Princeton Housing and Real Estate Services hosted a furniture open house for Hobson College on Nov. 7. Yeh College’s Choi Glass Box studio was temporarily transformed into a series of mock gathering spaces displaying furniture options for Hobson College. Incentivized by $5 Coffee Club drink vouchers, students, faculty, and staff filtered through to share their opinions on everything from lounge chairs to library tables.
According to University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi, over 200 University community members attended the event. He noted that “decisions concerning furniture in Hobson College will be confirmed in Spring 2025.” He added that approximately 500 students will eventually live in the college.
University Architect Ron McCoy GS ’80 was present at the event, both “partly organizing” it along with a team of staff and participating in the survey himself. In an interview with The Daily Princetonian, he said that he hoped that students participating at the event would feel “a sense of input” in Hobson’s future and that it would make them “get a little more excited” about the future of the new residential college.
For Annie Lin ’25, the promise of free coffee did initially motivate her to participate in the open house. However, she noted after filling out the survey that, although she may not actually have the chance to live in Hobson, “[she] could come back for reunions and see the living spaces then.”
Lin’s four years of experience with Princeton’s housing proved to be useful when filling out the survey. “A lot of the chairs on campus don’t really have good back support, so that was something to consider” she told the ‘Prince’ in an interview. She also drew upon her favorite study spaces on campus, such as Lewis Library, when considering which pieces of furniture to rank. Lin observed that a lot of the furniture she preferred in the open house was “really similar” to that of Lewis Library.
John Morgan Griffith ’28, like Lin, praised the University’s decision to engage students in Hobson’s interior design. He told the ‘Prince’ that “it definitely makes me feel more engaged, especially since students from Forbes may be moved into Hobson at some point.” According to Rizvi, Forbes will undergo renovation in the summer of 2027, “roughly the same time that Hobson College becomes operational. At that time, Forbes staff and students will become a part of Hobson college while Forbes is offline during the renovations.”
Griffith also felt that his participation would make him more interested in upperclassman housing in Hobson in the future.
“I think I’d be more likely to consider it as an option given that [students] have had a say and be involved in the process,” he said.
Griffith’s experiences studying in spaces at Forbes College played a significant role in his furniture preferences. “I’m in Forbes, and a lot of the furniture is really comfortable, which makes it nice for lounging around, but a bit harder to study in,” he explained.
By contrast, Kehan Chen ’28, who lives in Whitman College noted that because the “primarily wooden” furniture in her dorm are “a little outdated … and uncomfortable to work in,” she tended to prioritize “comfort and functionality over appearance” when filling out the open house’s survey.
Kashti Umare ’27 reported a similar experience during her time living in Rockefeller College, saying that “comfort mattered the most” to her when deciding what furniture she preferred for Hobson because “in Rocky, we don’t have the most modern furniture, so if I see pieces [of furniture] and they look similar to what we have in Rocky, I’m more likely to go away from them.” Both Rockefeller and Mathey residential colleges received new furniture sets last year.
McCoy emphasized that Hobson would have a distinct aesthetic of its own, explaining that his team “intentionally want[ed] each college to have a unique identity.” He noted that at the end of the day, like all student-centric spaces on campus, it was key that the college would “feel like home” for students.
“It won’t be successful unless students like it and spend time in it and enjoy it, and we want the furniture to be something that makes you feel like you have a sense of comfort there,” McCoy said. “Getting student input about what makes them feel comfortable, what makes them relax and enjoy each other’s company, that’s what’s most important.”
Hobson College is currently set to open in 2027 as a part of the 2026 campus plan, amidst ongoing campus expansion.
Leela Hensler is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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