HGTV Designer Genevieve Gorder Helps College Students Head Back to School in Style

NEW YORK – Aug. 21, 2008 – As parents send their kids back to school this fall, many families will be spending less on their annual back to school purchases. With current economic conditions putting a damper on spending, people are looking for the best value on everything from clothes to computers.

On Aug. 14, Microsoft teamed up with designer Genevieve Gordor of HGTV’s “Dear Genevieve” in New York to provide some useful tips and tricks on designing a dorm room that can strike the right balance between value and style.

Genevieve’s Digital Dorm Room Tips:

• A Windows PC can provide all the functionality college students need for as little as $860. The PC can serve multiple functions, from recording a recent episode of your favorite TV show to helping write a history paper.

• Layer the bed with sheets, a coverlet, a duvet, and a throw. All of these pieces add texture, dimension, color and function. The bed will determine your whole color palette. Remember, keep it light, keep it simple and add color and pattern with accent pillows.

• Use oversize box pillows against the walls to act as a couch during the day; a bolster at either side can serve as armrests.

• Utilize the space under the bed by lifting it up on wood posts cut at your local home improvement store. You can then put sliding drawers beneath the bed; the wood ones are best and last the longest.

• Like the bed, the floor is all about layering. Nobody loves industrial carpet. Buying several inexpensive floor mats and layering them creates a look that’s more luxurious than just one carpet.

• Turn off the fluorescents! Instead, bring in task and mood lighting. A desk lamp or a floor lamp will give you control of the environment instead of it controlling you.

• Once students are settled, they can keep in touch with friends and family back home using Windows Live services. With Windows Live, you can share your favorite photos with friends, send and receive e-mail from your Web-enabled mobile phone, even talk face-to-face with Windows Live Messenger video features.

By following these tips, students can create a space that’s warm and inviting, not to mention conducive to learning.

Genevieve Gorder, left, formerly of TLC’s design show “Trading Spaces”, shows university freshman Amanda Allar, 18, right, the Microsoft Windows “Ultimate Digital Dorm Room”. Gorder partnered with Microsoft to show students and parents how they can create a great high-tech dorm room on a limited budget. New York, Aug. 14, 2008.

Genevieve Gorder, left, formerly of TLC’s design show “Trading Spaces”, shows university freshman Amanda Allar, 18, right, the Microsoft Windows “Ultimate Digital Dorm Room”. Gorder partnered with Microsoft to show students and parents how they can create a great high-tech dorm room on a limited budget. New York, Aug. 14, 2008.

August 20, 2008

University students Amanda Allar, left, 18, and Sam Goss, right, 17, check out the Microsoft Windows “Ultimate Digital Dorm Room”. Genevieve Gorder, formerly of TLC’s design show “Trading Spaces”, designed the room in partnership with Microsoft to show students and parents how they can create a great high-tech dorm room on a limited budget. New York, Aug. 14, 2008.

University students Amanda Allar, left, 18, and Sam Goss, right, 17, check out the Microsoft Windows “Ultimate Digital Dorm Room”. Genevieve Gorder, formerly of TLC’s design show “Trading Spaces”, designed the room in partnership with Microsoft to show students and parents how they can create a great high-tech dorm room on a limited budget. New York, Aug. 14, 2008.

August 20, 2008

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