17:59
This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.
Posted by Davis | December 2, 2009 7:04 PM
Posted on December 2, 2009 19:04
yeh right.. great post, Thank You
Posted by Buy | October 9, 2009 3:22 AM
Posted on October 9, 2009 03:22
Pretty neat site...you may need to whip out some computer skills to use it though..
Posted by Jack Cole | August 6, 2009 9:58 AM
Posted on August 6, 2009 09:58
Very cool tool. I will be telling my 18 year old, who is off to UCLA in the fall about this.
Posted by Patsy | August 6, 2009 12:08 AM
Posted on August 6, 2009 00:08
This site is really cool. Every college students should check this website. It will help them a lot, for sure!
Posted by pau | August 5, 2009 7:02 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 19:02
I visited the site and I should say it's awesome! I highly recommend it to all upcoming freshmen. 2 thumbs up! Keep up the good work and more power to your site.
Posted by Kate Myer | August 5, 2009 6:44 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 18:44
That's pretty cool! My kid will enjoy designing his own dorm room, without
the inconvenience of transporting it to his dorm. Everything is
just a click away, hustle-free!
I just hope they have all the choices that my kid wants to have for his room.
Posted by momof4 | August 5, 2009 3:35 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 15:35
I've been hearing a lot about this site. I've checked it out and it's cool! My niece is going to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville this fall, but it's not in their database. They should add more universities and colleges in their list. But really, the idea is great!
Posted by Andrea | August 5, 2009 3:17 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 15:17
I wish this was around when I was going into freshman year! I'll definitely tell my younger brother about it. He's going to be a freshman at U of I next year I'm sure this'll help him out.
Posted by Andy | August 5, 2009 2:51 PM
Posted on August 5, 2009 14:51