Ranking residential college interior design

By Chiara Moretti     10/8/24 10:53pm

Your college’s interior design can make you feel like royalty or like you’re stuck in a cheap motel. From the grandeur of Baker’s chandeliers to the eerie skeleton in Hanszen commons, let’s explore the cozy and the uninviting, the aesthetic and the stale of each residential college’s design.

Tier A

Baker College

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Baker comes first. The commons resemble Hogwarts, and Baker Library is much nicer than Fondy. The wooden floors add an antique feel, and the chandeliers make me feel like I’m at a museum. The communal areas make up for some of the unappealing rooms in Old Wing. Baker has an “old-money” aesthetic, adding a historic and grandiose feel.

Martel College

Martel is home to the best (and only?) DDR machine. The game and movie rooms are hands-down the top attractions at Martel. The rooms are decent, though they open up outside into the quad (think cheap motel). The lights in the commons add an interesting element, and it would be a great place to host a fake wedding or quinceanera. Their nice design makes me forget it’s actually a parking lot. 

Lovett College

This one almost didn’t make it to the top tier (because of the questionable dorms), but the home-y and nicely lit commons boost its rating. If you’re not from Lovett, their commons is the one you want to go just for the vibes. It is a great place to work, chat, or just lurk. Although Lovett’s basement is a bit musty, it is a great spot to host celebrations and make memories (or forget them). 

Tier B 

McMurtry & Duncan Colleges

I put these two together because they’re basically the same thing. I can’t ever tell if I’m at McMurtry or Duncan when I’m walking past. The only difference is the shape of the commons (McMurtry is circular, Duncan is rectangular). The rooms at each college are decent, and their adjacent PDR’s are great for holding meetings or “locking in.” Overall, McDuncan’s newer facilities and interesting commons increase their ratings, but their lack of distinctiveness keeps them from reaching the top tier. 

Wiess College

TFW (Team Forgettable Wiess). Wiess’s design does not stick out. Their commons look like a 90s shopping mall, although they have a nice stage for play performances. The game room feels more like a napping place, rather than a communal lounge. However, their PDR is one of the nicest on campus and their dorms are quite spacious, but that alone will not suffice for a better rating. I would say more about Wiess, but I forgot. 

Jones College

Jones commons looks like the set of a low-budget Bollywood movie. Why is there so much wood? The commons are usually empty (unless it’s dining hours), so it’s deader than Pub during the middle of the semester. However, the Jitchen has a “home-y” feel and I feel like I’m in my grandma’s kitchen baking cookies. Each floor has communal spaces and study rooms, though the dorms and facilities at Jones could improve. 

Brown College

Unless you’re from Brown, you probably won’t be going there (since it’s too far), so let me describe Brown for you. It’s mid. The commons looks like they tried copying Martel and Jones’ homework, but they didn’t want the teacher to notice. The rooms and facilities are some of the worst on campus. However, Brown receives “brownie” points for this year’s much-needed cosmetic renovations, which updated the college’s basement and furniture.

Tier C

Hanszen College

The commons are alright, if you can get past the stench of South Servery. The skeleton in the middle of the commons adds an element of spookiness, but I only notice it like 1% of the time. New Hanszen is alright, but I would label Old Hanszen  the worst dorm on campus. There are no elevators, the rooms are almost a century old, and they have barely been remodeled.

Will Rice College

The commons at Will Rice are small and cannot contain a lot of people, which makes sense given the size of the college. The game room is kind of connected to the commons, so all the noise spills over, making it a terrible spot to get any work done. Similar to Hanszen and Baker, there is extreme dorm disparity. New Dorm is relatively new, but Old Dorm is comparable to that of Old Hanszen.The contrast from each dorm makes living at Will Rice a lottery for incoming freshmen.

Sid Richardson College

The Sid Richardson rooms are brand new, but  feel like an imitation of McDuncan. The whole college has a sterile, corporate vibe —  Sid should be a dorm, not an office where you’re doing your consulting internship.

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