YouTubers Brooklyn and Bailey Share Their Baylor Dorm Decor
From launching a YouTube channel that now broadcasts to over 5 million followers, to launching their music career, to releasing their own mascara, you'd think there's nothing Brooklyn and Bailey Mcknight haven't conquered. But this fall they're taking on a completely new challenge: college. Last week, the twins moved into their first dorm at Baylor University, where they'll both be majoring in entrepreneurship (their video announcement of where they'd be attending got over 2.5 million views, NBD).
Of course, heading to college for the first time means an entirely new space — in their case, a suite that they share with two other students — and decorating it appropriately. Brooklyn and Bailey went for a "structured boho" vibe that carries from the living room (which they share with their suitemates) to their bedroom, and even to the bathroom. Working with a combination of standard-issue dorm furniture — yes, even YouTubers with millions of followers are stuck with Twin XL — and pieces from Wayfair, they created a space that any college student or grad would feel right at home in.
Read on to find out more about their design inspiration, their favorite part of their new dorm, and of course, where to shop some of their amazing finds.
1/8Teen Vogue: Tell us about what your room was like when you moved in—it looks like you have a lot of space
Brooklyn and Bailey We actually moved into an apartment-style dorm that we live in with two other roommates! In total we have two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and a living room. The dorm was just that, a dorm! There was some furniture we had to use, so we chose to style it up and make it our own.
2/8TV: Tell us about the inspiration behind the decor.
B & B We definitely wanted a more boho style room! When we designed our own bedding with Beddy’s, we designed it the way we saw our dorm being styled: structured boho! We also found a lot of inspiration on Pinterest.
3/8TV: Did you replace any of the standard-issue dorm furniture or did you work with it?
B & B: We actually are not allowed to remove any of the standard dorm furniture, so we had to style them to make them our own! We found some marble contact paper and covered all the orange/brown surfaces to modernize the furniture we had! We also found throw blankets and couch covers to help cover the colors or materials on some of the older furniture.
TV: What are some special features people may not notice?
B & B I think people may not notice the minor details of the rooms, until they have seen the room a few times. Small things like the curtains, or the plants, or the coordinating pictures hung on the wall. People tend to not think those small things are significant, but when you take them away, it feels like something is missing in the room! Its when you have all of those small things added in that the place really begins to feel like home.
4/8TV: The headboards you chose are so distinctive—how did you combine them with the dorm beds?
B & B: We knew the style of the room was going to be boho, so when we saw the headboards we HAD to get them! Since we really wanted the beds and the bedding we designed to be the focus of the room, we chose to have very eye catching and exciting headboards that immediately drew attention to the beds!
Shop it here: Hirst rattan petal open frame headboard, $496.99, Bungalow Rose, wayfair.com
5/8TV: Tell us about the wallpaper you used and how you achieved the marble effect on the desks.
B & B The wallpaper we used is called contact paper. It is a sticker-like paper that can be peeled off of furniture and walls without harming it, so it is the perfect decor for a dorm room! We used that same contact paper to stick over all the surfaces to create the marble effect on the desks, drawers, and tables.
TV: What advice would you give to others inspired by your decor?
B & B There are a few things that can really make a space feel like home! The first would be decorating the walls. Nothing feels more empty than bare walls in a room! The second thing would be having a few decorative items to fill the empty space, besides just the essentials of what you would need to live with. Then third, and maybe the most important one, is getting plants! Fake plants, real plants, flowers etc. They are easy space fillers and make it feel comfortable and homey.
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7/8TV: What's your favorite part of the room?
B & B I don’t know if there is just one part of our room that is our favorite, but both of us especially love the wallpaper mural on the wall leading to the bathroom. It gives the same feeling as a painting would, but is completely harmless to the walls, so it's useful for a dorm!
Shop it here: Geometric peel-and-stick wallpaper roll, $1.11/sq. ft., wayfair.com
The Misty Forest mural, $129.99, wayfair.com
8/8If you want to see even more of Brooklyn & Bailey's dorm, head to their YouTube channel for the full video reveal.
