Iowa State residence hall living has gotten pretty good for a few students this year.

Many students may have returned to classes this fall expecting to live another year in the residence halls with the same furniture they used the previous year. But big changes were in the works for some students living in Friley Hall.

Leroy Brown, manager of residence hall maintenance, said the university decided to buy new furniture for some residence floors last spring. They bought furniture from seven different companies and another company gave them a set to temporarily try out.

At least two houses in the residence halls are deemed as test floors. The floors are Kimball House, third floor Friley Hall, and Gwynne House, first floor Wilson Hall. They were chosen on a volunteer basis.

“There are several different sets of furniture being tested out,” Brown said. “Last spring each residence hall had a furniture show, and students who went were given questionnaires to fill out.” He said the furniture was chosen by the students’ feedback from the questionnaires.

At the end of the year, students who have new furniture will evaluate their sets.

The maintenance staff will also be looking at different factors, such as repair and upkeep, before making their decision.

Kristen Dunmead, a sophomore in animal science and resident of Gwynne House, said she likes the new furniture.

“There is more drawer space and closet room,” Dunmead said.

“The only thing I don’t like about it is that my loft is metal, and it is not very sturdy. And the ladder is inconveniently placed at the end of the bed,” she said.

Another downfall to the new furniture is that the sets are hard to move and students cannot be as creative with their room setup, Dunmead said.

There will be an open house held for curious students to come and check out the new furniture sometime during the week of Oct. 27.

Touring students will have a chance to express their opinions on the new furniture by filling out evaluations.

“Hopefully, all the furniture should be moved in by [the time of the open house],” Brown said. “We have had a little hold up with it, but it is taken care of now.”

The original plan was to have all the new furniture moved into rooms by the end of August before the students arrived.

Brown said the students who volunteered to use the new furniture have been very helpful.