Home Inspirations

Your university room whether in halls, a shared house or flat is your home from home while you are studying. The secret to making it ‘your’ unique space and keeping it practical is to recognise the various uses it will be put to.

Along with your study, it will double as your bedroom, entertainment hub and, depending on your accommodation, maybe your dining room. You probably won’t want to spend a fortune on jazzing it up, and neither will you need to. There are plenty of inexpensive yet effective ways of creating a comfortable and comforting abode.

The practicalities

You may up sticks and move more than once during your time at university. Therefore, it won’t be viable to have permanent fixtures – nor will it be likely that you’ll have a landlord who will be relaxed about you making permanent fixings. So be careful if you’re thinking of wielding hammer and nails.

Start with existing personal effects

A good method is to start with personal thing you know and love. Favourite books, posters and other odds and ends could form the basis of the ‘good clutter’ you’ll have in your room.

Be careful of the clichéd items such as the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ posters and the French Art Nouveau and Black Cat posters - everyone seems to have them, they’re pretty old hat.

A good bed

If your room doesn’t already have one, a good bed is worth its weight in gold. An old, saggy one may be cheaper, but there’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable night’s sleep and running the risk of backache.

If parents or other family are offering to buy you something - or you’ve managed to squirrel some money away from your summer job - then investing in a decent bed is worth it. A divan type is ideal - and perhaps one with some inbuilt storage such as some variants from the Divan Beds Centre are worth looking at to make the most of your space.

Washi tape

This tape is a great way of creating frames, general patterns or spelling out words without needing fixings or glue. Available in all sorts of colours and patterns, it may become a staple of your ‘room enhancing’ kit.

Photographs

An obvious one, but get creative with your photos and if you’re a keen photographer with some good pictures in your collection then print them off and give them an airing. A section of black and white photos blown up on a photo printer could form a fun display.

Tapestry and curtains

Tapestries are a great way of combating the landlord’s reluctance to let you paint. A printed tapestry can help hide the uninspiring wall colour, make your room unique and homely and can be rolled up easily when it’s time to move out.

A colourful pair of curtains might be worthwhile if the present ones are a bit uninspiring. Again, they can be removed in an instant when you up sticks and move.

Your home from home

Once you get thinking and collect ideas, turning your university room into your personalised space within the constraints of temporary accommodation can be creative and fun.