Hello everyone!
I decided I would do a post on decorating your university bed room or any bed room for that matter. At university your bed room is often the only place of your own. It is where you relax, sleep, eat, work and everything else, so it is important that you make it your own, cosy, homely little space.
I remember my first uni room in halls. It wasn't the best and definitely not what I had in mind! The halls we were in were built in the 1950's as university halls, they didn't appear to have been up-dated since then!
As in most halls of residence the rooms are very small and usually come with a single bed, desk, shelves, wardrobe & are very bland.
So here's a ten different ways you can make your uni room more homely.
1. Photographs
In both my uni bedroom and my home bedroom I like to have a section for photos, weather they are framed or in a collage on the wall. Having photo's are a good home comfort for your home away from home. They are good memories, fun and give a personal touch to your room.
If you don't want to put many photos up why not cut out some of your favourite pictures from old magazines or purchase a few posters to decorate.
At my university there was a poster fair during freshers week that sold posters at discount price. I remember buying a David Bowie and Blondie poster during my freshers week, which I used in my halls room.
Or keep any birthday cards that you like the look of and use them to decorate. It is always nice to read them at a later date too.
Wall stickers are another way you can decorate your uni room without breaking the bank. They are easily pealed off when you come to move out so no problems with deposits.
I got the above wall sticker from Amazon UK for £2.50 and have had others from Home-bargains that were good quality and not expensive.
2. Fairy lights
Fairy lights are my most favourite. They bring a warm homely feel to the room and are very pretty. I actually prefer fairy lights to a lamp in my room, as my uni room's have always been fairly small I find they produce enough light and look better than just a lamp on a desk.
I like to buy my fairy lights from lights for fun as they have a very good range of plug in lights, battery lights, garden lights and solar lights all at reasonable prices that are affordable if your a student!
In the past I have decorated my uni room with fairy lights by draping them over shelves and furniture. I currently have my fairy lights in a clear glass bowl from Ikea so they are grouped together and produce a good amount of light. This looks good at bedside or on a desk or shelf. I personally like clear / yellow glow lights for that warm cosy feel but you can get fairy lights in almost every colour so you can match them to the theme of your room.
3. Bunting
Bunting is an all time fave of mine! I have just recently purchased some new floral print bunting for my flat from Amazon UK. If you do not want to pay a lot for bunting there are websites where you can download free printable bunting or you could make your own with old material and ribbon or string. You could also buy material of your choice and create more personal bunting.
Urban Outfitters have had paper bunting in the past which I have purchased for one of my uni rooms. I really loved the design on this one as it was vintage, floral and birds. Very cute.
Here's the link for Urban Outfitters you'll probably find lots of lovely things for your uni room here!
4. Homely decorations
You can get loads of lovely homely decor these days for a reasonable price. I often finds lots of stuff in Home-bargains and the Original Factory Shop or why not have a look out to a vintage fair or even a car boot sale? You can often pick up some really good bargains and after all we are students!
I personally love wicker heart decorations to hang from my door or in my window. I also really like vintage looking tins & boxes for storage that also helps give my room a personal touch.
This swallow decoration was a present from my parents from a holiday in Lisbon, Portugal.
I got my wicker heart decoration from ASDA Living, approx. £3.00.
I got this lovely framed drawing of a bird from a tattoo convention I went to recently. I love the blue frame and the tattoo style drawing which is perfect to display in my bedroom.
5. Candles
I always have candles in my room even if I don't light them! Simply for the decoration. I like to buy pretty little candles that come in miniature or over sized jars and if you do burn them you can use the jars afterwards.
Candles aren't usually allowed in halls of residence so if you do buy some make sure you hide them on inspection day!
If you want candles but are not allowed in halls you could also buy battery candles from lights for fun.
6. Bedding
This is a bit of an obsession of mine! I love buying bedding. You can usually get great offers online and in supermarkets so there is no need to pay over the odds for it. Your bed probably dominates your uni room so perhaps go for fresh & light looking bedding that you can accessorize with throws & cushions.
Most of my bedding is either, polka dots, floral or nautical themed. I usually find bedding online, in supermarkets and of course Home-bargains.
The top two cushions are from ASDA Living and the Union Jack cushion was a present.
I like to have a throw on my the bottom of my bed as it makes it that little bit more cosy. I often have one of my nana's homemade crochet blankets at the bottom of mine or spread across the whole bed as it gives such a homely feel.
7. Storage
Wicker baskets are great for storing beauty products, PJs, towels, blankets, pants & socks, whatever you want really & they look good too! If you find you don't have much room in your wardrobe these usually fit nicely on top & don't get in the way.
This was one of my dads old tins I decorated with random stickers I had lying around, I use it to store my make-up.
I love these cute little cat storage pots I got for Christmas last year, they are great for storing hair bobbles & grips. The teapot holder is actually meant for used teabags but I liked the look of it for my bedroom to keep my ear rings & other bits of jewelry in. I got this from Home-bargains for approx. £0.45.
8. Rugs:
In every uni room I have stayed in, I have always put down a rug. Most uni rooms wont have the best carpet or floor boards fitted anyway so if anything its a little more comfort for your feet! They also give your uni room a more cosy & homely feel.
I usually buy rugs from Ikea as you can get them in just about the right size for a small uni room and they are cheap. You can also usually find rugs suitable for a uni room in bargain stores like;
Home-bargains,
Wilkinsons,
B&M and
BHS.
9. Flowers or plants:
Since starting uni I have always had my little palm tree either on my window ledge or on my desk or shelf, to remind me of sunshine abroad. I got my plant and pot from Ikea which they still have on sale today. Having a plant or flowers in your room can make it that bit more pretty and colourful. If you don't like watering plants I'd suggest going for a palm or cactus as they require very little watering or you could get some artificial plants. Most places I have already mentioned in this post sell artificial flowers. They are a really cheap way to freshen and brighten up a uni room or house.
10. Stationary:
Paperchase is my favourite stationary shop, you can get some lovely decorative pretties for your desk. Having stationary displayed nicely on your desk or on your shelves can give your uni room a real studenty look. I personally like pastel colours and polka dots so it all fits in with my room.
I also love the Jack Wills stationary range but only have a few bits and bots of these as they are quite expensive.
This is my Jack Wills plug in speaker which always looks nice on my desk next to my laptop.
Here's a list of stores useful for decorating your uni bedroom or new student house:
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