When you first move out from your parent’s house, it feels new and exciting but after a few weeks the reality kicks in – you start feeling homesick. Here are a few tips to help make your student place less dull and more cosy like your home.
Re-arrange furniture
The first step when you move in – assess the space and plan of the room. As you will be spending most of your time there, you need to create a comfortable, personalised living area. This is quite challenging as students rooms are usually not very spacious so you have to be creative to turn your space into a functional and cosy student corner.
Bedding
It may seem that a duvet or new bed sheets will not make much difference – believe us, your bed will be your only private space so this is where you can have some personality. As a student, you should not be spending a fortune on bedding so we advise to check out H&M Home or Ikea as these are the best quality and great value combos.
Bring something from home
It is exciting to finally move into the student hall and start buying new stuff for your room. Actually, there’s no need to rush – think if it’s actually worth buying something rather than taking it from home? Not only you will save money for more needed purchases but also add a “home feel” to your student room. It can be anything you like or find useful – your favourite blanket, storage box, tapestry decoration, beloved tea mug and so on.
Cool lighting
Lights are the best way to create a cozy atmosphere in the room and transform a dull dungeon into a warm welcoming corner. Consider going for fairy lights, string lights, cinema light boxes or even a pineapple lamps (if you’re feeling adventurous) rather than chunky lamps. There are so many options to decorate and jazz up your student room that will not break your budget. Try to look at Primark or Tiger for affordable options.
Wall stickers and photographs
One of decoration hacks that will make your room totally awesome are wall stickers. Most of the student rooms have empty walls so you have room to express your personality. You may want to look on Amazon or eBay as they always have cheap wall stickers you’ll not regret removing after moving out of the room. Also, we know you are taking photos of your family and friends so why not hang them on the wall as well? There are plenty of inspirational ideas on Pinterest like hanging your photos on the fairy lights, creating a hearty art from your photos or buying different sized frames and arranging a frame wall above your work desk.
Candles and diffuser
Once you’ve arranged the room and feel happy with all the decorations, think about scents that will make the room smell good. Candles and diffusers are a must for every house and there’s nothing better than entering a nice smelling room. You can find cheap and beautifully decorated candles and diffusers in every UK shop: Asda, Sainsbury’s, Boots, etc. Also, consider the place to put the candles and diffusers (don’t forget – safety first!) – you can simply put them on the shelf next to your bed. Try not to go overboard with filling the room with heavy scents as some people may be allergic to it or just don’t like the particular fragrance.
Storage
As space is really important in every student room, we’d recommend looking for functional storage options. Under-bed storage space is a real space saver – just imagine how much you can fit underneath it, starting from your luggage and ending with empty shoe boxes. You can also turn shoe-boxes into small compartments to place your stationery or makeup. A mattress caddy is a real deal – it’s very functional when it comes to storing a book, your phone, an iPad or any other gadgets that are not meant to be on the floor. Hanging cabinets can be fixed over your bed or anywhere on the wall and it’s a good place to put your clothes, books or decorations. If you don’t have a huge closet, invest in hanging racks and small storage boxes that won’t take much room.
Cleaning
The worst part of being an independent adult is cleaning and we know that you have more important plans than hovering your room everyday.
However, if you keep these staples in your room, you can easily minimise the time doing the “big clean” every week.
- Wipes – a must have for every room. These are really handy when you need to quickly wipe something off the screen or a table
- Handheld small vacuum – perfect for small student rooms
- Garbage bins – if you don’t have it, you must buy it. It will keep your desk clear of papers
- Make yourself a promise to remove clutter everyday – empty garbage bags, make your bed every morning, tidy up your desk from papers and come up with a cleaning routine.
You don’t need to spend loads to make your student room feel like home so we hope you found these ideas useful.