{"id":39810,"date":"2026-08-12T02:15:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39810"},"modified":"2026-08-12T02:15:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:15:36","slug":"school-of-swank-see-the-20k-dorm-rooms-of-elite-southern-coeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39810","title":{"rendered":"School of swank: See the $20k dorm rooms of elite Southern coeds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2Fcomp-e49434083ab54498b2c982d7ec242be1tplv-photomode-image.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Gone are the days of simply shelling out for a commoner\u2019s college tuition.<\/p>\n<p>Luxury-loving college students \u2014 and their well-funded parents \u2014 are flocking to interior decorators like Mississippi\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/18\/lifestyle\/undergrads-are-paying-thousands-for-designer-dorm-rooms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shelly Gates<\/a>, who charge up to $20,000 to transform a cinderblock dorm space into a TikTok-worthy study sanctuary. <\/p>\n<p>Gates is a former elementary school teacher who named her business, Mary Margaret Designs, after her two daughters. And if she looks familiar, it\u2019s because you might have seen her on social media, where Gates\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/08\/lifestyle\/li-mom-goes-viral-for-reaction-to-skanky-state-of-sons-frat-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dream dorm<\/a>\u201d designs have racked up over 26 million views. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"\/>\n<p>\u201cShe charges $20,000 for this and does 15 \u2014 20 dorm rooms each year,\u201d entrepreneur Joe Pompliano <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JoePompliano\/status\/2086808288696394065?s=20\">wrote<\/a> on X, in response to a post by influencer <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Tjernlund\/status\/2086197991954628963\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Will Tjernlund<\/a> about Gates\u2019s designs. \u201cPretty good business for a few months\u2019 work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the three minute TikTok, an unnamed blonde freshman in a hot pink workout set walks into her new pad in the Presidential Village II dorm at the University of Alabama \u2014 yes, the same place that serves as a hotbed for RushTok \u2014 clearly in awe of her new, swanked-out abode. The dorm room includes a cozy storage chair with a pink, decorative rotary phone pillow, a handmade hot air balloon decoration, and custom-made wall art in a mix of cheery pinks, yellows and blues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Interior decorator Shelly Gates of Mary Margaret Designs showed off her team\u2019s \u201cfirst dorm room reveal of 2026,\u201d completed for a freshman at the University of Alabama. <span class=\"credit\">TikTok\/@marymargaretdesignsdorm<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis has definitely been the year of color,\u201d Gates exclusively told The Post, noting her services are in demand \u201ceverywhere from Texas to Tennessee to Tallahassee.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are seeing so many girls wanting pastels, bright colors, fun patterns, and just rooms that really feel like <em>them<\/em>,\u201d said Gates, who primarily works with young women but has a few male clients. \u201cMost dorms start out with cinderblock walls and fluorescent lighting, and honestly, they can feel a little cold and intimidating. We love taking those spaces and making them feel warm, happy and like home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gates told The Post that this year\u2019s college students are all about color for their dorm rooms. <span class=\"credit\">TikTok\/@marymargaretdesignsdorm<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She also added that this year\u2019s new students are \u201cgetting a little more confident in mixing patterns and colors instead of playing it safe, and I absolutely love that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gates\u2019s process involves getting to know the student on a personal level and understanding their aesthetic tastes, along with their daily routines and their study and sleep needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe spend time on design calls talking through colors, fabrics, inspiration and really getting a feel for who they are. We also work really closely with parents, because sending your child off to college is such a huge milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And in the case of an epic dorm room, a milestone with mega-sticker shock \u2014 one that not every parent can get behind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best business model going in this country, in any industry, is convincing people with disposable income that they need something that is completely unnecessary,\u201d said one commenter on X.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gates was once an elementary school teacher and founded Mary Margaret Designs in 2022. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@marymargaretdesigns_<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIf you aren\u2019t sending your kids to college with a used futon, a hamper and a few posters, then you aren\u2019t preparing them for real life,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n<p>But some defended Gates\u2019 lavish services, which begin months before moving day, with the busiest months of the season running from May through August.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeaven forbid should parents want to love and give the best that they can for their child,\u201d wrote one artisanal wallpaper advocate on X.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gates says creating a custom dorm room helps parents feel more connected to their now-independent teens. <span class=\"credit\">TikTok\/@marymargaretdesignsdorm<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the end of the day, Gates, who remembers the \u201cemotional season\u201d of sending her own three kids off to college, feels that she and her team provide a service that involves \u201cso much more than having a pretty dorm room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re dropping your child off for this brand-new chapter\u2026 If I can create a space where they feel comfortable, safe and excited to come home at the end of the day, then I\u2019ve done my job. That\u2019s always been what this is about for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gone are the days of simply shelling out for a commoner\u2019s college tuition. Luxury-loving college students \u2014 and their well-funded parents \u2014 are flocking to interior decorators like Mississippi\u2019s Shelly Gates, who charge up to $20,000 to transform a cinderblock dorm space into a TikTok-worthy study sanctuary. Gates is a former elementary school teacher who&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/comp-e49434083ab54498b2c982d7ec242be1tplv-photomode-image.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}