On a white chair, on top of a white rug, under a white lamp, Bryn Mawr College sophomore Shawn Orenstein perches in her blue and white striped dress. Her room, like her demeanor, is gentle and endearing. “You wouldn’t know it from my room, but I do like a lot of color.” Orenstein’s room is the epitome of serene: clean walls prettied with minimal art, tasteful tchotchkes lining her desk and a light blue comforter that begs you to dive in. “I wanted to come home at the end of the day and feel calm,” she says, adding that she also wanted to create a space that is comfortable and inviting for visitors and friends. “It’s nice to have people come over and hang out.” But this breathless room is not without intensity. She points to four drawings near her closet printed from Garance Doré’s blog: “You see the red accents, at the bottom and the top?” If you squint, they’re there. But she’s so proud of these tiny bursts of color that you’d never admit to squinting.
45 | F&F