Photo Story: Music as Decor
Music taste says a lot about a person. So does the way they decorate their home. Why not combine the two? Four students at the University of Texas at Austin show Afterglow how they took music from their Spotify accounts to their walls.
Written by Carys Anderson
Photos by Emma Pham
Roger Flores decorated his bedroom wall with images of his favorite films and albums, with the top three projects that changed his life — The Strokes’ Is This It?, Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV, and John Mulaney’s The Comeback Kid — in the middle. “You know how athletes will have pictures of an Olympic athlete and they’re just like, ‘That’s my motivation’? I look at it and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s why I do it. That’s why I make music, because of this,’” he said. Flores’ guitars sit below the display. From bonding with his bandmates over John Mulaney to using his wall to connect with guests, Flores said he sums up music as a great “unifier.”
Macey Erhardt’s mother introduced her to record collecting in high school, but she’s recently revisited the practice in a big way. Now her 50+ piece collection features withering classics and freshly pressed new releases. Erhardt uses vinyl inserts and band posters from the likes of The 1975 and Local Natives to decorate the walls of her room. “I think, of course, they look really cool, but also, they just give me comfort, so I like to see them everyday,” Erhardt said. “It’s just really important to me to escape, to make me happy, to feel sadder when I feel sad, and it’s mine. It’s something that’s mine.”
Tabitha Morris’ bedroom walls are covered with artist posters and setlists, mostly accumulated from live performances. “I can’t stand having blank walls, so I definitely need some busyness going on. But also, it’s cool for other people to get a sense of my music taste when they walk in,” Morris said. She also said the images represent positive memories from when she had the time to go to concerts once or twice a week. “Johnny Marr held my hand during ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” Morris said, and she “was crying the entire time” during Mitski.
Allyson Stephens shows her love for Real Friends, one of her favorite bands, on her living room wall. Close by hangs a Stubbs wristband, a memento from the Local Natives concert she attended with her boyfriend. In the corner rests her guitar, a graduation gift from her mother. “I feel like people don’t have enough art on their walls, so this is my main thing,” Stephens said. The items work to remind her of good memories, and help welcome guests to her home. “A lot of people say it feels homey, and that’s important to me, to have people feel comfortable in my space.”