College Student Creates Safe Haven on a Budget
Hailey Moyer-Samarasinghe knows she is in a place where she can relax when she walks into her bedroom after a long day.
“My favorite time to be in this room is at night because I get to put my ambient lights on, and it just feels very cozy,” she said. “It’s just a safe space that I can go to and… unwind and de-stress.”
That’s the most important aspect of the room for a busy college student double majoring in psychology and neuroscience.
She said her bed, filled with a green comforter, at least three blankets and lots of pillows and stuffed animals, is her favorite part. She created a haven of relaxation in the apartment and a place to embrace some of her hobbies, like reading and crocheting.
The influence of crochet has spilled out of the bed and onto the walls. A piece that Moyer-Samarasinghe made depicting Jiji, the cat from the Studio Ghibli movie “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” hangs beside the door to one of two closets in the room.
Her DIY style is reflected in the collages of posters and photos around the room, too. Many of her interests are represented, including music, video games and travel.
Even the decor that is not homemade holds sentimental value.
“A lot of my other things are just, like, things that just remind me of the people and the places that I love, or just things that I love,” Moyer-Samarasinghe said.
She has collected most of the pieces throughout her life and decided how to put them together to best suit this space, keeping the decor achievable on a college student budget.
Moyer-Samarasinghe said her childhood bedroom in Marietta, Georgia, shares the eclectic vibe that she has curated in Athens.
“I think I do the same back home where I put everything on my walls that, like, means something to me,” she said. “But at the same time, it’s still very high school compared to here. It feels kind of grown up in here.”
While her style has evolved since she was in high school, its final form is not yet clear in her current room. Moyer-Samarasinghe said she hopes to add a rug and curtains in order to solidify the comfort she feels in the room.
For anyone looking to emulate this style, Moyer-Samarasinghe said the key is leaning into the things that you love.
“The advice I would give is just to fill it with things that mean something to you very specifically,” Moyer-Samarasinghe said. “The things that you can smile at when you’re stressed.”
