Tell the truth, if this was my roommate, I would probably be thrilled if someone else had taken care of all the work and furnished everything, because at that age (and this age), I have no taste nor desire to put in the effort. But if someone else wanted to do it, go for it! Even the pineapple. As long as I had a small space to stash my clothes, it would be fine. However, I would not be happy with the mother being rude to me and my family, and hopefully the daughter wouldn’t act like that. I realize that most girls that age probably wouldn’t agree with me, but man, I am lazy in the decorating respect and really wouldn’t care. I had a roommate who put up all sorts of things in the first house I bought, and completely took over the kitchen and refrigerator. Yes! Where is she now, I need her. 
I liked it better when decorating meant tacking “Starry Night” over the bed. Done.
My S has no fancy stuff. He shares a house with 4 guys. It still cost nearly $1000 to set him up. Dishes, pans, not even a trash can in the place. We didn’t buy any pineapples!
And we brought his comforter and quilt from home, but forgot the pillows, sheets and towels. Planning is only as good as the execution I guess.
“matching T shirts that said “Susie Jones Moving Company””
My kids would have killed me.
I am with you @busdriver11 and I think my daughter takes after me in the decorating department. Last week when she moved in she emptied a plastic Rubbermaid tote of kitchen stuff into her kitchen that had been stored all summer, then brought it to her room and tipped it on it side on top of anot her tote that holds her winter clothes and made a shelf of it for some books and DVDs. Not fancy or pretty, but it works.
Thank you for sharing your “pineapple move-in” story! Know it wasn’t fun at the time - but certainly giving all of us some much needed laughs and stress relief.
We had a bit of a tough move-in day when my daughter was a freshman. Hard to explain. She was not living on campus, but in a program house. She and her roommate were accidentally assigned to a room that really was more like a large single. We arrived and couldn’t figure out how two beds and two desks were supposed to fit (one desk was “missing”). So that required a higher up room reassignment and moves in the house, which couldn’t be done until the next day. So instead of the big move in day - she had to stay with us in the hotel that night… It all worked out in the end!
Also -
Here is a video of a little dorm room move-in at Johns Hopkins.
Don’t think all those extra pieces of pineapple furniture would fit in here!
https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/08/25/hopkins-student-move-in-time-lapse/
Johns Hopkins wins a prize for smallest desks.
Fabric wall hangings, curtains and wallpaper would get written up as fire hazards at some schools. (Was the case at my SEC school and at both of my sons’ schools).
Personally, for those of us with allergies, the fewer places for dust and dust mites to hide and breed, the healthier, seriously. Lots of fabric and stuffed things are a health hazard for us allergic-types. Sorry.
Well, since our dorm wall decor from so long ago was magazine cut-outs of good looking movie bods plastering one side of the room with cellophane tape, I can’t say much about the value of a ceramic pineapple…
But we slept pretty happy!
Back in the day, our U had posters sold on campus of inexpensive reproductions of various famous works of art and other posters, like 3 for $10 or similar. I bought 3 posters (one of which gave you the illusion of looking out a window at a beautiful sunny day, put them on my wall of my dorm room each time and I was happy and done decorating. The furniture the dorm supplied worked fine for me and our kids.
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The furniture the dorm supplied worked fine for me and our kids.<<
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Exactly! I really wonder what kind of message these parents are sending when they store the college furniture and move in their own West Elm etc etc? Or cover it up with faux painting or what have you.
Guess what? It’s practical and included in the price. I know I sound all “get offa my lawn!” but young adults IMHO should learn that enjoying nicer things comes in time, when you have worked and earned a little money to pay for said West Elm.
Are these parents going to furnish their kids’ first apartments to the nines too? I was excited to move into my own place (with a roommate) and make do with leftover furniture or yard sale finds. I lived within my means.
Sorry for the rant, I guess I’m just a little grumpy tonight 
“Are these parents going to furnish their kids’ first apartments to the nines too?”
They most likely will - and more. 
The one item my son asked for was a new desk chair. We got one at Office Depot. That chair has mov d with him Ca to Ma several times. A dozen years later, and I think he still has it.
Our S eventually acquired things from Craigslist and IKEA when he moved from dorm to apartment and sold some of it (moving the pieces he particularly wanted since employer paid moving costs) when he moved across the country.
Over time, he has slowly been purchasing things that suit his taste as he’s lived in his condo longer. He saw no reason to invest much in his furnishings when he was a student and didn’t intend to remain long in any particular lodging.
When you store the dorm furnishings and buy/bring stuff, it just seems like extra expense and work for everyone. I personally don’t know anyone who has removed and stored the furnishings the lodging was furnished with.
At least one of my kids’ schools does not allow removing of the provided dorm furniture. It has to stay in the room.
We did the Modern Family t-shirt thing last year for our freshman. “Student’s Name” Moving Company. We made up a slogan, something my husband used to tell the kids, “No sudden moves,” for the back, and had the school mascot trying to juggle boxes that said “fragile” and “ship to specified college” on the front. Call: 555 - Unlike the Dunphy one, our student didn’t want her photo on it.
We got a lot of mixed responses. Lots of people came up to us and it was a real conversation starter. Some folks got it right away and were laughing and complimenting us, others looked really puzzled (I guess not Modern Family fans.)
The funniest reaction was from a housekeeping staff who saw us and told us she had some customers for us, and how busy we were going to be that day.
Back for Sophomore year this past weekend, I was happy to still see Target driftwood had survived summer in storage, and redebuted its proper place in the room décor (single).
I would have gotten a roll of tape, run it down the middle of the room and shoved every bit of the roommate’s stuff back onto her side. Just let that other parent try to tell me how using her own half of the room (and ONLY that half) is unfair.
Max S can help me decorate my house anytime. His studio is gorgeous.
Of course, I would ahve to be able to afford what he would do…unlikely.
Still working my way through the 22 pages of this thread, but you are a much better/stronger person than I am. I would have flipped out and moved their stuff off of my kid’s side of room when they left — and maybe not have even waited.
I’m not really a matchy-matchy sort of person when it comes to decor…beyond having matching sheets/pillowcases/etc. I just don’t get spending the money on a college dorm…even if you have it to spend.
And don’t get me started on the bringing of TVs…what, did you go to college to watch TV? And don’t most kids just stream stuff on the laptop these days?
A good reminder to try and to be “first roommate in room” whenever possible.