Personalise your uni room

A few things I'm using to decorate my room this year

It's almost time to move in to uni and the one thing I grew to hate was how unwelcoming my room felt. Personalising your room is definitely something that can help, making you feel more at home and comfortable in your own space. So I am going to share some of the things I added to my room in first year and some of my new purchases for my room in second year.

1. Photos:

I feel like this is the number one thing you need, on every post about decorating your uni room I have seen photos are always mentioned. As well as holding many memories they are very decorative and definitely give any room a personal touch. This is pretty much the only thing I took with me to decorate my room in the beginning and they were pinned up to a notice board because we weren't allowed to use blue tac on the walls. It looked good but I think photo frames are also something to consider as you may be limited to that one space to stick things to. Photo frames can also add a personal and decorative touch. I have this silver one (in the photo above), I'm not sure where it's from, it was given to me as a present it's quite plain and simple but it adds something more that just sticking it to the wall, and it also means I can put it where I want. I'm planning on putting this by my bed once I have chosen a photo for it because it's small and won't take up too much space.

2. Cushions

I haven't yet purchased any cushions but this year I have chosen quite a neutral colour scheme for my bedding so I am planning on adding cushions to brighten it up a bit so it isn't too bland. Cushions are also great because in most university accommodation the beds don't have a headboard, so if you're like me and like to sit up in bed on your laptop rather than at your desk then cushions are definitely a good idea for something to lean against.

3. Books
This may sound stupid but books are a really good way to decorate your room. A row of books containing different colours and patterns can really add some colour and personality to your room or you could get a book series that are possibly all the same colour which will look really neat displayed together and add a block of colour to your room. I took some books last year and it really brightened and filled up my shelf. I had 2 I hadn't read before and then a few I'd already read just to fill out the shelf a little bit. I ended up never finding the time to read any of them apart from a text book for my course, how fun!   It's worth considering if you have a bit of space on a shelf you don't know what to do with and you've got some books lying around. I'm certainly going to take some with me this time and find a space for them.

4. Reed Diffuser / Candles

 Most university accommodation will not allow candles therefore I think reed diffusers are the next best thing. If you are allowed candles then candles would be a good thing to use as a little decoration whether you light them or not and you could get a scented one to make your room smell nice. However if not then I would get a reed diffuser, personally I think they look quite nice on a window sill or a shelf in your room. They also make your room smell nice and I think they look better than one of those plastic air fresheners and save time because they constantly give your room a nice scent instead of using a spray and having to remember to spray your room from time to time. 

  I got this one (in the photo above) from Primark, I got the Madagascan Vanilla scented one I believe it was £1. They have a few different scents if you are not interested in this one and are widely available in other stores.

5. Pots

Pots are great for storage as well as decoration. You could put makeup brushes, paint brushes, pencils, or even just use them to keep things like your spare change. I brought this metal pot with a blue bow on it (see photo above) from a shop called Tiger for £2. I thought it was really cute and would look really nice on my desk with a set of makeup brushes I have in it.

6. Throw

Like cushions, a throw can jazz up your bed a little and its a great way to add some colour to your room. I feel its important your bed looks nice as it's the main feature of your room. Last year I had a bright red throw which was also really soft and fleecy if I was ever cold, which was almost never because my uni halls were always stupidly hot! Unfortunately it is too small for my bed in second year as this time I have a double but I will still be keeping it at the back of my wardrobe just incase I get cold this year or find a place to put it.

7. Fairy lights

Some university accommodation do not like you using fairy lights either but if you get the battery pack ones rather than the one you plug into the wall there isn't usually an issue. Last year my friend lent me some fairy lights when we were trying to make my room look more homely. We put them around my notice board and they really were cute to turn on when I'd be in my watching a film or just chilling with my friends. Even when they aren't on they still add a nice decoration to your room.

8. Boxes
This one is similar to pots, you can get all different sizes of boxes in a range of colours and patterns which are excellent for storage as well as being decorative.  I was given this floral one (see photo above) off one of my friends for my birthday, this already had bits of paper in the top and a little drawer which I'm going to keep little important things in so I don't end up losing them. I also have a few empty boxes I plan to use for storage as they save me leaving little things lying around and make everything look neater. As well as this I also have a Ted Baker box that I had some body spray and bath products in, you can reuse boxes like this for other things, at the moment I have put my scissors, blue-tac, tape and little bits and bobs like that in it because it is such a nice box and is excellent for storage.

9. Jewellery stand/ hanger

Jewellery is really pretty and decorative so why not put it on display? Last year I pinned my jewellery hanger to my notice board and it looked really pretty and really added something to my notice board. Unfortunately I do not have a stand, just two hangers and I don't know where I'll be able to hang it in my new uni room this year because I don't have a notice board and can't nail it too the walls like I have at home! Another idea if you don't have a jewellery stand/hanger but you do have a notice board, which I saw my friend do which I copied before I took my hanger to uni was to just hang jewellery off pins instead, I had a row of necklaces on mine and it looked really nice. 

10. Money box

As a student saving money is very hard but what better way to do it than put a spare change into a pot from time to time, it will soon add up and it can be a way to add decoration to your room! I have this cupcake one given to me as a present (see photo above) which will look really nice on a table or dresser and will definitely help me save up my spare change!

So that is my list of items to personalise your room, as you can see they are pretty simple things, a lot of which I already had lying around my room or are cheap to pick up if not.

Let me know if you have any other ideas in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!
MH x