New Little Old House

I’ve moved a lot in seven years since starting college: in and out of two dorm rooms, two apartments, and four houses (including several short stints back with my parents). Being in one place that’s fully mine feels pretty dang good these days. However, it’s fun to look back at my other homes, especially during this back-to-school season.

Overall, I’m surprised at how few photos I took of my different domiciles. I lived in an entire house for a year during Lutheran Volunteer Corps, yet I only have four photos of my bedroom and none of the rest of my home. I have zero photos of the home I lived in for a few months after LVC. And most of the photos I took over the years were shortly after I had moved in to the respective place, while the space was still transforming. At least there will be no dearth of photos of this house!

First off is my freshman dorm room in the Dowling Hall basement: 

I actually liked this room just fine, despite its ugly basement status. Eventually my roommate and I put a couch in that that empty corner, which was a big improvement. That year I had a weird affinity for trimming everything out in ribbon. My roommate was much less into that froofy style, but it definitely persisted in “my” part of the room.

Sophomore year I moved from the bottom floor to the top. This was the first of three places I shared with my best friend Jenny. Our dorm room was cute and we got paid to show it off on prospective-student tours.

The room may have been small, but that didn’t stop us from having (lots) of friends over! It’s weird to look back at what used to be my “group.”

The next year, we moved into a campus apartment in Morrison Hall. It was still a generic space, but at least I got my own bedroom!

This was in September, and I obviously hadn’t yet really grasped the concept of filling big walls with big objects.

My senior year was a different apartment in the same building. My bedroom had a Minneapolis skyline view, which I really liked. I remember this room as being really cozy and comfortable.

This next bedroom is probably my favorite ever, and I’m really sad I don’t have better photos. This was in Imani House, where I lived in intentional community during my Lutheran Volunteer Corps year.

Our house had been converted from a duplex to a single-family home. This room was the smallest, and it had formerly been the other kitchen. The quirkiness really grew on me: the wall of cabinetry (the bread board made a good pull-out desk), the crazy shaped door that they built to fit the arched doorway, and the bright colors. 

I must have taken this picture in my first few days in Imani, because I quickly painted the countertop a crimson color, which matched the blanket on the chair. I loved how I brought primary colors into this room.

I always thought I disliked yellow bedroom walls until I lived in this room. Now our current bedroom walls are yellow, too.

Notice those sheer white curtains that served many functions in my different homes, though they never covered a window. Those were a free find in my parents’ linen closet. I must admit that I’m still using one of them as a drapey valance thing in my office at the shelter. 

The green blanket in most of these photos is still on my chair. It’s really interesting to see what things I still have in use somewhere and what has gone by the wayside.

Thanks for indulging me on my trip down Memory Lane!