Spider Chic: Richmond students reimagine their college living spaces
Student Experience
Moving into residence halls at the University of Richmond is a rite of passage for students — equal parts excitement, nerves, and a bit of a Pinterest rabbit hole. Whether students head into their first year in Lora Robins Court or settle into their suite in Lakeview Hall, rooms are more than a place to sleep. The spaces are study nooks, snack zones, FaceTime stages, and most importantly, home.
So how do Richmond students make a 12x17-foot room with cinderblock walls and standard-issue furniture feel like them? They blend personal style and practical needs with a lot of Spider spirit.
Winner of the best room competition
Junior Emma Brashear entered her room into a residence hall decorating contest last year and won.
She described the decor of her curated space as modern chic, with a blue and white theme. The colors are reflected in the soft chair and footstool, the bedding and carpet, and the large, abstract painting on the wall. Her mother helped her add blue removable wallpaper to create an accent wall.
Emma Brashear was inspired by Restoration Hardware when styling her award-winning room.
“For me, taking the time to decorate my room was a way of making it feel like home,” said Brashear.
“Personalizing my room makes it easier to sleep, study, and just spend time in it. It feels more comfortable when it feels like mine. Like a home away from home.”
Owning one’s space is an important part of residential hall life, said Patrick Benner, senior director of campus life.
Students often customize their space by incorporating items from home, such as photos, posters, and mementos of their favorite sports teams or artists.
“It’s a way of introducing yourself to other people,” Benner said. “Someone could walk down the hallway and see something that they are also into. Then all of a sudden, it strikes up a conversation.”
Show off your style
For the potted-plant biology majors, colorful boho art majors, or Spider pride enthusiasts, a room can be the place to show off their style.
Benner recalls a decade or so ago when three roommates in Moore Hall hired an interior decorator to design their room. Photos of the room ended up in Southern Living magazine.
Décor remains just as important today. Command hooks, contact paper, photo collages, and tiny lights are often considered essentials.
Function first
Benner has overseen significant renovations to the residence halls since joining the University in 2001.
“When I first started here, every building on this campus was what we consider to be traditional style, with a row of bedrooms and a shared bathroom down the hall,” he said. “We’ve converted everything, but our first-year residence halls, into suite-style arrangements with a shared restroom between bedrooms.”
Besides the actual floor plan, functional rooms often include extra storage, seating, and lighting.
Taking the time to decorate my room was a way of making it feel like home,” Brashear said.
More living space
In the Gateway Village Apartments near the practice field, juniors and seniors can live in furnished apartments that have four single bedrooms, two shared baths, and a kitchen, dining room, and living room. The kitchen has a long island for meal preparation. Some units have bay windows.
"This generation of students also look for additional space," Benner said. They want communal and study space.
When he visits the halls, Benner looks for unused areas where construction teams can carve out third spaces for lounges and study nooks. He’s already overseen the creation of these spaces next to laundry rooms in 12 halls.
Things have changed considerably over the years. In fact, when alumni visit campus, they often remark, “My room didn’t look like this.”
Benner said, “If it did, then I’ve done something wrong.”