dorm style design for a sober sorority

When you get a call from one of your favorite clients and she says she has a multi-property, million bedroom, magic in the making project down the street from your house and do you want to design it … you don’t say no!

Ohana House is a project near and dear to my heart for my many reasons, one of which is that they were my very first full blown marketing client. Logo, branding, website, advertising, they were the first small business that I had the privilege of branding from conception. And here we are now, with Ohana House 2.0 - a sober living for home for college age girls - and it’s my first big, real interior design client that I’ve had the privilege of creating and concepting from construction. My first tour of the place was full of scaffolding and mud and a wildly dangerous open staircase that we all survived. To say this project has been a dream come true is an understatement. And I can’t wait to do so many more big things with this client!

Megan Lisa Interior Design Sober Sorority

So without further ado, what I’m sharing with you today is the “main house” - two stories, nine bedrooms, 15 beds, and a small-ish open concept living/dining/kitchen. The bedrooms were designed as an upgraded dorm-style living situation. We wanted them to be beautiful and feel immediately homey and comfortable, but also bare enough that they could easily be personalized by their future residents. The nine bedrooms needed to be alike but different, with an effortless flow between them.

The main living area is a temporary gathering space - a clubhouse is currently under construction behind the main house - so it needed to be a place that could house multiple girls and also remain flexible for a future renovation. The market lights were the final touch that added just a little bit of magic to the vibe of the room.

At the end of the day, it all came together as a beautiful boho palace for girls to feel safe and create community. A sober sorority of sorts, where girls can retreat from the chaos that comes with college life. If you or someone you know is in need of a sober living home for women, please visit www.ohanacollegearea.com.


Megan Harnal