Quarantine Corners: Chloe Kaplan

Inside the bedroom of a BHSEC student

 Lula Konner, ‘22

The pandemic has forced all of us to become much more familiar with our rooms, whether we like it or not. Quarantine Corners is a new column that glimpses into the bedrooms of various BHSEC students and explores the way in which quarantine has affected all of our relationships to these personal spaces. Email lk826m@bhsec.bard.edu if you are interested in participating in the next issue!

Do you share a room with any other family members, or do you have it to yourself?
Luckily, I don’t. I have made my room into my own personal and safe space. 

How have you decorated your walls, if at all?

I recently moved into a new room during the quarantine but in my old room I had a whole wall of pictures, but many of them were really old so it was almost like a time capsule on my wall, which was pretty cool. In my new room the wall decoration is not as intense but the things I do have on my wall tend to be a little special. Next to my bed I have a dream catcher that my sister got me, a mini kimono that my Japanese exchange partner’s grandmother sewed for me, my plane ticket to Berlin and a sketch of the Knish place by Bard. My other wall is filled with things I have sort of collected, the picture my dad took of Patti Smith, the pages of the old magazine my dad also gave me, my sister’s painting and other pictures I have taken through the past couple of years. 

Do you have a lot of books in your room? Have you read most of them?

I don’t have a bunch, I used to have more but donated them as I didn’t have the space for them. I have read most of them, mainly consisting of old seminar books and books I have yet to return to the bookroom. 

Do you generally keep your room messy or clean?

My room is always a mess, I was planning on cleaning it before sending in pictures, but felt that it was more realistic to see my mess. To me “the mess” is more often organized chaos than truly a mess. 

What do you like most about your room?

The thing I like most about my room is probably my windows. For about 5 years my bedroom was in my mom’s old office, it had no windows and claimed the name “the dungeon” for its lack of light and access to the outside world. My new room is filled with windows, which are often taken for granted. I love my windows, I love watching the snow collect on the tree in my backyard and seeing the falling leaves. My windows have created a connection between me and nature that I would have never expected. 

How much time, on average, do you think you spend in your room?

Probably about 23 hours a day. Occasionally I will escape to get food but other than that I mainly stay put. I think that quarantine has definitely changed that because instead of going out and seeing friends or going to school, I can’t. I now do my classes in my room, talk to my friends in my room and do the normal binge watching in my room. 

How has quarantine and the pandemic affected your relationship with your room?

Quarantine has made me love my room. Prior to the pandemic I was stuck in my dungeon. If not for the pandemic I would still be stuck in my light-less room. It has also made me spend more time in my room, just because we are not really allowed to do that much outside. 

Where do you get inspiration for decorating your room?

Often I am inspired by art and photographs that either I have found or have taken. Most of my current decorations are from my dad, he has an insane collection of old magazines and always gives me the ads or covers that accidentally rip out. I used to have a bunch of my own photographs up, but now I am a little more selective, trying to go for a “cooler vibe”.