Felipe A. S. Da Cruz ’15, Ryan P. Furey ’15, Raja F. Ghawi ’15, James P. Hogan ’15, and Kevin S. Hu ’15

Pink flamingos are not just yard decorations anymore.

That's first thing that you notice, perched on top of a lamp, when you walk into the dorm room of Felipe A. S. Da Cruz '15, Ryan P. Furey '15, Raja F. Ghawi '15, James P. Hogan '15, and Kevin S. Hu '15. This adornment is not the only unique item to be found in this fifth floor Weld quint.

"Our room is eclectic," Hogan said. With strands of lights, a funky boom box in the corner, an oriental rug, and a lobster trap box as a table, the common room holds an assortment of objects, each of which tells a story. For example, you may notice the life vest hanging off of a lamp in the corner of the common room. According to Ghawi, it just happened to get "mixed-up" with his luggage during a flight on Air Egypt.

When asked to describe their room, Ghawi simply said, "It's somewhat as random as we are."

The spacious common room acts purely as a living room area with no beds or desks. "We wanted to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable just coming in here, doing work, and hanging out," Hogan said. The roommates even put up sections of whiteboard on which people can write messages and do homework. To further make the room an inviting social space, they take advantage of Weld's hallways and leave their door propped open.

In addition to the eclectic décor, what further distinguishes this room apart is that it was once home to Ben S. Bernanke '75. In reference to the room's diverse furnishings Hogan said, "We hope that Ben would be proud."

Inspired? The residents shared some advice on room styling. While your room might not have acclaimed past residents, it never hurts to leave behind an interior design legacy. Maybe, someday, you'll be famous.

Tips:

1. "Don't let your living room become a science experiment," Da Cruz noted about the room's attempt to make a table-trash can out of a cardboard box, which turned into a rotting mess.

2. And on that note, "Try to take the trash out at least once every other week," Ghawi said.