Page 190 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017

IDEAS THAT WORK FOR DORMS INCLUDE:
1 Coordinated comforters, sheets, headboards, pillows
2 Small-scale furniture (ottomans, futons, cabinets, side tables that double as storage)
3 Area rugs (for comfort, color, pattern)
4 Space saving products such as the hardware
to loft beds, wall-mounted sconces, hooks
5 Decorative items: photo frames, desk accessories, removable wall paper (for accenting shelves or drawers), mirrors, wall art
6 Desk and bedside lamps
Kevin O’Gara who started Thou Swell, an Atlanta home and lifestyle blog
while still in high school, designed his own dorm room at Cornell University. “The dorm décor market has really expanded with more products, and it’s
easy to get ideas on Pinterest and other social media sites,” he says. “You can have things shipped to school and put them together yourself.”
O’Gara started with textiles, knowing that bedding, drapes and rugs would add comfort, beauty and decrease noise.
CREATING CAMPUS CONNECTIONS
LeighDeux makes sophisticated but affordable dorm bedding and accessories, such as their signature Headboard Pillow and the Curtain Call bed skirt that hides, but gives easy access to things stored under raised dorm beds. Their colorful solids, Shibori prints, and preppy Boho designs come from talking to young people, visiting markets and following fashion, says Leigh Goodwyn, co-owner with Leigh-ann Sprock of LeighDeux.
“From an academic perspective, designing a room that is workable and comfortable—a happy place—is a good investment. When students are comfortable, they’re more apt to be successful,” says Goodwyn. “Dorm room décor is a growing trend. We started in 2013, and our business has tripled every year.”
Retailers and designers can capitalize on the growing demand in multiple ways. Ensure clients know design services are available when the time comes to send kids off to school. Stock products that appeal to both aesthetic wants and functional needs. And market both products and services as a specialty—many possible consumers don’t realize options are available.
For more information: LeighDeux at leighdeuxdorm.com; Terie Shields Interiors at 601.917.6366; Halle Ward at 601.480.1688; Kevin O’Gara at ThouSwell.com
AmericasMart.com
Images courtesy of LeighDeux, Kevin O’Gara, and Halle Ward
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