The new academic year is about to begin, a particularly exciting time for parents whose children are leaving the family home for the first time. Most people start looking for accommodation in late August and early September. In Poland, not everyone can secure a dorm room. Renting rooms in private apartments is also popular, although prices continue to rise, as we mentioned in a previous article. Some also complain about the low standard compared to the cost. But the expenses don’t stop at just renting a place.
Parents Succumb to a New TikTok Trend
Often, rented apartments or dorms aren’t fully equipped, so parents additionally buy their children bedding, towels, dishes, and other necessities. Sometimes these are second-hand items brought from the family home. However, a trend has emerged on TikTok that is gaining popularity among American teenagers and may likely catch on in Poland. It involves real makeovers of rented rooms. Parents are willing to spend money on new furniture, lamps, gadgets, lights, bedding, and other accessories. According to the portal cafemom.com, they can spend up to $5,000 (around 19,200 PLN) to transform a shabby dorm room into a stylish TikTok-worthy nest.
Tamara Wingerter first became interested in decorating dorm rooms when her son went to college in 2020. She joined a Facebook group where other parents shared their experiences and photos of decorated rooms. "I didn’t know there was a trend for decorating rooms, but I think we managed to create a really nice space for a guy," she told "People." However, she had the chance to see the rooms of her son’s friends, including some of the girls’ dorm rooms. When she saw how they were decorated, she was simply shocked.
The Costs Are Not Small
This year, Tamara’s daughter is heading to college, and the TikTok decor trend has gained even more popularity. The mom joined the group "Dorm Rooms of Mississippi and Beyond" and checked out a fan page of the same name. Parents shared how they had decorated their children’s dorm rooms. Although Tamara is not an interior designer, she emphasized that she decided to give in to the trend and make every effort to decorate her daughter’s room as best as possible. Another mom, whose daughter is studying at Mississippi State University, told "People" that she spent between $1,000 and $2,000 (3,800 to 7,710 PLN) to decorate her daughter’s dorm room. She started planning the process well in advance, which certainly helped her save some money.
