Home. Your childhood bedroom that still has a section of a wall dedicated to Jesse McCartney. Your Mom’s homemade brownies. The couch in the living room that perfectly fits your body. A lot of us at college miss the feeling of home when we are living on our own for the first time. But if you put in a little effort and a lot of creativity, you can create an oasis in your dorm, apartment, or college house that makes you feel at home again. I recently got the chance to talk to Junior English major and golden girl Katherine Delfeld about the beginning of spring, photography, and creating a bit of home.
Katherine is a gorgeous and kind person who has every reason to brag but is gracious and humble. Her delightful roommate, Taylor Blevins, who will be starting Pharmacy school at UT next year joined in on the interview and added some helpful hints about keeping the magic in every day life. Keep reading for Katherine’s musings on all things charming.
“Your place should feel collected, not decorated.”
Starting off with a joke on “Pinterest philosophy”, Katherine talks about a quote that has pretty much shaped her housing décor and design motif. “Everything in our house has a story behind it and I know where we got it,” Katherine tells as we discuss how college kids often make the mistake of buying the room they want where the décor does not necessarily speak to the kind of people they are.
On tips for décor ideas for smaller areas like dorm rooms and apartments
“Shelves!” Katherine and Taylor both say in unison. And not just any old boring shelves where clutter makes it’s home. Katherine points towards the shelf installation above their living room TV that has a few gorgeous old books, a plant or two, and even a beta fish swimming around his bowl. Katherine also is quick to point out the arrangement of pictures in Taylor bedroom that is art without trying to be art and adds a personal touch when far away from home.
“We’re all about flowers for spring.”
Katherine mentions the three for $10 bouquets of flowers at Central Market in the springtime and says that flowers are a major part of their update for the new season. As spring is famously a time to refresh the whole house, the girls talk about attempting to get rid of items in their closet that they have not worn in a while. “Except for that one shirt from junior year of high school and that one grey shirt that I will regret giving away months later because it would be perfect for this one outfit.” I feel you girl, it’s hard to let go of memories and even harder to let go of clothes.
On Photography: “I don’t like taking pictures like ‘This is Austin’ just to check it off my list.”
Katherine also dabbles in being way too talented at photography. She talks about the importance of finding locations for shoots for yourself and not just going to the places you feel like should be photographed. Taylor mentions recently getting a Polaroid camera and the magic of not thinking just capturing the moment. Also just coming back from a road trip vacation, Katherine decided to take a lot of videos and edit them together for a sort of vacation “wedding video” as she coined it. People, especially in college, a lot of times do not think past posting a picture to Instagram but wouldn’t it be the biggest treat to be able to go back and watch a video of the people you love enjoying each other’s company at this beautiful age we are now? Take a cue from Katherine and maybe go the video route next time! “You have to catch people in the right moment.”
Easy DIY projects to bring spring into your dorm
Going back to the importance of flowers in their house’s spring update, Katherine says that drying flowers is a great and easy thing to do to keep the presence of florals but to not bust your budget on fresh ones every week. I spotted some beautiful dried lavender during the interview! If you still don’t know where to start with décor inspiration, Katherine points out Nature’s Treasures on I-35 is an awesome location to find eclectic pieces like rocks and crystals and the Good Will Outlet by the airport where they charge you by the point and Katherine and her roommates have scored some of their gorgeous antique books for super cheap.
Anyone want to start a petition with me to get Katherine to open an Etsy account so we can own a part of her charming collection? Or maybe just a petition to be invited to her next shopping trip, crafting session, or picturesque get-together at her charming abode?
Photo credit: Katherine Delfeld