Auburn students are not just talented in academics and sports, but also design.
Callie Barganier, senior in elementary education, said she was excited to live in the new Cedar Creek neighborhood off Thach Avenue.
"It's cool that we're the first ones to live here and break it in," Barganier said. "We wanted to create a space that felt like home."
Allison Miller, senior in interior design who lives at Two 21 Armstrong, said she couldn't believe how well her apartment turned out.
Miller transformed one wall into a chalkboard with bookshelves and cheerful sayings.
"The thing most people like is the big chalkboard wall in our kitchen and a big world map over our couch," Miller said.
Miller said she designed her home first with a theme in mind -- "neutral with a touch of yellow" -- and then went from there.
Kathleen McGahan, junior in elementary education, said her house was designed with "coziness" in mind.
"It's very spacious and never feels crowded," McGahan said. "We tried to stick with very warm, neutral colors."
McGahan said she also tried to incorporate several smaller items in her decorating.
"I focused mainly on little details -- candles, flowers, picture frames," McGahan said. "Things you wouldn't think about."
"Little details" were something Miller also said she kept in mind when she added her go-to accessory -- a stack of coffee-table cups -- to create a personal effect.
McGahan said imagining style is much easier than buying new furniture, so she and her roommates combined what they already had.
"I saw what everyone had to work with, what worked together and what didn't," McGahan said.
In a window-lit corner of Barganier's kitchen, right across from the wooden dining room table she and her dad built, sits a gold-rimmed glass cart with sparkling water and glasses.
"My roommate got it from an antique market, and just decided to spray paint it gold," Barganier said.
Miller said her advice on figuring out where to start is to first pick a design or theme.
"First pick one thing, like maybe a pillow or fabric," Miller said. "We pulled inspiration from the shapes and colors on some fabric."
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