Move-in day has come a long way from matching bed-in-a-bag sets and plastic drawer towers. Today’s college students arrive on campus with Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts and TikTok inspiration in hand, dreaming of a space that’s every bit as stylish as the bedroom they’re leaving behind. Helping bring those dreams to life is Memphis artist Neely MaKinster, founder of Finley Lane, a boutique dorm-design business creating personalized spaces that make students feel at home from day one.
For MaKinster, designing dorm rooms wasn’t simply a business idea; it was the perfect intersection of timing, creativity and passion. “I’ve always loved design,” she says. “When I started working for Lisa Mallory, I knew interior design was the career I wanted to pursue.”
Just a year out of college herself, she recognized an opportunity. At 22, she understood exactly what students wanted because she had just lived it. Already running a successful art business with an online community of more than 10,000 followers, launching Finley Lane felt like a natural evolution. “I saw an opportunity to bring my vision to life and combine my passions for creativity, design and entrepreneurship,” she says. Today, she’s helping families transform standard dorm rooms into spaces that feel collected, comfortable and unmistakably personal.
Every project begins the same way: with a conversation.
Whether meeting clients in person or over Zoom, MaKinster takes time to understand how each student wants the room to look and, more importantly, to feel. “I want every space to feel like it was created specifically for that student,” she says.
Rather than selecting furniture first, she often starts with something much smaller since she is working with such compact spaces. “A pillow fabric usually becomes the foundation for the entire room,” she explains. From there, bedding, drapery, furnishings and accessories begin to fall into place, creating a layered design that’s equal parts functional and beautiful. The finishing touch is often one of the most personal: original artwork painted by MaKinster herself, perfectly complementing the space.
It’s those custom details that set Finley Lane apart. Of course, creating a beautiful dorm room also means solving one of college life’s biggest design dilemmas: tiny spaces. “When every square foot counts, storage has to work just as hard as the design,” MaKinster says.
Her approach is practical and polished. To make the room feel less institutional and more like a well-designed bedroom, MaKinster uses raised beds paired with custom bed skirts that conceal dressers and storage bins. Thoughtfully selected cabinetry hides dorm essentials like refrigerators and microwaves, softening the concrete space.
Parents, unsurprisingly, tend to have a few practical questions of their own. How much does it cost? What happens on move-in day? Where does everything fit?
Those conversations inspired one of Finley Lane’s newest partnerships. As the in-house designer for Cedar Bucket in Oxford, MaKinster now offers families an even more streamlined experience by combining custom design, furniture, storage and delivery all in one place. Students can select custom pillows, bed skirts, drapery, closet panels and accessories tailored specifically to their dorm room while coordinating furniture and move-in logistics.
“The goal is to make the entire experience as seamless as possible for families,” MaKinster says. While function is essential, style is having a major moment in the dorm world. According to MaKinster, Fall 2026 is all about personality.
The all-white aesthetic that’s dominated social media over the last several years is giving way to colorful fabrics, layered patterns and vintage-inspired accents. Students are embracing rooms that reflect who they are instead of what’s trending.
It’s a shift MaKinster loves seeing. “Students want their dorm room to feel like an extension of themselves,” she says. “They want it to be a place they’re excited to come home to.”
And, despite the stereotype, girls aren’t the only ones investing in thoughtful design. MaKinster says she’s regularly contacted by parents of sons who want their students to have comfortable, functional spaces that feel welcoming. The designs may be more understated, but the goal is exactly the same: creating a home away from home.
As Finley Lane continues to grow, so does MaKinster’s vision.
She recently unveiled a dorm showroom made possible through collaborations with several businesses and brands—including Kiser’s Floor Fashions, Lisa Mallory Interior Design, John Robshaw Textiles, Cedar Bucket Oxford and Room 422—whose support helped bring the space to life. For a young entrepreneur, those partnerships represent more than beautiful products; they reflect a community that believes in her work.
Looking ahead, MaKinster hopes to expand Finley Lane far beyond the Mid-South, building teams that travel to college campuses across the country each summer to install fully designed dorm rooms before students ever arrive.
It’s an ambitious vision, but one rooted in a simple idea: the first room a student labels "Mine" should feel special. College’s newest tradition may just be opening the dorm room door and feeling at home the moment you step inside.