Charlotte interior designer transforms college dorm rooms for free
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Local interior designer Ebony Staten awards college students with free dorm room makeovers every year through her nonprofit The Vogue Room Foundation. Photo: Courtesy of Ebony Staten
Students are heading back to college, and this local designer is turning basic dorms into dream rooms — for free.
Why it matters: College costs go well beyond tuition, with families also footing the bill for housing, supplies and move-in expenses.
By the numbers: The typical family spent $34,019 on college during the 2025-26 academic year, according to a 2026 Sallie Mae report about how Americans are paying for college.
- To add to the running tab, the luxury dorm decor economy has become a freshman-year trend. Some students are even spending $20K to have interior designers transform their rooms.
Catch up quick: Each year, designer Ebony Staten gives minority, first-generation college students free dorm-room makeovers through her nonprofit, The Vogue Room Foundation.
- The makeovers include custom headboards, wallpaper, wall decor, lamps, desk accessories, towels and bedding, with items supplied by local small businesses.
How it works: The scholarship is open to minority, full-time first-generation students entering college in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland or Tennessee.
- Finalists who don't receive a full makeover get a dorm-room starter package with towels, bedding and sheets.
What's next: This year's applications are closed, and two students got their dream dorms this week. Applications will reopen in early 2027.
Take a look at the 2026 winners' rooms:
More dorm-room designs of past winners:
Go deeper: The booming business of dorm decor