Sorority house design is changing in the age of Instagram and RushTok. Interior designers have built businesses off of Greek life, as some sororities pursue multimillion-dollar renovations to modernise their houses. Liz Toombs, the owner of Lexington-based interior design firm PDR Interiors, says sorority design accounts for about 90pc of her business.

Everything in the house must be durable to withstand heavy use, especially during the period known as recruitment, formerly known as rush, in which dozens or even hundreds of potential members pass through. The house must also look presentable and feel like a home since many women live there during their college years. It has become even more critical for sororities to put on their best face now that they are competing for a smaller pool of students. Undergraduate student bodies are down 9.4pc since spring 2020, a reduction of 1.4m million students, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Centre.

(Adapted from` Sorority House Design in the Age of Instagram and RushTok, by Kelsey Ogletree, published on December 29, 2022, The Wall Street Journal)