Our son’s White Hall Temple University dorm room
So friends, I had another little craft post I was working on, but life got in the way of finishing the blog post because our son headed off to college on Tuesday. I moved him into his White Hall Temple University dorm room in Philadelphia.
The original plan was to make this a structured blog post that showed off his room and how I decorated it in detail. I failed miserably though LOL. I took my big camera, tripod, and all, but it ended up being completely different from what I had planned, and we chaotically rushed around.
On top of it, it was, of course, such an emotional day, and I’m still struggling daily. This blog post about her son leaving for college sums up my feelings perfectly. It’s a tear-jerker!
Our son’s White Hall Temple University dorm room tour
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So back to the move-in being rushed, you see we only got 30 minutes with the cart. If you don’t return it in time you face a $300 fine. Yup! So we unloaded everything on the sidewalk and my son rushed separate loads inside while the nice police officers watched our pile of stuff so I could park the car.
Then you get a 2-hour parking window, so you can get your room situated and decorated. I set myself a timer for that and this is where all my plans fell apart. I didn’t set up a time-lapse or take photos along the way. The room was stuffed with us all unpacking and rushing and I didn’t really take pictures along the way.
White Hall Temple University dorm room layout
Below is the layout of my son’s White Hall Temple University dorm room and the way that I moved their furniture around.
You can find more information about this residence hall’s pricing, details/options like laundry, and rules and such on the Temple University Housing website. There is no on-site dining in this hall.
I’m not sure why the layout of the rooms provided by Temple Housing shows closet doors because there are actually no closet doors.
Below is a somewhat before photo with the beds on the highest setting. The small fridge we purchased was the perfect fit for under the bed. And so was the small plastic drawer storage unit.
Our daughter also ended up at Temple, but she is at Temple Morgan Hall North as a freshman. The view from her dorm apartment is a must-see! Check it out!
White Hall Temple University bathrooms
The apartment unit entrance door with a half bathroom on each side. I liked this layout a lot since the kids don’t have to wait if someone is showering to use the toilet or vice versa. The half baths each have a sink too.
I had purchased a shower curtain but was happy to see that we didn’t need it.
The funny thing was that his roommate’s decor coincidentally matched his perfectly and we didn’t plan it at all. He had only exchanged a few short messages with him throughout the summer and it certainly didn’t involve decor decisions.
So here is his White Hall Temple University dorm room the way I left it.
The rug is his roommate’s and is perfect. His roommate also coincidentally has a flag hanging above his bed that matches all of my son’s flags. He also has the same flag banner in his room at home.
The best thing I bought was definitely the dorm bed bedskirt, and I got a couple of inquiries about it already. So nice to hide the mess underneath.
My son also loves the triangular bolster headboard pillow, or whatever you call it. Â
I’m not showing his roommate’s side because I want to give him his privacy. Not everyone likes being showcased on a blog, right?
White Hall Temple University dorm closet
I had bought a curtain rod and curtain to cover the closet but he didn’t want it. My plans of making everything look as nice as possible were appreciated but not needed. After all teenage boys care but not that much about the actual overall design. He is appreciative that his bed is cozy and looks similar to his room at home but small details like having curtains on his closet don’t matter to him. After all, he mostly left his closet doors open at home too.
Full list of things we purchased for his White Hall Temple University dorm room
- bed skirt
- mattress topper
- fitted sheet
- bedding
- desk pad
- triangular bolster headboard pillow
- similar blue-striped rug
- hanging shoe organizer
- salt lamp
- rolling cart (very similar to the one we have)
- two similar storage bins for the rolling cart
- hangers
- plastic drawer unit
- small fridge (perfect size for under bed)
- Bayern Munich poster (not available anymore)
- Astroworld flag
- flag banner
- extension cords
- push pins
- poster putty
- soft black blanket
- shower caddy
- cleaning supplies (hope he uses them 🙂
- lamps we had already
UPDATE: After James White Hall, our son moved to the Temple Nest apartments for his second, third, and fourth years of college.
Temple University White Hall Dorm FAQ
Have a question about White Hall that I did not answer here? Drop it in the comments, and I will do my best to help.
The bed goes up to 28 inches at its highest point, which gives you good clearance for under-bed storage bins.
The dresser is 30 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 37.75 inches tall.
No, the closet is open with no door. You can also see this in the layout rendering, even though the official Temple floor plan shows doors. The space above the closet is roughly 2 feet, which is great for bins.
Yes, you do, and a standard shower curtain will work. A shower rod is already installed, so you do not need to bring one.
There is no kitchen in the White Hall rooms. There is a communal kitchen on the first floor of the building.
Our son’s bedroom at home
Below is what his room looks like at home in case you are new to my blog. I wanted it to be similar so it felt like home but a bit different too. Check out his dark green boy’s room.
You might also be interested in checking out our daughter’s dark blue girls room:
I had planned to have lunch with my son after moving him into Whitehall and maybe head to the bookstore, but when it was time to move the car to a new spot, when the 2-hour parking window had expired, we both came to the conclusion that it was easier just to say a quick goodbye.
My son and I were both nauseous from being so sad and not hungry. I know from experience that when I leave Germany and my family behind, a quick goodbye is much better than a lingering, dragged-out one. So that is what we did, and I got a text from my son a bit later saying that he felt much better now that the goodbye was out of the way.
That’s it for today.
Tschüß,
Fantastic post. His dorm looks great. Best of luck to your son (and to you as you adjust to your new normal:)
Thanks, Kristin! It will definitely take some time to get used to. He’s always been my sidekick and buddy and I miss him terribly.
You both did great! You, for your love and care and decor sense; him, for his patience and confidence in you to make this transition meaningful and memorable.
Thank you Meredith. He always lets me do my thing 😉
So hard to see them go. This is the beginning of a whole new world for him. Enjoy it with him. The room looks great.
Thanks Marty. He’s getting there. It’s been a bit of a tough adjustment for him as well.
Thinking of you – I know it’s hard to let them go! The only thing that my son would allow me to do to his dorm room was to make the bed, lol! He really didn’t care about decor, but he was in a small room with two other guys, so there wasn’t much room for decorating anyway. I shudder to think what the room looked like during those years. I did the ugly cry when I left, but we both survived:).
Wow 3 boys in a small room is a lot. I don’t really want to see how dirty his will get LOL. He’s definitely not big on cleaning.
His room looks awesome and I am so impressed that they get their own bathroom! I never had that in college!!!
Looks great – and not too over done. I see some of these girls’ rooms and it’s soo over the top (but also awesome). I like how your son’s side worked out well with his roommate too. I’m sure he’ll have a great year!
Looks great and so nice to have your own bathroom.
Thanks Donna, that is definitely nice. I couldn’t believe that there are two bathrooms. One shower bathroom and one toilet which is impressive.
Thanks Becky! My friend’s daughter’s dorm that I linked to in my blog post is definitely one of those super impressive dorm rooms. My jaw dropped how awesome it is.
Yes that is pretty impressive haha!
How are the cats adjusting without him?
They are doing well they mostly follow me around but my son misses them a lot.
This is great! You optimized the space better than we did! Coincidentally, my son moved into the same dorm on Tuesday!! Wishing your son a fabulous year!
Hi Jackie, oh what a coincidence!!! How is he liking it so far? Mine is having a bit of a hard time adjusting. Hopefully the start of classes today will help.
I think my daughter is in the same dorm. She practically kicked us out so I have no idea what her dorm actually looks like. She is loving it so far. Hope he is too.
Oh really?!?! What a coincidence. Mine has mixed feelings. I can’t say he is loving it so far. It’s been a bit of a tough adjustment to find new friends. Hopefully, the start of classes will help this week.
Hi!
Thank you for posting this — it’s super helpful. I’m wondering about the desk and dresser measurements. We bought a metal shelf and just wanted to make sure it will fit either over the dresser or desk. Would you say the width of the dresser is about the same as the bed? How about he desk?
Thank you so much!
Hmmmm I’m not exactly sure if the dresser is the exact same size as the width of the bed but I believe it was close. The desk is wider than the bed though.
Thank you so much! It looks like we will not be able to put the dresser underneath the bed if that’s the highest the bed will go.
Hello there
I cannot tell you how amazingly helpful this is for me as a mom. Can you tell me what size rug your son’s roommate had? The link points to a 5X7 rug but I just wanted to confirm .
Thanks again
I’m so glad it is helpful. Yes it was a 5×7 rug. Good luck to you and your son. It’s an emotional time!
I absolutely love the bright and inviting atmosphere you’ve created in your son’s dorm room! The mix of colors and personal touches really make it feel like home. Thanks for sharing such great ideas for maximizing space and style!
I love the way you’ve transformed the dorm room into such a cozy and stylish space! The decor choices are both practical and fun. Can’t wait to see how your son personalizes it even more throughout the year!