So, you're heading to university. Or perhaps you're already there. You're looking for easy ways to personalise your student bedroom, dorm room or rented apartment. On a budget. Your university accommodation or landlord likely don't want you to paint, or put nails in the walls. Besides, that's quite a lot of effort for a room you'll only live in for a year or two.
I've recently finished my Master's degree, and I've been a student since 2014. I've written a lot about my university experience. It's about time I wrote a post featuring easy ways to personalise your student bedroom!
During my years as a student, I've lived in halls (dorms) twice, and 3 privately-rented homes. Each room has had a completely different shape, size, and type of bed. I've decorated each room slightly differently, but with a lot of the same features and 'vibes'. My style has matured since my first year of university (I was that person with Star Wars posters all over the walls). Thankfully for my bank balance, I'm still into essentially the same aesthetic. Lots of plants, witchcraft, and a kind of bohemian maximalism are my thing!
Easy Ways To Personalise Your Student Bedroom
Posters, Prints & Photographs
If you aren't allowed to hang up a framed print, or use blu-tack for posters, there are other ways to display art.
Lots of student bedrooms come equipped with pinboards. These are the perfect place to feature family and friend photos, and little art prints. Make sure to leave some space to put up your class timetable and essay deadline dates!
You're likely to also have a desk where you can set up some framed photos or prints if you've got space. If you have a windowsill, use that too. I enjoyed having cacti, succulents and little photographs on my windowsill at uni.
If your landlord/accommodation allow you to put pictures up, why not create a gallery wall? If music and movie posters are your thing, do that! If not, a few little prints can really brighten up a plain wall.
Wall Hangings
If you're not into posters and want to cover up an ugly wall, wall hangings are the way to go.
I picked up a very inexpensive zodiac wall hanging at Camden Market, and used it to cover most of a bright red wall. I used command strips because I didn't want to leave any blu-tack marks, and nails weren't allowed.
In my current bedroom, my wall hanging is attached to the back of my bed-frame.
Rugs
Don't forget about the floor! In my first year student halls, we had hideous carpet in the bedrooms. I immediately covered it up with a huge fluffy rug, and it helped me feel more cosy.
Now I'm lucky enough to live in a house with dark, hardwood flooring, but I still enjoy having rugs around the house. They help bring a bit more character to a room, and feel nice on your toes! It's all about that feeling of hygge.
Plants (or fake ones!)
I'm a huge fan of plants. My house is slowly becoming a bohemian jungle, and I love it. Plants are my favourite way to personalise a student bedroom.
Get yourself an air-purifying plant that requires little care, and you're all set! I live in London, so air purifying plants are essential to help counter the pollution. I grew up in the countryside surrounded by nature, so it's especially important to help me feel at home in the city.
If you really can't take care of plants, get some fake ones. I have a few faux vines draped over my bed because I love the aesthetic. Or get some cacti, because they're difficult to kill.
Read this blog post to find out my favourite witchy plants.Lights, Lamps, and Lampshades
Many university accommodations don't allow candles (fire risk!), so fairy lights are your best option. I pinned mine up around the edge of my pinboard in halls, and now I have them draped around my bed-frame.
My fairy lights are from Blaze-On, a great ethical brand from the UK. They've lasted nearly 6 years so far. Blaze-On fairy lights are handmade and energy-efficient! You can read all about them here.
I also picked up a lovely mosaic lamp a few years ago (again from Camden Market). It shines in various shades of blue, perfect for a bit of mood lighting in the evenings.
Switching up your ceiling lampshade is also a way to have a bit more customisation!
I hope you found some easy ways to personalise your student bedroom here. If you have any more ideas, make sure to leave them in the comments for anyone else reading. Best of luck to you, and I hope your studies go well.
You can find my other university blog posts here, and more home decor blog posts here.
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All the best,
