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So, you’re heading to university. Or perhaps you’re already there. Maybe you’re moving to London. You’re looking for easy ways to personalise your student bedroom, dorm room or rented apartment. On a budget. Without losing your deposit. Easier said than done right?
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.
So, what do you do? How can you decorate it? Keep reading to find out 5 easy ways to personalise your student bedroom.
I’ve recently finished my Master’s degree, having 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!
5 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!
Top Tip: Make sure to join Prime Student. You’ll get a 6-month free trial, followed by Amazon Prime at 50% off. It’s a must-have for students.
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 your beautiful 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 or postcards can really brighten up a plain wall.
I shared some of my favourite feminist art prints for an empowering gallery wall, make sure to check out that post!
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 tie-dye 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. They work so well, and don’t leave any marks.
In my current bedroom, the 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 carpets in the bedrooms. I immediately covered it up with a huge fluffy rug, and it helped me feel cosier.
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 7 years so far. Blaze-On fairy lights are handmade and energy-efficient!
I also picked up a lovely mosaic lamp a few years ago (again from Camden Market, my happy place!). It shines in various shades of blue, making it perfect for a bit of mood lighting in the evenings. Here’s a similar mosaic lamp on Amazon.
Switching up your ceiling lampshade is another way to have a bit more customisation! When we moved into our student house, I went a bit overboard and replaced all of the lampshades…
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Amazon Idea Lists For More Student Bedroom Inspo
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.
More Student Bedroom Decor Blog Posts:
- First-Year Bedroom in Student Halls
- Third-Year Student Bedroom (Rented House)
- Fourth-Year Student Bedroom (Rented Flat)
- Getting The Most From Your Living Space in a Student Rental
All the best,
P.S. Feel free to follow me on Instagram and TikTok for home decor videos and photos!
I am just in the process of finding a decor for my room. I have been living in my new dorm room for three weeks now but I still do not feel comfortable here.
But it probably takes time to arrange a room. So far I have only bought a blanket and a mattress for the bed, as well as new curtains. I miss small decorations and plants (thank you for giving me this idea).
When I was at university I used to love putting up posters and pictures on the walls to jazz it up a bit. I never had any plants though, just because I thought I wouldn’t be able to look after them properly, but I could have got some fake ones! Now I’ve finished uni and have my own place though I absolutely love looking after plants haha xx
Plants really are the best for brightening up a space and making it more breathable! Pictures on the wall were definitely essential in uni halls! x
Your room looks beautiful! Renting is similar to living in dorms haha – no nails. I love a good fluffy rug xx
Thank-you so much! x
Plants, rugs and fairy lights – I think you’ve covered my three favourite room decor tricks, they make a world of difference, don’t they? 🙂
They really do make all the difference! x