isa Schreiber had no problem decorating her
rooms during the four years she spent at
Michigan State University.
The Farmington Hills native and recent
MSU graduate could apply much of what she
learned as an interior design student. "I've done
a lot of bargain shopping at Target because each
year I've liked to do something a little different,"
said Lisa.
She found a new but cheap comforter to change
the appearance of her bed. She gave the base of
a lamp some strokes of black paint with white de-
signs for a new look.
She also had a halogen lamp, a must for any col-
lege room. The lights are relatively inexpensive
(typically $20 at Kmart, Target, or Meijer) and
shed generous light in any room.
During her senior year, Lisa shared a house
with four other girls. She got one of the smaller
upstairs rooms and decorated it to her taste.
A modern black-and-white area rug covered
most of the wood floor, which was badly in need of
a good sanding and staining. A computer sat on
her desk and books and framed pictures lined the
few shelves she mounted on the walls.
"In a small room you need things to help you
stay organized," Lisa said. ❑
/
ften, a fraternity house is the antithe-
sis of its sorority-house counterpart in
terms of cleanliness and overall aes-
thetics.
Josh Alpert's fraternity house, Zeta Beta
Tau at Michigan State University, is no ex-
ception.
Although the house wouldn't be considered
a disaster area, there is little decoration. Two
black couches are the focal point of the home's
front room; composite pictures of fraternity
members are the only wall adornments.
Josh's room, however, is the exception to the
fraternity-house rule. Everything has its own
space and is neatly tucked away. Even the pow-
er strip for his stereo and television, and a cord-
less-phone base, are carefully mounted on the
wall.
Josh, a West Bloomfield native who recent-
ly completed his sophomore year at MSU, did
a lot of building for his 9-x-11-foot room. He
constructed his loft and used an old Formica
counter top from his parents' kitchen to build
a desk. He also installed glass shelves for some
additional storage space and to display a col-
lection of empty beer bottles and neon signs.
Josh, a human-resources major, decorated
most of his room using- a beer motif. Hanging
on the walls are pictures and logos of beer
brands that Josh bought at a party store be-
fore it went out of business.
Because he built a loft for his mattress, Josh
was left with additional room. He bought a
small couch to occupy the floor space against
the far wall.
And, of course, an MSU garbage can with a
Spartan logo, a hot item on campus, sits un-
der Josh's homemade desk.
❑
PHOTO BY DANIEL LIPPITT
Left: Lisa Schreiber
majored in interior design.
Above: Organization is
the key word in Josh
Alpert's room.