University Bedrooms Don't Have To Be A Bore

As a sucker for interior design, Architectural digest and a cosy yet spacious home this article was a long time coming. With the return to university date looming, the thought of leaving your family home to reside in a student property can sometimes be quite daunting. Last year I moved into my student house with two complete strangers, and as my luck goes I was stuck with the tiny bedroom at the back of the house. Initial disappointment struck, however I know how to make the most of an unfortunate situation. After a bit of rearranging, a few trips to Ikea, and searching through Urban Outfitters and H&M's homeware for some reasonably prices inspiration, I had the nicest room in the house. Even if it was the smallest, it was certainly the cutest and cosiest. If you're stuck with the miserable looking dark dingy room, or simply have been allocated the tiny weeny one when your housemates have room for endless amounts of belongings, then perhaps I can give you some student housing bedroom advice.

1. Neutrals will always work best in smaller rooms

Neutral colours open up rooms creating the illusion of size and light. Student rooms can often come in all sorts of strange blues and yellows, and if thats the case it doesn't mean you can't alter them yourselves. If your room is an unfortunate custard yellow ask for a touch up! Most landlords will be more than happy for your room to be painted a neutral cream or white (so long as its done properly) as not only will it improve the house for you, but them also. This will make your room look cleaner, lighter, bigger and newer. If this is not an option putting mirror on the walls will cover up some of the oddly coloured wall space and cause the room to appear bigger one again. Posters or wall tapestries may also work however if the design is too busy it may cause the room to look messy or cramped.

When it comes to flooring this can be slightly more difficult however this is when we can introduce rugs. My student bedroom floor is boarded wood, which looks great, however as a sucker for a soft carpet it won't do. Opting for a rug can cover up any unattractive oddly coloured carpet, hard floor, and will at the same time act practically protecting the surface underneath from makeup, pen stains etc. In terms of furniture, my room came with a white wardrobe and bedside table which I was very pleased about, however no desk. This was solved with a quick trip to Ikea where I picked up two legs and a desk top for £10 (So cheap!), and bought my previously Ikea purchased desk draws from home. This was practical as it squeezed into my small room and complemented the neutral colours perfectly. Neutral colours are even more ideal for smaller spaces as they create the illusion of space.

2. Creating space is a lot easier than expected

As a hoarder with a tiny room I can provide you with copious amounts of advice on how to manage you belongings when confined to a small space. Firstly, if your bed is lacking height then investing in bed raisers will be essential. These can be bought from Amazon for about £10 and will probably be the best £10 you'll ever spend. Bed raisers are essentially small yet very sturdy plastic cones that are placed at each corner of your bed to raise the bed creating underneath strange space. I cannot emphasis how valuable under bed storage space is when your room is small. Under my bed I store shoes, toiletries, makeup, university work, books, you name it its probably under my bed! Not only will this free up space but it will make your bed look cosier and your room a lot tidier as everything will be hidden out of sight.

My second way to creating space is to invest in a wardrobe divider creating shelves within a hanging wardrobe divider. This will allow for more clothes to be stored into one space as you can fold them and pile them up rather than hang them. These can be purchased from Ikea for as little as £7. Additionally, storage boxes can also be purchased in order to store socks and underwear, makeup and spare toiletries etc as this will again hide your belongings making the room appear tidier and allow for your belongings to be organised into boxes. I have found this very handy for moving out as my makeup which is a nightmare to normally move is already all in one box!

Finally, wall hooks are perfect for hanging up coats, dressing gowns etc which take up too much wardrobe space. Placing these on the back of doors are prime spots as they will be hidden most pf the time and won't be taking up any more room space.

3. Fairy lights are the ultimate favourite when it comes to student rooms and cheap ways to decorate

A pretty unoriginal suggestion never to be underestimated. Fairy lights add a delicate fun touch to a drab student room. The small twinkly lights cause a cosy illusion, brightening up a run down room. Fairy lights are the cheap solution dull rooms as they are often cheap and provide additional light to the room, especially during those cold winter nights. Candles are another great option especially if they're scented. Candles are usually very cheap and again add an elegant touch to the room brightening it up slightly. A word of warning: please do not leave lit candles unattended or fairy lights on for a prolonged period of time and keep distance between lights/candles and flammable materials.

4. Choose a colour scheme

A common mistake when decorating a room or buying decorations for a room is not having an initial plan. Having a colour scheme will narrow down your options in terms of what to buy, and allow for a co-ordinating bedroom. A co-ordinating room will also cause the illusion of more space and appear more tidy as everything will match, and there won't be a bunch of random colours and objects causing things to differ. The colours I chose for my main scheme were maroon, grey and gold.

These colours complimented one another and went well with neutrals so it wasn't difficult to buy furniture that was only available in black, white or pine. They also work well as base colours as a lot is available in grey. The use of gold made cheap decorations such as candles and pots look more expensive when in reality I bought them for a few pounds from Primark. Gold also went with my jewellery as I often gravitate towards gold jewellery more than silver, I could therefore work my accessories I already owned into the appearance of my bedroom.

5. Bring the outdoors in

Plants are another easy solution to bring a plain room to life. Not only do they add to the neutral element, they contradictory work as unique forms of decoration themselves. Green plants in particular provide a sense of openness and give the impression of the outside. Although my plants are all fake, real plants have a substantial benefit when put inside a room. They help cleanse and purify the air within the room, and have even proven to cause more attentiveness among students during study time! This is an added bonus when you're stuck in your room with endless deadlines to meet. If real plants are too big a responsibility for you then opt for fake flowers. These require no care and look equally lovely.

6. Keep it personal and cosy with soft furnishings and possessions

Student accommodation can reach unforgivably cold temperatures during the winter as they're often not very well insulated and students don't have the funds to fire up the heating as and when they want. Buy soft furnishings such as blankets, thicker curtains and rugs to keep your room warm and better insulated. These items will also provide a more cosy personal feel to the room through your choice of colour, material and texture. I found my perfume bottles displayed in my room added a really lovely shiny touch as the glass bottles looked super glossy and were all my own. I did unfortunately discover perfume does not sit well in direct sunlight and ruined an entire bottle of Ellie Saab so please be warned!

I hope this blog post has provided you with some inspiration for your student accommodation and shows you you can add a personal pizzazz to your room in the hope of finding a new lease of life!