How do you make a room that isn't yours feel like it is?
Strong bedding
The biggest thing in the room sets the palette for everything else.
Better light
One warm lamp does more than anything else you can carry in.
Something on the walls
Start with one larger piece and let the rest gather round it.
The idea
The problem with student rooms isn't that they're small. It's that they're anonymous. One bed. One desk. One wardrobe. A heroic amount of magnolia. And a carpet that has seen considerably more university life than you have.
The trick is to give the eye somewhere else to go. Great bedding, better light, something on the walls, a little texture and a few things that could only belong to you. You don't need more stuff. You need the right stuff, and you need to resist buying most of it until you've actually stood in the room.
The details
01
The bed
In a room this small the bed does the visual heavy lifting. Choose a strong foundation: a broad stripe, gingham, crisp white or a good solid colour. Add a throw and a cushion. That's enough, and it sets the palette for everything else.
02
Light
Overhead lighting has an extraordinary ability to make a pleasant room feel like a waiting area. A warm lamp with some personality changes it immediately. Paper, chrome, coloured metal, or something portable that moves between desk and bedside.
03
Walls
You don't need expensive art. Exhibition posters, postcards, photographs and gig flyers are more interesting here. Start with one larger piece and let everything else gather around it. Check what your accommodation allows before attaching anything.
04
Storage
Once you've given the eye good things to look at, hide the rest. Chargers, toiletries, laundry, lecture notes, pasta, and the tote bags that appear during Freshers' Week. A couple of baskets beat an elaborate system.
05
One odd thing
A strange ceramic from a charity shop. A fun alarm clock. Something from home. Rooms made entirely from sensible purchases look like rooms made entirely from sensible purchases.
Get the look
The nine pieces worth taking. We've done the searching so you don't have to.
SHOP THE FRESHERS' EDIT →Why it works
Five changes, none of them permanent, all of them coming home with you in June. You're not decorating a room. You're carrying one.
WHAT TO LEAVE OUT
The kettle, the toaster, the printer and twelve plates, because your flatmates are bringing all of them. A matching bedding set that arrived in a bag labelled University Essentials. Fairy lights as the entire personality of the room. And anything bought for a room you haven't stood in yet, which is how most of it ends up back in the car at Christmas.
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Questions
How do you decorate a student room without damaging the walls?
Removable adhesive strips, washi tape, a freestanding pinboard, or lean larger pieces against the wall. Check your accommodation agreement first, because rules vary and deposits do not.
What should you take to halls?
Bedding, one good lamp, something for the walls, and two or three storage baskets. Those four establish the room. Everything else can wait.
How do you make a small student room feel bigger?
Give the eye somewhere to travel. Good bedding, one larger piece on the wall and hidden storage do more than any space-saving gadget.
What lighting is allowed in halls?
Plug-in lamps are almost always fine, candles almost never are. Choose warm bulbs and a lamp that can move between desk and bedside.
What should you not buy before you arrive?
Kettles, toasters, printers and full sets of crockery. Your flatmates are probably bringing them, and unused duplicates go home at Christmas.
