The Office of Campus Life (OCL) announced the winners of its first-ever “Room of the Year” contest on Friday. The process was straightforward: Students could submit a single photo of their dorm room — and, by doing so, automatically receive one coveted housing point. Out of the 10 finalists selected by the College’s housing staff, the student body voted for the top three rooms.
In addition to fame and glory, the winners will receive a prize and additional housing points. First place will receive 100 points, second place will receive 50, and third place will receive 25.
The Record spoke with the occupants of the three winning rooms to learn about their victories.
Third place: Hannah Pressman ’28 and Tess Halpern ’28 in Sage Hall
Pressman and Halpern won third place for their room in Sage. “We had a really tiny room, so it was really exciting that we could make it look cute,” Pressman said.
When the pair met, they were pleasantly surprised by the similarities in their styles. “We chatted over the summer about different things we were excited about bringing for our room, but it kind of just worked out that we had the same aesthetic,” Halpern said. “I was really excited about Hannah when I first met her and talked to her, because I was like, ‘Oh my god, she has all this fun stuff that is similar to the kind of stuff that I like.’”
Pressman drew attention to the paintings the roommates claimed through Williams Art Loan for Living Spaces (WALLS) in September. “We both got black and white images,” she said. “It just fits the vibe of the room well.”
Although she and Pressman enjoyed participating in the contest, Halpern admitted that they were initially caught off guard by the sudden visibility of their room. “It’s honestly a little weird to just open up Instagram and see my bed right there, but it’s been fun,” Halpern said.
“We’re excited for our gift baskets,” she said, though she added that their contents remain unknown.
Second place: Abigail Wallach ’26 in Carter House
Wallach won second place for her room in Carter, which boasts a classic Greylock Quad brick wall heavily adorned with art.
“I kind of submitted last minute on a whim, and I was very surprised to end up second, but it was fun,” Wallach said. “I think as I’ve become more involved on campus, my room has become a place I spend less and less time, which is probably good, but it’s nice to have a place to go back to… It’s nice creating a little spot where I can feel very cozy.”
Wallach explained that while some of the art on her walls is new, she has owned many of the pieces since she was a first-year. “I’ve been slowly accumulating things,” she said.
Wallach has specifically focused on collecting art with a cohesive color scheme as well as queer art, some of which she purchased at a Pride event and some of which her friends made for her. “I kind of like that — I can look at different things and remember where I got them,” she said. “It adds a level of interest to the room.”
Wallach also said she hopes OCL hosts the contest in future years. “If it becomes more of a campus [tradition], it would be cool,” she said. “It’s a cool opportunity to see how other people decorate their rooms. And I’m sure there are people out there who did things way cooler than what I managed to do in my room but just didn’t end up submitting to the contest.”
First place: Clarissa Louis ’27 and Jordan Liss-Riordan ’27 in Sewall House
The first-place winners — Clarissa Louis ’27 and Jordan Liss-Riordan ’27 — have created their own poster-filled sanctuary within the walls of Sewall. “We’re really excited about winning,” Liss-Riordan said. Louis added that many students on campus have since congratulated the duo on their victory.
Like Halpern, Louis and Liss-Riordan also commented on their sudden presence in the public eye. “There was a moment where I was like, ‘Wow, this picture of my bed was sent out to the entire student body,’” Louis said. “That’s kind of crazy, but we’ve obviously gotten very positive feedback, so it’s been nice to be publicly appreciated for having a nice room. Our room also feels very public anyway in that it’s kind of a fishbowl. People from Sawyer can see us.”
“We keep the door open, so it did already feel like it was a public room,” Riordan added. “But it’s just fun because I feel like there’s a nice atmosphere here, so we want to welcome people into it.”
The best part of their room, Louis said, is their WALLS piece. “It’s from 1691, and they had me hang it up on the wall with Command strips — which is crazy, because I’m like, ‘What if this falls?’” she said. “I think it was just a great addition.”
Liss-Riordan also commented on their shared love of Sewall. “We really like Sewall because it feels like a home,” she said. “I come back from the end of the day and it really feels like I’m coming home.”
