How to Refresh Your Student Bedroom on a Budget

It’s your first time living away from home. You can taste the freedom – the kind of freedom where you can leave your dirty clothes on the floor for days without your parents complaining at you to pick them up. Ah, sheer bliss! 

But if you’re used to having a beautifully designed bedroom at home, your four white walls of your student bedroom might leave a lot to be desired for. Don’t worry, we have a few easy tips and hacks that can completely transform your student accommodation into your zen home away from home on a budget.

1) Plants glorious plants (even the faux kinds)

   

Add a touch of green to brighten up your bedroom and make the space more appealing. They’re an easy way to add a touch of Pinterest to your room and all with a cheap price tag! Our top pick for low maintenance plants would be Succulents or Cacti. Pairing green plants with white walls can not only create a more relaxing space, but they also help to purify the air which can help to clear your head after a long night of studying… Or partying.

If you’re anything like us, then your poor plant will be struggling to stay alive and will spend its short life wishing it had another owner. Save yourself the hassle and opt for faux plants instead. They have the same effect and honestly, sometimes it’s hard to spot the difference between the real and the fake ones these days. They will give you the touch of colour you’ve been dreaming of, without the emotional rollercoaster of keeping them alive.

Here are some of our top plant picks if you’re on a budget;

Bo-tanical – Norwich Markets – Website here
The Plant Den – Upper St Giles, Norwich – Shop here
The Elm Shop – 5-7 Lower Goat Lane, Norwich – Shop here
Cary’s Flowers and Pond’s Flowers – Norwich Markets – Offer some great fresh flowers that are budget-friendly. You can purchase a bouquet of lilies for £5 that last up two weeks.
Dunelm – Artificial Fern in Concrete Pot – £8
Dunelm – Artificial Eucalyptus in Black Vase – £10
Matalan – Artificial Plants – Shop here
Amazon.co.uk – Faux Succulents (pack of 3) – £16.59

 

2) Refresh your bedding

   

Can you believe that more than a third of your life is spent in bed! A good nights sleep is so important for your health and well-being. Updating your bedding not only helps to provide some fresh comfort to your sleep, but it also helps to make your bed somewhere you enjoy spending time. Okay, so we’re not talking 2000 thread count Egyptian Cotton – that would be nice, but we all know that student budgets don’t stretch that far. You can find some affordable bedding on the high street that can help to give you the Pinterest vide without the Egyptian cotton price tag. Whilst you’re at it, adding some additional cushions and a throw to your bed can really make a big difference to the overall appearance of your room. Most importantly, don’t forget to make your bed every morning! Yes, it is a chore, but it does wonders in refreshing the space and makes your bedroom look tidier than it actually is. We have listed a few of our top affordable bedding picks below to get you started.

– Duvet Cover Sets
Matalan – Reversible Geometric Hexagon Duvet Cover – £12 (double)
M&S – Palm Print Cotton Mix Bedding Set – £22.50 (double)
M&S – Fern Bedding Set – £22.50 (double)
Dunelm – Dried Flowers Blush Duvet Cover and Pillowcase Set – £16 (double)
George Asda – Yellow & White Mini Plants Easy Care Reversible Duvet Set – £12
Wilko – Teddy Duvet Cover and Pillowcase Set – £20 (double) – A great option for winter!

– Throws
George at Asda – Grey Knitted Pom Pom Throw – £20
Wilko – Jenson Herringbone 130cm x 180cm Throw – Reduced to £8
Dunelm – Check Faux Mohair Throw – £10
Dunelm – Jenson Herringbone Throw – £10
Amazon.co.uk – KAIHONG Super Soft Long Shaggy Throw – £23.96

– Cushions
Ikea.com – MALINMARIA Cushion, dark grey, white dotted – £4.50
George at Asda – Grey Chenille Ikat Cushion – £4 or 3 for £10
Matalan – Velvet Fringe Cushion – £6
Tk Maxx – In-store – Have a great selection of unique cushions that are affordable.

 

3) Photographs

Using photographs to update your space and can really help to break up the white walls and also improve your mood. The use of photographs can bring back nice memories and is especially useful if you’re feeling a bit homesick whilst being away from family. There are so many creative things you can do with photographs. It is really inexpensive to get them printed – our recommendation would be to get them printed in a Polaroid format to add a touch of vintage to your bedroom. When displaying and hanging your photos, stay away from Blue Tac and Sellotape, we repeat, stay away from Blue Tac and Sellotape! It stains the paint underneath and will result in deductions from your deposit if there’s damage. Instead, opt for either pinning them on your blue pinboard in your room, purchasing a wire memo board (like the ones linked below) or hanging them to a pre-existing hook and using some string and clips to secure the photos.

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– Memo Boards and Clips
Argos – Peg Letter Notice Board – £10
Wilko – Grid Photo Wall Panel Memo Board – £2
Ikea.com – SÖSDALA Memo board with clips – £10
Matalan – Wire Photo Memo Board – £8
Amazon.co.uk – 36 Mini Wooden Pegs with 2m of Jute String – £1.74

– Photo Printing Services
Smartphoto.co.uk – Retro Photo Prints (Poloraid Style) – £0.15 each
Photobox.co.uk – Various Styles – From £0.10 each
Snapfish.co.uk – Various Styles – From £0.10 each

 

4) Invest in storage boxes for under your bed

Now, this might be a super boring one unless you’re into Maria Kondo and organisation. But hear us out okay! Investing in some storage for under your bed or any out of site area of your bedroom is a godsend. They’re great to hide clutter and belonging that you don’t need to use all that often. Leaving you with a clutter-free sanctuary. You can also store some spare blankets in them to keep you warm during the winter or store your old Uni textbooks away for a rainy day. And they’re cheap too! You’ll thank us later.

Ikea.com – SKUBB Storage case – £6
Amazon.co.uk – Underbed Storage Bags – £4.64
Amazon.co.uk – Compactor Novara Dora 12 Compartment Under bed Shoe Storage Bag – £5.35
Argos – Home Set of 5 Underbed Storage Bags – £12

 

5) Fairy lights and lamps

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You can make a massive impact by adding some extra lighting to your bedroom. An obvious way to transform your boring space is to add fairy lights. They’re affordable and you can get your hands on them easily. We normally opt for battery operated ones so we don’t have to worry about plugging them in and out all the time. Avoid hanging them on the wall to save the headache of damaging the walls with burn and tape marks Instead, wrap them around your bed frame or put them in a jar to make it a feature.

Another easy way to update your space is to add a feature lamp to your bedside table such as a Himalayan Rock Salt lamp or a vintage style lamp.

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We have listed a few of our top fairy lights and lamp picks below;

Amazon.co.uk – Fairy Lights MSC – 33 ft / 10M – 100 * LED Battery Powered – £6.49
Ikea.co.uk – SNÖYRA LED lighting chain with 40 lights – £6
The Range – Peg String Lights – £5
B&M – Clear Jeweled LED Lights 25pk – £5
B&M – Cinema Light Box – £3
Amazon.co.uk – 3-5 KG Natural Pink Himalayan Crystal Rock Salt Lamp – £15.99
Ikea.co.uk – FLAGGSKEPP Table lamp – £12

6) Add some decorations

This is an easy one that you can get creative with. Gather up a few low-cost decorations or make them your self. They can transform your desk space and add some colour to your room. Our favourite decorations include reed diffusers (they look pretty and smell good – double win!), books, jewellery trays, ascetically pleasing note pads and diaries and novelty mugs.

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Pair them all together and you’ll have an insta-worthy desk and bedroom. Here are few of our top decorations if you’re on a budget;

Aldi – Diffusers – £6.98
Matalan – Golden Blossom Fragrance Diffuser – £4
Jarrolds – Norwich Shhhh Guide 2019 – £10
Tk Maxx – In-store – They have a great range of decorative items and diaries/notepads for an affordable price
Amazon.co.uk – Sass & Belle Vintage Map Big Ideas Notebook – £3.09
Paperchase.co.uk – Diary Planner – £10
Oliver Bonas – Medium Gold & Glass Mirrored Jewellery Tray – £12
The Range – ProCook Slogan Mug Prosecco– £1.50
Tesco – Spotted porcelain mug – £4

 

7) Create a multi-use desk

    

We all know that student living can be tight on space sometimes, so it is important to double up your workspace and make it multi-use. This can be anything from being your study area to where you apply your make up and do your hair. Or a space that you can play computer games after a long day of studying. This can help you to keep your desk clear as it is getting used all of the time. Otherwise, it can end up being buried in a mountain high of clothes before you know it.

    

So, there you go. You are now ready to go crazy on your student bedroom and give it a transformation on a budget. Whatever your style is, make it your own and put your stamp on it. By injecting your own personality into your bedroom, you’ll want to spend more time there and it can help your mood whilst studying. You can now wave those four white walls goodbye!