Issue 45 // March 2021 // Housing and Decor
March 2021
5
The joys of collecting stationary
7-8
Top 10 essentials for decorating your pad
9
Playlist: Cleaning jams
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A freshman’s guide to decorating your dorm room, without breaking the rules
12-15
Narrative: Finding myself through fashion
17 How New Girl highlights the importance of found family
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18-19
How to plan a grocery list that works for you
21
Opinion: Let’s destigmatize living with your par ents as an adult
22-23
QUIZ: What’s your ideal room aesthetic?
COOGLIFE • March 2021
EDITOR’S LETTER Home. Even just saying the word
that process I’ve been able to
makes me feel peaceful. It’s where
build a home life and home that
we cook, pursue our hobbies,
represents me. I’ve found joy
rest, and as of lately … work and
in my new hobbies like knitting
study too. If you’re anything like
and sewing, created a productive
me, having an environment that
work/school nook where I can take
without fail makes you feel happy
care of my responsibilities without
and safe is beyond important.
burning out, and experienced
After facing the day, it’s wonderful
peace by making an environment
to be able to come home to a
that relaxes me.
space that recharges you and is an
If you’re looking to feel inspired
expression of yourself and your
to build a home and home life that
passions. Even if you don’t have to
works for you, we’ve got plenty of
necessarily “come home” anymore
treats for you this issue: from an
since the majority of our time is
inspiring narrative about finding
now already spent at home, I’ve
yourself through fashion, a quiz on
noticed a powerful impact on my
your ideal room aesthetic, tips on
self-love and joy when I’ve put
decorating your dorm, and much
time into developing my home to
more. Anyways reader, I wish you
showcase what I love in life.
the best of luck in finding your
Across the pandemic, I’ve forgotten and rediscovered what
best self, and I hope that you enjoy this issue of Cooglife Magazine!
makes me, me about 10 ten times
EDITORIAL
Autumn Rendall, Executive Editor cooglife@thedailycougar.com
COVERS
Juana Garcia, Creative Director of The Cougar ame@thedailycougar.com
WRITING
SYDNEY ROSE YIDAN REN SOFIA GONZALEZ HAYA PANJWANI ANNA BAKER CLAUDETTE VEGA TYRIANA TERRELL SHAWN OWENS
Thanks for reading,
cooglife
I’ve really taken time to be able to
AUTUMN RENDALL,
@cooglifemag
get to know myself, and through
Executive Editor
over. Since life looks so different than what it was in years past,
@cooglifemag
COOGLIFE• •March March2021 2021 COOGLIFE
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HOME LIFE
The joys of collecting stationary The happiness in all things cute pens, paper and stickers, and where to get them | BY YIDAN REN
Ever since I was a kid, I loved secretly using my allowance money to buy cute mechanical pencils that were sold in front of my elementary school. There was something about those tiny pens/ pencils that brought me joy. Now, fast forward to 15 years later, stationery is still my number one weakness when it comes to saving money. One of my favorite places to shop for stationery supplies is a place called Moshi Moshi, a small store located in China Town, next to the sushi bar named Hokkaido. This place has almost everything ranging from well-designed notebooks to adorable stuffed animal keychains: it’s my safe heaven after a stressful exam week. The thing I love about Asian stationery is that they not only have better quality, but they don’t lack in design — which is something I think is extremely hard to find in American stationery stores. If we are talking about quality products, I think Japan is the first place that comes to mind. The famous Japanese stationery store Muji has its distinguished reputation even in the states, with multiple locations open in New York and California. During the holiday season, I always see the long line in front of the store through my friends’ Instagram pictures as they too, indulge themselves with Muji supplies. If you think Muji might be too expensive for you due to its brand, Japan also has its popular dollar store Daiso where you can buy a ton of stationery supplies for very cheap prices. I remember when I drove 30 minutes to go to the nearest Daiso near me and came home with a bag full of goodies.
Overspending on cute stationery will be the end of my broke wallet of a college student. But enough of physical stores, it’s all about the small online businesses we can support during the pandemic. A popular website where small business owners can market their products is Etsy, a website mainly focused on selling handmade arts and crafts. The sticker collection is the section I’m mostly focused on. A lot of sellers started using YouTube to document their creation process, such as packaging and shipping, which serves as a great marketing technique as well as a fun documentation process. One of my all-time favorite YouTubers, Linh Truong, recently opened her sticker business on Etsy, and it soon gained a ton of attraction due to the popularity of her YouTube channel. I was already a huge fan of her YouTube videos because of her creative editing skills, and her sticker designs don’t lack at all in any other way. It even inspired me a little to start my very own stationery business. When I thought I was able to save money during quarantine season because I’m not going out as much, it was soon proved wrong since I discovered the beauty of online shopping. Another creator I like is JustineBujo, her product designs are aesthetic and calming, which is exactly my style! Her products aren’t limited to stickers, but also keychains as well as digital printables. I’m looking forward to her future designs.
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COOGLIFE • March 2021
DECORATING
Top 10 essentials for decorating your pad Everything you need to make your living space a home you’re happy to come back to WRITING BY HAYA PANJWANI AND GRAPHICS BY AUTUMN RENDALL
W
hether you’ve spent your entire day working from your sofa, or you spent the whole day out and are looking to crash on that same, exact sofa, having a welcoming home is crucial to keeping yourself sane — especially when it feels like we keep living through “unprecedented times.” Every new home or room is the perfect blank canvas to unleash your creativity onto, and there’s a few essentials that may make that new space all the more inviting. 1. Throw blankets: These are great, since they stay true to their name. All you have to do is “throw” them onto your sofa, bed or chair and they will look casually, yet decoratively placed, elevating your space to a whole other level. Plus, they are right where you may need them when you feel the need to bundle up. 2. Rugs: Rugs are not everyone’s forte, but buying one definitely makes some people feel more adult. These are great for people who like sitting on floors, but don’t necessarily have a comfortable enough floor to lounge on without feeling like their rear ends will simply stiffen into rocks. Rugs are also best
accompanied with a coffee table... 3. A coffee table: Oh would you look at that, something that goes great with a rug! Recommending a coffee table because you are reading a college/ young adult magazine, and a good number of college/young adults don’t have dining tables or high countertops to dine at, which is why coffee tables are a great alternative. Position this right in front of your TV at dinner time and slurp up some TikTok feta and cherry tomato pasta. Be sure not to drop any on that rug! 4. Something personal: This one is also up to people’s personal preference, but there is value in decorating your home with pictures of loved ones, or souvenirs and memorabilia from valuable moments in your life. You could make a wall of postcards from different cities you’ve visited, or pictures of your friends and family lined artfully on a wall. Or even just a personal artifact that you’ve kept for a while that’s worth displaying. That personal touch will make your home feel more like yours. 5. Inviting bedding: Nothing is more comforting than a bed that is COOGLIFE • March 2021
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perpetually cozy. Investing in some good, inviting bedding that innately says “come to me” when you see it can make your bedroom your haven. Whether you’ve done everything or absolutely nothing all day, you will not regret having great bedsheets to wrap yourself in. One extra recommendation with bedding; since your bed is the centerpiece of your room, consider buying your bedding first. This way, you can purchase the rest of your decorations to compliment your choice in bedding. 6. Mirror: This is a home essential to live by. Some places come with a built-in mirror in a bathroom or closet. A decorative mirror in the main living area though? A game changer! When you are in a rush and need to double-check your mascara or hair before heading out of the house, having a decorative mirror in a spot like right next to your door or an open living space makes catching unsettled flyaway hairs and mascara goop all the more easier.
9. Floor or Table Lamps: Light is a tricky thing, because sometimes, the light that comes with your home does not always reflect the mood you may be feeling or the ambiance you are trying to set. Lamps, both floor and table, help adjust the ambiance or vibes you may be going for in your home at any time you’d like. If your home only comes with white light, consider a yellow light lamp-- or vice versa. 10. Plants: Fake or real, rain or shine, green or rainbow — plants can bring a space from a 0 to100. Some people prefer succulents because they require less maintenance and have a great effect on brightening up your home. Although, if you have even less of a desire for maintaining a plant, fake plants can look just as great in your home.
7. Organizational baskets or shelves: If you are someone who tends to leave stuff around or has a lot of knick-knacks with nowhere to put them, consider stylish shelving and baskets. If you have too many books to count on one finger, a bookshelf with baskets or boxes could be a great storage solution, and it can make a cute decoration. 8. Candles: Another convenient and decorative item! If you are spending the time in your new home experimenting with new recipes, a candle may help mask the scent of burnt garlic or overcooked brownies. Also, nowadays, candles can be found almost anywhere, so it’s a super effective, cheap and easy way to fill an empty space with a tall, round brick of decorative wax. 8
COOGLIFE • March 2021
PLAYLIST
Playlist: Cleaning jams Sometimes the hardest part of cleaning your space is just GETTING yourself to decide to clean your space. When the ordeal of tidying up is just too overwhelming to even consider, try out this playlist of upbeat, danceable songs to get you up and moving.
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham! No Scrubs - TLC Uptown Girl - Billy Joel Love Shack - The B-52s Macho Man - Village People Sunny - Boney M. Girls on Film - Duran Duran Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles I Wish - Skee-Lo When Did Your Heart Go Missing? - Rooney Material Girl - Madonna Jump (Original Mix) - The Pointer Sisters Tenderness - General Public Take A Chance On Me - ABBA
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COOGLIFE • March 2021
DECORATING
A freshman’s guide to decorating your room, without breaking the rules With roommates, various room restrictions and other barriers, adding life to your space at school can be frustrating. Here’s some solutions from writer Tyriana Terrell:
If you’re anything like me, you waited for the day you moved into your dorm for as long as you can remember. You were so excited to decorate your room, only when the time came you realized there’s not much you can do. You can’t paint the walls, you can’t use nails, and the amount of space you have is limited to just half of a small rectangular box. With so many restrictions, and another person inhabiting your space you can’t help but wonder, how can I make this space feel like my home? That’s where I come in. After an entire semester with no decor other than my Pinterest-inspired lofted bed, I knew when I returned for the spring semester that some changes had to be made. Now I’ve returned to help those who are in a similar situation of wanting to decorate, but just not knowing how. Here are my tips: Tip 1: Chat with your roommate Living on-campus provides a subtle transition to living independently from your parents or guardians. In the first-year residential communities at the University of Houston, it’s likely you’ll be sharing your room with a mate. The first step before you can begin to arrange your space, is to talk to the person you will be cohabitating with. Together y’all can find a cohesive theme to make sure there’s not too much going on. Pinterest and YouTube are great tools for finding inspiration. I suggest going shopping for room decor together and making a bonding experience out of it, I mean that is the one person you’ll be
spending the entire semester with. Tip 2: Adding a personal touch For many young adults the college experience may be the first time staying away from family for an extended period of time, and chances are you may get a little homesick. To alleviate that, I encourage you to add familiar objects to bring a sense of balance to your new place. That can be anything from framed pictures of loved ones, a cute and colorful rug or a plant to add energy and life. Make sure to add as many personal elements to your space as you can for optimal balance. Tip 3: Hanging decor If you’ve ever lived on-campus, then you know putting holes in the walls is a big No-No! So how do you hang that cute little frame that reminds you of home? And the answer is … Command Strips. Lots of them. If I had to guess, I’d say I have about 20 command strips hanging around my room holding up pictures, calendars, you name it my Command Strips are holding it. Trust me, you need these. Of course there are some rules and requirements that come along with living in dorms, but overall it’s still very freeing. I would encourage anybody thinking about living on campus to do it, even if it’s just for one semester. For a better idea of what to expect, I recommend reading the move-in guide.
COOGLIFE 11 COOGLIFE• •March March2021 2021 11
FASHION
finding myself through fashion When the pandemic flipped our lives upside down, many of us experienced a huge interruption of our daily routines, lifestyles and even our relationships with ourselves. After a period of self-uncertainty, fashion journalist and UH student Shawn Owens rediscovered himself through his passion. WRITING BY SHAWN OWENS
T
he world stopped in March of 2020. We were forced to stay at home as we watched the world around us slowly start to shut down. We might not have realized at the moment, but we were living in unprecedented times. The uncertainty rocked me to my core, sending me into a state of constant anxiety. The pandemic and isolation brought things to surface that I never had the chance to focus on with the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life. These unforeseen circumstances gave me the opportunity to rediscover who I am through a medium that has inspired me in more ways than one. After about 2 weeks in isolation, I knew that I had to get myself out of this funk that was ruling my world. I turned to the medium that always brought me joy and comfort, fashion.
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Photo by Vagabond Aesthetics COOGLIFE • March 2021
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I opened up my computer and surfed the web for pieces to add to my quarantine lookbook. This shopping experience felt different from that of any shopping experience in my entire life. What am I shopping for? Where am I going? We’re living through a pandemic, why am I shopping? These are the questions I had to ask myself. My style pre-COVID lacked direction and originality. I seldom took risks due to the fear of being judged. Playing it safe was the go-to, sticking to athletic wear, denim and graphic T’s, although I always envisioned my style as so much more than the safe route. This time felt like a better time than any to experiment with my personal style. We’re now at home virtually 24/7, but you still want to feel good about how you look. There was a shift in trends to leisurewear around May of last year as
Owens says leather has made a major comeback, and this vegan jacket is a staple piece to liven up any look. Photo by Shawn Owens 14
COOGLIFE • March 2021
designers tried to accommodate the needs of their consumers. Leisurewear does not have to be boring. You can take a pair of joggers and add elements like leather to give the look more of a statement rather than just being a basic jumpsuit. However, as time started to pass and we all figured out how to move forward with our lives safely, we started to have reasons to get dressed up again. Spending time in isolation forced me to take a look at myself. I realized that I did not really know who I was. I took out my journal and I started to write down all of the things that I was happy about and things that I felt I could work on within myself. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I was not living my life to the fullest. Seeing tragedy all around the world with the way that the virus was tearing families apart, I knew that I had to make those changes. In the list that I made, fashion and the art of creation were at the top of things that made me happy. I started to find ways that I could create things at home. Taking vintage denim jeans and personalizing them, giving them new life. Thrifting on online platforms like Depop gave me the avenue of finding pieces that aided in shopping consciously as well as having one of a kind items that I like to call hidden treasures. Through this self-discovery I found that the old me that played it safe with athletic-wear, denim jeans, and graphic T’s, was a part of my DNA. However, I found ways to add more creativity to this style. You can stay true to yourself, and at the same time find
After reading a GQ article on the male hair dying trend, Owens built up the courage to go blonde. ways to experiment with new things that you might have avoided in the past. I also made a big change to my look. For years I had been wanting to change my hair color, and I was able to go to the salon to make that big change. It was one of the most freeing experiences in my life. I’ve wanted to color my hair since high school, but never did so because I was afraid of the change that would come with it. Doing this signified my personal growth and my journey to self-love and confidence. Some people may see these things as superficial, carrying no real significance in life, but that’s not the case. Fashion is more than the clothes that we wear, it’s more than the labels on the tags. Fashion is the art of self expression. It is the way we paint ourselves. Experimenting with my style and aesthetic during the pandemic helped me see myself in a way like never before. Like a butterfly in a cocoon, there was a rebirth. My confidence grew which has allowed me to continue to push the boundaries with my style. It is a constantly evolving process that I have fully submitted myself to. I challenge you to take the chance at rediscovering yourself through fashion.
Photo by Vagabond Aesthetics
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FILM & TV
How New Girl highlights the importance of found family WRITING BY CLAUDETTE VEGA
I
t’s safe to say that New Girl has made a lasting impact on pop culture and even the situational comedy genre as a whole. Although the show does have some pretty iconic scenes and characters, I would argue that the heart of the series is in finding your chosen family. Think of the scenario put in place by the show. A quirky girl from Portland finds a random apartment on Craigslist with three guys. She is ecstatic to get to live with three friends and become part of their family of sorts. The guys have all known each other for years, yet they let this stranger come into their friend group. As a result, these people become each other’s best friends. They go through break-ups together, crazy Thanksgiving dinners, career changes, birthdays and many other important life events. The guys help Jess get her stuff out of her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. Develop sympathy period pains when living with her. Create an epic drinking game with each other that will last years. Those are just a few of the group’s traditions and shenanigans throughout the show. These friends develop a bond stronger than normal relationships.
Even after its on-air run, FOX’s New Girl continues to not only be great for comedy, but great for showing the power of chosen family.
There is something to be said about found family. It can be even more important than blood relatives because these people choose to love you unconditionally. You can be one hundred percent your crazy self around them, even if that self if awkward, goofy and has the worst luck. In close-knit groups of people, there are unique elements that each person brings to the table that helps them fit together as a family. For example, one person might be better at cleaning than other people. Another person might be better at making everyone bond as a group. Someone else might provide the hangout spot. In New Girl, this couldn’t be more true as the characters each have valuable different insights into each other’s relationships, careers and lifestyles. The good thing about found family is that it is not exclusive. Therefore, Cece (Jess’s friend) becomes part of the group even though she doesn’t live in the apartment. This also highlights the importance of long-lasting friendships. Cece and Jess have been friends for fifteen years which means that they have seen
Photo courtesy of FOX each other grow up into adulthood. There are very few people that get the privilege to grow up with you. Of course, there are arguments between the group. Life isn’t always perfect. People fight, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other. There might be debates over whether it is hygienic to bring in furniture from the street, or arguments over whether it is okay to have “night peanuts” in your nightstand, or misunderstandings as to whose towel is the one on the far right. The arguments could even be as petty as to who gets to buy the pretty purse. However, all of the characters find a way to resolve their issues, and live together in harmony. The point is that one day,
you will look back on these memories you made with the people you chose to spend time with. You will be able to see which friends choose to stick around for the long haul, and which ones were just part of a detour of your life. Maybe those are the people you base your book about zombies on, or the people that throw you the best birthday party of your life, or the friends that teach you basic life skills like how to do laundry, or the friends that build a fort with you, or even the friends you have terrible Thanksgivings with. The truth is that not all the people in your life will be around forever, but that doesn’t make their impact less significant. There is something important about looking back on the journey of the people who loved you into the being you are today. COOGLIFE • March 2021
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ADVICE
How to plan a grocery list that works for you Simple strategies to help you plan an organized, time-saving and delicious set of meals every week WRITING BY SOFIA GONZALEZ AND GRAPHIC BY AUTUMN RENDALL
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C
oming up with breakfast, lunch and dinner is never easy. You have to decide what you want, and you have to make sure that your groceries match that, so what can you do to make this task easier? Plan ahead for the week, and create a Sunday routine that allows at least 30 minutes for this. Fitness guru or not, anyone can use the app MyFitnessPal. Here, there are loads of recipes at your disposal. There are options from immune support, to vegetarian, to high protein, to anything that caters to your taste buds and/or
just snacks of breakfast foods. Once you’ve acquired these meal options, you then know which ingredients you will need and can put them onto the grocery list. Now, from these ingredients, you have to see which ones will spill over into lunches or dinners.
dietary needs. Find a few that you would like to eat for each meal of the day, and plan out your grocery list from there. Of course, you can always tweak it to your liking. Using this app helps ensure that you are not repeating meals too often, and it gives you the option to branch out with their diverse options of meals to pick from. You can even organize the planned meals by creating a table on either Excel, or the notes app on your phone — this will help you keep a schedule, and also remind you of the meal options you have for the week if you want to switch some days up.
that will be needed and can go off of that. You can then buy deli meat, different types of cheese, the grilled chicken, vegetables, rice and pasta.
Just to give an example of what a week might look like, let’s go through each meal.
Breakfast Planning out a week of breakfast might mean choosing six different meals, or a rotation of the same few meals for the week — these meals can be eggs with toast, avocado toast, smoked salmon bagels, breakfast sandwiches, or
Lunch With lunch meals, you may choose to have a sandwich one day, grilled chicken another, then pasta the day after that, so you know you already have the bread and the baby spinach — or whatever from the previous list
Dinner Most will find that dinner is the hardest part — especially because it is the biggest meal of almost everyone’s day. This is where the app previously mentioned comes in handy the most. It gives exact measurements, ingredients, and instructions for the whole cooking method, so you will know exactly what to add to your grocery list, and how much of it is needed.
Creating a grocery list Now the challenge is how to create an efficient grocery list. As said before, go through the meals planned, write down the ingredients needed, and then add anything extra you want. There is an app called “Cozi,” that allows you to effectively create a grocery list — it even lets you separate the list into categories such as dairy, red meat, snacks, etc. This helps
when going to the store because you can get an idea of where the item is located. Nevertheless, planning ahead of time always makes a boring task more bearable.
Meal planning is never easy, but with the right tools, it can be. It is important to remember that we need to fuel our bodies the right way in order to take on all that the world has been throwing at us lately. Life is hard, but having good food readily available always makes things a little better.
OTHER WEBSITES THAT WILL HELP YOU HAVE THE IDEAL GROCERY STORE TRIP If you’re looking to get organized try: Evernote — an
app/website made for all kinds note-taking. Our editor’s preferred method of grocery planning is creating her list on Evernote from her computer, and it automatically syncs to her Evernote app on her phone.
If you’ve got a budget to stick to try: Budget Bytes — a
budget-minded website with countless recipes for almost every kind of food and eating plan you can dream. Every recipe calculates the total cost of each serving!
COOGLIFE • March 2021
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OPINION
Let’s destigmatize living with your parents as an adult Hi Mom, I’m coming home!
T
here’s a lot of shame that is associated with living with your parents in adulthood, especially after college. Millennials have been famously dubbed as super lazy and a big part of that label is because a higher percentage of young adults live with their parents than they did in previous generations. People think that young people are simply lazy and don’t work hard enough to afford their own housing, but it’s a lot more complicated than that. One reason why a lot of young adults live with their parents these days is that college tuition is a lot higher than it used to be even when adjusting for inflation. So it’s often infeasible for people to pay off their debts while also paying rent. Housing prices are high and because of that many people can’t afford to move out especially since the median U.S. rent is $1,600. Because of this, many young people decide to just live at home until they can pay for a house later on. It’s also important to note that the idea of moving out of your family’s home to live on your own is not normalized in every culture. Many adults in the Middle East live with their parents. Some cultures even encourage living with your parents. Many families in China have multi-generational homes as well with three generations under one roof. This also isn’t unheard of in America. Many families have their grandparents living with them as well as cousins and other extended family. America has a lot of different cultures, so it’s understandable that different people would view living with your parents as an adult differently.
Being an adult and living with your parents is a completely normal and valid decision, and here’s why we should end the stigma around it. WRITING BY ANNA BAKER
Whatever the reason, if you’re an adult, especially a college graduate, who lives with your parents, you are often looked at as lazy. Our society bases our value on how much we can produce, so if you don’t look like you produce enough wealth to move out, you are deemed as lazy and bad. This is really why people are looked down on for not moving out. It’s horrible that this is our reality since people with low paying jobs such as retail and food service often work long hours and deal with a lot of issues on the job. It takes a lot of strength to get through a day of a minimum wage job, yet you’re looked at as lazy for having one. We shouldn’t base our value on how much we produce. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in at the moment but that should change. We need to end assumptions and stigmas about adults who live at home with their parents. Most of these people are trying to make smart financial decisions to prepare for the future. Even if they aren’t, why should we desire to oust people out of their childhood homes from their loving families? Many people may choose to live with their parents still and that’s fine. It should be normalized to live at home with your parents. There shouldn’t be a stigma. If you’re an adult who lives with their parents, don’t let people make you feel bad about it. You’re where you need to be at the moment and you should only move out when you want to and when you can.
COOGLIFE • March 2021
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QUIZ: What’s your ideal room aesthetic? aesthetic ? QUIZ
WRITING BY SYDNEY ROSE
Having a room that shows who you are and what you love can be a wonderful thing, but figuring out what that looks like can be a little stressul since there are so many options.
Photo by Jean van der Meulen from Pexels
Is your dream space more modern-looking? Soft grunge? Academia? Cottage-core? Take this quiz to figure out what your perfect living environment could be...
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels 22
COOGLIFE • March 2021
Question 1: What would you consider your favorite time of year?
Question 4: How are you on keeping plants in your room?
A: Spring time just as school is ending and the flowers are blooming B: Autumn just has so many great holidays and the start of school and routine C: I love the summer because there is just something so fresh about it D: Being bundled up during the winter time is the best
A: I love all kinds of plants, I would try to incorporate them in my room design if I could B: I feel like I always forget about plants and accidentally let them die, so I avoid them C: I have those fake plants and succulents around, no effort with them D: I am not a plant fan
Question 2: What hobby of yours would you use to decorate?
Question 5: Do you like the idea of other people in your room?
A: I really like plants or those fake vines that some people put on their walls B: I’m a big reader so every book I own is on display on my shelves C: I like having Polaroids and pictures of my friends and I on display D: I’m a really big music fan so either my records are on display or posters of my favorite bands/singers
A: Maybe a friend or two, but my room is usually my space B: I’m okay with friends or a study group coming in, I don’t know how many people would fit though C: My room was made for more people and having them over D: I don’t like anyone else in my room, I’m on the verge of having a keep out sign
Question 3: What light source would you go with?
Question 6: Which color scheme sounds the best to you?
A: Fairy lights are so delicate and cute and really bring the room together B: Nothing compares to having candlelight by you while you work at night C: A nice lamp that ties the room together D: Those TikTok LED lights look cool
A: I like neutrals like white or brown with maybe green or yellow tints B: A tan or brown neutral with blue and red tints to pair C: I like a solid black and white theme, maybe the exception of pastel blues or pinks D: Dark tones to pair with black like a dark blue or purple fits
RESULTS: Mostly A’s: Your dream room aesthetic is cottage core! You just need a place for your plants and green things and your room is the perfect place to have them. Mostly B’s: Your dream aesthetic is academia! Whether this is light or dark academia, your room is where you get most of your work done and feel productive. Mostly C’s: Your dream aesthetic is modern! This look is very clean and pristine, just like how you like to keep your room, you want it to be magazine ready at all times. Mostly D’s: Your dream aesthetic is soft grunge! Your room is a space where music is enjoyed and the vibes are immaculate, you’re here to enjoy it and only you. COOGLIFE • March 2021
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