Laura E. D'Asaro '13, Juhi R. Kuchroo '13, Madeline M. Magnuson '13, Miriam E. Psychas '13, and Danni Xie '13

It's a jungle in the dorm room of juniors Laura E. D'Asaro, Juhi R. Kuchroo, Madeline M. Magnuson, Miriam E. Psychas, and Danni Xie. Inspired by their purchase of a frog tent at a senior sale last year, the room's jungle theme reveals the artistic creativity of its inhabitants.

"When you decorate it, you make it yours. It creates a feeling of hominess—somewhere that you actually want to be," Magnuson said.

Murals span the walls, with images of the roommates and their blockmates painted into jungle scenes. "It's supposed to represent a bit of each person and their personality and how they might act in the jungle," D'Asaro said.

The room also has some quirky objects in the form of animals. From the frog tent named Balthazar to the giant plush bear named Brutus, the animals tie in with the theme of the room and contribute to its wild feel.

With flowers decorating the fireplace mantle and potted plants by the windowsill, the residents have a mix of real and fake flora scattered throughout the space.

Aside from the numerous plants, the residents of this Kirkland suite also have numerous lanterns to make sure that their room is full of light. Sixty-three paper lanterns hang from the ceiling. This is 57 fewer than the astonishing 120 from last semester, but the light from the dozens of lanterns still attracts attention from passersby and Kirkland residents.

"When people realize that this is our room, they're always like 'Oh you're that room with all the lanterns,'" D'Asaro said.

The hammock draped across the center of the common room also commands notice. The hammock, which D'Asaro picked up in Mexico, cuts across the center of the room and provides an area to relax, but, according to Magnuson, "it's down more often than not just for ease of going through."

Wanting to change it up, the roommates already have plans for their room theme next year. "It's going to be Greek and Roman themed," D'Asaro said.

If you feel like planning ahead for your room next semester, D'Asaro and Magnuson provided some tips to make your dorm room into a place that will reflect your personality.

Tips:

1. "Painting and drawing is a really cheap and fun way to decorate your room and makes it really personal," D'Asaro said.

2. "Paper lanterns fit everyone's personality. They always just make everything cooler. Also, they provide more light than usual," Magnuson said.

3. Make your room even more personable by adding a quote wall. "Quote walls are fantastic because otherwise you're going to forget all of those things that made you laugh so hard," Magnuson said.