Tips for decorating a cosy university bedroom
Welcome to your new university bedroom. What do you think? Don’t settle for a bland university bedroom devoid of personality. Make the most of this blank space and decorate your room so you feel right at home. How? Take inspiration from these tips shared by one of our IKEA decorators.
An introduction to university bedrooms
University bedrooms, whether they’re in student halls or a rented flat, have three things in common: they’re small, they’re often dark and they’re never decorated to our taste.
But, with the right approach, we can transform our room into something entirely different. We can make it more... what’s the word? More “us”. And, with a little decorating magic, we can create more space too, which is never a bad thing!
To help you think about how best to create a unique and cosy university bedroom of your own, we turned to Emma, one of our trusty decorators. She drew on her own experience as a student in London to come up with her top tips for you.
“When I was a student I lived in a tiny flat in Islington in North London with my boyfriend (now husband). It used to be a café – it had a shop window and everything. It was sweet, but it was between two old Victorian buildings and was only 2 metres wide! We didn’t have an inch of storage space and the kitchen and bathroom were in the basement. We spent our lives traipsing up and down those narrow stairs”, she explained.
University bedroom essentials
A comfortable bed is a must have for any student, as it’s the heart of the room. But how do you get yours to look as good as this? Emma explains, “you’ll need lots of pillows, a warm duvet (we dyed the bed linen to give it a more personal touch), some pretty lights, a few stacked stools used as a bedside table, and a canopy.”
We know what you’re thinking: how can I decorate my room if I’m not allowed to put nails in the wall? Emma has the solution: “I fitted an adjustable shower curtain rod above the window and hung a canopy from it. It makes the room much cosier and there’s no need for any nails.” You can always decorate your walls with prints and photos too using a little double-sided sticky tape.
Tips for storing clothing and accessories
Because student bedrooms are small, we need to employ a variety of strategies to create more space, especially when it comes to clothes storage. It might seem obvious, but our top tip is to keep things tidy – it’s the only way that (almost) everything will fit.
For example, you could place bulky clothing or shoes in lidded boxes underyour bed. That way you can store a lot of items without taking up any extra space. You might also like to make use of some ever-popular vertical storage. What’s that, you ask? Vertical storage is simply making the most of your wall space. Door hangers, which can be used to hang bags and rucksacks as well as jackets and scarves, or hanging wardrobe organisers, which provide extra shelf space inside wardrobes, will make your life easier and are really affordable!
“I’m crazy about clothes! But because I don’t have a lot of room, I have to find creative ways to make space. I used a chest of drawers and a small wardrobe to store things I wanted to keep out of sight. Then I hung items I was happy to have on display on an adjustable shower rod. Are you brave enough to try something a little different? Get an old door or plank of wood and paint it your favourite colour. Then add some hooks and knobs (for hanging bags, jewellery etc.) and lean it against the wall.”
On first glance, university bedrooms can often seem bland and boring. But I prefer to see them as blank canvases that allow us to experiment and to hone our decorating skills.”
Emma, IKEA decorator
Where to store books and school supplies
“When I was at university, I had mountains and mountains of books. I was a broke student, so I used lots of old crates to store them. I recreated that image here using KNAGGLIG boxes, which we painted to match the bedroom’s dusty pastel palette”, says Emma. “If you want to save even more space, you can keep them under your desk.”
You need a lot of space to study and write comfortably. Add wall storage to make the most of the full height of your bedroom and keep your desk clutter free (with a little space for your favourite artwork). If possible, we recommend that you useextra shelves to create a bookshelf above your desk. Then you can attach a spotlight using a clamp so that it doesn’t take up room on your desk. And why not add a mini chest to store the bits and pieces that always end up scattered about? Oh! We almost forgot: the classic pegboard, to which you can add a range of accessories, such as baskets and shelves.
In any case, Emma always goes the extra mile. “If friends are coming over to study, make use of the full width of your room. I designed this desk so that the work surface can be used as a noticeboard when placed upright.”
A makeshift pantry
“One of the things that annoyed me most when I was a student was having to traipse up and down the stairs all the time to go to the kitchen. If you’re in a situation like I was, or have a shared kitchen, I recommend getting two trolleys: one for things you use in the shared kitchen (such as pasta and tinned tomatoes) with a lower shelf for plates that are ready to be cleaned. You can fill the other with snacks and drinks for your room and a kettle to make tea, a toaster, a French press etc.”
These little trolleys are really useful. In addition to Emma’s ideas, we think they would make a great addition to your study area. If you can’t add shelves or a memo board, you could use one of these trolleys to keep the things you use the most close at hand. It’s like a chest of drawers but with the added bonus that it takes up less space and has wheels. What do you think?
And you’re all set! Use these tips in your bedroom and enjoy the transformation, as well as the end result: a space that is modern, practical, and above all, beautiful.
Want more ideas? Read on!
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But keep in mind that changing or modifying IKEA products so that they can’t be resold or used for their original purpose means that they will lose their IKEA sale warranties and your right to return the products.
