DA Cribz: From Buckingham Palace to Wonderland

Luke Aaron ’12 and Nolan Doyle ’12 along with Lilly Elkin ’13 and Lena Mazel ’13 continue to re-invent the concept of the double room. Both pairs of roommates have moved their desks into one room and their beds into the other, thus creating a sleeping room and a study room.

Aaron and Doyle, inspired by their freshman year proctors, wanted to create the ideal “hang out room” for their Xbox-obsessed Field 3 proctees. “As people enter the Buckingham Palace,” quipped Doyle, referring to the sleeping room, “they are struck with its comfortable feel and sheer manliness.”

Aaron, who is credited with the layout of the sleeping room, chose to bunk the beds allowing room for the ultimate gaming environment consisting of a two-seater futon, an impressive monitor and surround-sound speakers. Equally notable is Aaron’s top bunk, dressed in a Toy Story blanket, and described as “the best place to watch a movie.”

Doyle was put in charge of the study room, and went with a relatively simple but clean design. He placed the desks at opposing sides of the room, hung a Wayne’s World poster, and left the rest empty to allow room for “active studying.”

“Nolan is crazy,” claimed proctee Maximilian McEvoy ’15. “I can always hear him screaming and running around in the study room. I just don’t understand his habits.”

Meanwhile, Mazel and Elkin doubled two years ago, and, although this year they signed up for a double, they were given two singles on Poc II. “I missed having Lena as my roommate,” commented Elkin, “and when we were given singles again, Lena came up with the idea to merge the two rooms into a makeshift double.”

Entering their sleeping room, one instantly notes the relaxing vibe of the space. The walls are covered in darker-colored posters. A black rug lies in the middle of the room, and the two beds covered in navy duvet comforters lie in an L-shape against the walls. “People love to come to our room to hang out,” stated Mazel, “and although sometimes it can get tiresome, Lilly and I really enjoy all the company.”

In contrast, their Alice in Wonderland-themed study room is filled with vibrant colors. The room contains both desks piled full with books and materials, and exudes the qualities of an ideal creative work environment.

Both pairs of roommates, although they claim it can get frustrating to go back and forth between the two rooms, are satisfied with the set-up and believe that dedicating one room to studying and one room to sleeping serves as a viable alternative to doubling.