Kids, it’s time for an episode of SPM Cribs, this time we’re showing you the hottest dorms on the ASU Downtown, Tempe and West campuses. Think your room has what it takes? Email me at adersch@asu.edu to have your dorm featured on SPM Cribs!
Hey SPM, my name is Claire Caulfield - welcome to my Downtown crib.
Claire Caulfield stands before her bed and before a wall decorated with silhouettes of the women she admires.Photo by Mackenzie McCreary
2 bedrooms
1 bath
1 sweet sitting area
Journalism freshman Claire Caulfield’s dorm puts all others to shame. With every nook and cranny of the space carefully executed to create a perfect, at-home atmosphere, Caulfield’s crib transcends the realm of tacky dorm room design and enters the world of sophisticated interior decorating.
Photo by Mackenzie McCrearyGirly and light, with little punches of feminist pride, Caulfield’s room is crammed full of floral patterns and pastels while still maintaining functionality. With nods to her ballerina past and affinity for powerful women, the room is bright and elegant, even after working with a college budget.
Piecing together her DIY space over the entirety of summer break, she and her “artsy-crafty” mom Marta Morici started by visiting Taylor Place.
“It was fun to come down here, walk the halls - we got like five tours to be able to measure everything out," Caulfield says. "I’m sure the housing office is sick of me because I was always in there asking questions.”
Photo by Mackenzie McCrearyAfter figuring out the room’s dimensions, the mother-daughter duo laid out the space in their kitchen, outlining the room with masking tape. This allowed them to carefully set up the entire room months before move-in day.
To start out though, all the pair had was a pillowcase (and the matching bedding, of course). Carrying it around in their purses at all times, they began to tie together different colors and patterns to make Caulfield feel at home, even if she was far away.
Ever the thrifty and creative pair, the two spent summer break scouring through department store clearances, thrift stores and garage sales to design on a dime. However, they didn’t just stop at smart buying. No, they used their artistry and sewing skills to create one-of-a-kind pieces for Caulfield’s room.
Photo by Mackenzie McCrearySometimes taking days (and “Game of Thrones” marathons) to complete a project (such as her hand-painted rosette mirror or now-broken “Calvin & Hobbs” modge-podged fridge) Caulfield and Morici truly bonded in the months before Claire’s departure to college. With Caulfield being an only child, Morici felt comforted by being able to envision her daughter’s day-to-day life in her new room.
From the curtains to her “Nine [Inspirational] Ladies” silhouettes, the two designed and created a fair amount of the pieces in Caulfield’s dorm. Taking over twelve hours to complete on move-in day, Caulfield thinks the time and effort was well worth it.
“I just really like my room, I like being in it – it’s light and nice,” Caulfield said.
Through recycling thrift store relics like a 1960s era mechanic’s tool cart and turning them into beautiful pieces of furniture or efficient storage spaces, the pair successfully created a crib that not only reflects Caulfield’s personality, but also provides her with inspiration and serenity.
Hey SPM, my name is Olivia Camarillo. And my name’s Raven Stevens - and this is our Tempe crib.
Photos by Pauletta Tohonnie2 beds
2 hammocks
1 trampoline
Photo by Pauletta TohonnieThe dread of every on-campus freshman is getting stuck with a horrible roommate. Whether cleanliness or ever-clashing schedules ruin a relationship, students need to feel at-ease and comfortable in their residences. So after dance freshman Olivia Camarillo and film freshman Raven Stevens both had some unfortunate roommate issues, the friends decided to play it safe and room together.
Colorful and bright, the girls created a cheerful atmosphere for their dorm by adding personal touches. A string of photographs here, a baby kitten calendar there, the room visually replicates the girls’ creative, effervescent personalities.
The most notable features by far, however, are the girls’ trampoline and close-to-matching hammocks. The perfect area to unwind if they’re not ready to pole-vault into their lofted beds, the hammocks provide relaxation and escape from the rest of their busy schedules and provide the perfect place to work on homework.
Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Photo by Pauletta TohonnieHowever, the two girls had very different decorating styles going into their room. Stevens already planned out the general theme she was going for, sifting through Pinterest boards and picking the perfect, vibrant bedding. Camarillo, on the other hand, was more practical. She knew she wanted her bed lofted and by the window and she knew where she wanted her larger pieces of furniture to go, but design was not her first priority.
“All the decorations just went up one by one cause I didn't like the empty space,” she says.
Stevens helped Camarillo solve her surplus of photos and lack of frames by stringing them together and clipping them up – a theme used on both sides of their room. But each of the girls added their own personal touches as well. Camarillo created a frame display of all her earrings and necklaces, drawing inspiration from her sister. Stevens, however, used her love of fashion to express herself creatively, posting magazine cut-outs under her lofted bed for motivation.
“By having a creative space that inspires me, I can have somewhere to hang out with my friends, but also fulfill my goals,”Stevens says.
Vivacious, lively and cheery, the room sums up the attitudes of their two artistic personalities to a T. With designated areas for entertainment and others to relax, the girls created a perfect space to enjoy their time here at ASU and focus on their futures.
Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Hey SPM, my name is Cheri Hammonds and this is my West campus crib.
Photo by Mackenzie McCreary2 beds
Hundreds of art pieces
1 rad entertainment center
Walking into freshman Cherika “Cheri” Hammonds’ dorm room on the West campus, you wouldn’t peg her as a Secondary Education Math major. With walls strewn with artistic works created by herself and her friends, a liberal arts major might better suit her room’s personality at first glance. But for Hammonds, her great love for mathematics and teaching overshadows her more creative hobby: creating a diverse space in her dorm.
Going for a look that would remind her of home, Hammonds bought very little for her dorm, instead taking more from her room at home. A key similarity between the two rooms is the focal point of Hammonds’ dorm: her art walls.
The wall adjacent to her bed is covered in art of Hammonds' own creation. From hyper-realistic pencil sketches of Gwen Stefani to more colorful pieces full of vibrancy, the wall shows off one of Hammonds' many talents. But Hammonds' favorite part of the room is straight across from her bed, making it the first and last thing she sees each day.
“I call it my ‘Wall of Support',” she says. “If I am bored or tired after a long day, I just look up and remember those who told me to go to college and succeed. It’s kind of cheesy but I like it.”
After getting past her amazing gallery and awesome, retro video game collection (Nintendo 64 included), a strange, framed photo catches the eye in Hammonds' dorm. In it, a hand clutches a huge, creepy lizard that’s dangling in midair. Excitedly, Hammonds will recount the story to anyone who will listen:
After moving here two years ago, the then-17-year-old Hammonds wasn’t too familiar with Arizona wildlife trivia. Nevertheless, the summer before her senior year, she ventured into the wild for a camping trip. Little did she know, her fondness for animals would put her in a pretty sticky situation. Seeing a lizard crawling on the ground, she snatched it up, snapped a photo and after a little while, let it go. To her surprise though, the lizard was an extremely poisonous Gila monster.
“Apparently, from elementary school and up they teach you not to pick those up, but since I didn’t live here I didn’t know. Gila monsters are one of the only poisonous lizards in the world and there’s no anti-venom," she says. "I picked it up and I had no idea. But I’m here! I made it to college and survived a Gila monster!”
Filled with quirky odds and ends that remind her both of home and of adventurous tales of the past, Hammonds' room shows her well-rounded personality and encapsulates her many passions and hobbies.
Photo by Mackenzie McCreary------
Readers, you’ve seen their crafty projects, you’ve seen their art galleries and even a couple hammocks. So that’s it for this episode of SPM Cribs. Get outta here (and see you next time)!
Interested in featuring your room on SPM Cribs? Contact me at adersch@asu.edu and I’ll be in touch!
