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Gone are the days of simply shelling out for a commoner’s college tuition.
Luxury-loving college students — and their well-funded parents — are flocking to interior decorators like Mississippi’s 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 named her business, Mary Margaret Designs, after her two daughters. And if she looks familiar, it’s because you might have seen her on social media, where Gates’s “dream dorm” designs have racked up over 26 million views.
“She charges $20,000 for this and does 15 — 20 dorm rooms each year,” entrepreneur Joe Pompliano wrote on X, in response to a post by influencer Will Tjernlund about Gates’s designs. “Pretty good business for a few months’ work.”
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 — yes, the same place that serves as a hotbed for RushTok — 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.
“This has definitely been the year of color,” Gates exclusively told The Post, noting her services are in demand “everywhere from Texas to Tennessee to Tallahassee.”
“We are seeing so many girls wanting pastels, bright colors, fun patterns, and just rooms that really feel like them,” said Gates, who primarily works with young women but has a few male clients. “Most 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.”
She also added that this year’s new students are “getting a little more confident in mixing patterns and colors instead of playing it safe, and I absolutely love that.”
Gates’s 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.
“We 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.”
And in the case of an epic dorm room, a milestone with mega-sticker shock — one that not every parent can get behind.
“The best business model going in this country, in any industry, is convincing people with disposable income that they need something that is completely unnecessary,” said one commenter on X.
“If you aren’t sending your kids to college with a used futon, a hamper and a few posters, then you aren’t preparing them for real life,” another added.
But some defended Gates’ lavish services, which begin months before moving day, with the busiest months of the season running from May through August.
“Heaven forbid should parents want to love and give the best that they can for their child,” wrote one artisanal wallpaper advocate on X.
At the end of the day, Gates, who remembers the “emotional season” of sending her own three kids off to college, feels that she and her team provide a service that involves “so much more than having a pretty dorm room.”
“You’re dropping your child off for this brand-new chapter… If I can create a space where they feel comfortable, safe and excited to come home at the end of the day, then I’ve done my job. That’s always been what this is about for me.”
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