A blue denim slip-covered couch accompanied by three seats - two red and orange dotted dish chairs and one black and purple shoe-shaped chair - fill the living room of a West Akers Hall suite.

A light wood and steel entertainment center stands in front, next to a floor-to-ceiling, white-board paneled wall. A fixture with red, blue and green push lights, is attached to a black panel adorning the walls.

These fixtures have re-vamped the cookie-cutter style of an Akers room built in 1964 for MSU's own reality makeover show.

The "Room 4U" project, a campus housing makeover program, made Amy Birkmeier's room stand out on the first floor.

"We couldn't believe this was still a dorm room," said Birkmeier, an education sophomore who won the contest last spring.

"Room 4U" is part of the of the Division of Housing and Food Services' efforts to encourage students to live on campus.

About 240 students applied for the makeover, and Birkmeier's room revamp cost about $10,000, plus donations, said Sharri Margraves, director of marketing and communications for the Division of Housing and Food Services.

Finding a creative challenge for the student designer, and the potential for the room and residents to create an interesting makeover show were considered when Birkmeier was chosen, said Tony Frewen, assistant director and creative director for the Division of Housing and Food Services' marketing communications.

"Room 4U" was filmed as a design show and will be shown on the housing and food services Utube Cable Channel. The show premiered Wednesday, and the five new half-hour episodes will air Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.

"Room 4U" designer and interior design senior Laura Bonucchi said the main challenge was the different personalities of the three girls living in the room. Birkmeier's roommates are telecommunication, information studies and media sophomore Stacy Ahern and horticulture sophomore Anna Arend.

"My goal was to create a living space that all three of the girls would enjoy and would represent their individual personalities," Bonucchi said. "I wanted it to be a fun space they could relax in and hang out."

Birkmeier and her roommates, all former residents of the Brody Complex, said Bonucchi did a wonderful job.

"We got a lot of little things, but they added up to a fun room," Birkmeier said.

An added perk of the contest is the girls get to keep the furniture and room accessories when they move out of the residence hall.

Almost everyone involved was a student during the program, from Bonucchi and the film crew to the host.

"The whole project has been a great experience for students in their area of study," Frewen said.

"Room 4U" might be only one of many makeover programs to occur on campus. Frewen said the division is looking into other potential projects such as family and boyfriend makeover shows.

The Division of Housing and Food Services is searching for new program ideas and is looking to include student opinions.

Ideas can be submitted at www.spartanmakeovers.com, but whether or not a new contest will take place has not yet been decided.

"We're waiting to see how this show is responded to," Frewen said. "It's very labor-intensive to put these together."