Decorating on a budget: How to inject some life into your student dorm

Being a student at university doesn’t mean you have to settle for boring accommodation.

Your room is your oasis, especially after a long day of classes and activities, be it part-time work or extracurricular activities. There’s no reason why your student dorm can’t have a homely feel if you’re willing to put some thought and effort into sprucing up the space you’ve been given.

No matter how big or small your student dorm, there are many ways to jazz up your living space to make it warm and inviting, in addition to letting your personality shine through.

Here are some crafty ideas for transforming your living space on a budget:

Fairy lights

Fairy lights are incredibly versatile. Source: Shutterstock

You don’t have to wait for the festive season to roll around to bring out the fairy lights. Lights can play an incredible role in enhancing a room’s aesthetic appeal, transforming an otherwise dull room and giving it a bit of an edge. You can drape your fairy lights over a mirror, a book shelf, your table or let them hang freely from the ceiling. Secure your fairy lights with clear plastic adhesive tabs or thumb tacks that won’t ruin your wall.

Other forms of lighting 

If you’re not a fan of fairy lights, you can easily jazz up your living space by poking some holes into your lampshade in the pattern of your choice, or try using a lava lamp as a funky night light.

Colourful bedsheets

Jazz up your student dorm with some colourful bedsheets and pillows. Source: Shutterstock

One of the quickest ways to add some colour into your room is by incorporating some colourful but comfy bedsheets to make your room pop. Depending on their thread count and where you buy them from, they can be either affordable or costly, but higher quality ones may be worth the splurge if you can afford it. Alternatively, wait for sales before purchasing them.

Create an accent wall

You may not be able to paint the wall in your student dorm, but did you know that you can DIY your own removable fabric wallpaper? The process requires some effort to put up (and you will need to enlist the help of a friend for an additional pair of hands!), but the fabric will inject some colour and personality into your room. Fabric wallpapers work well if you have smooth or very lightly textured walls. 

Alternatively, you can also add tapestry to your walls. You can find strips or tapes in your local hardware store that can help you safely hang your tapestry without ruining the wall.

Hide your wires

There’s nothing that makes a small space look more untidy than the sight of wires and extension cords sticking out in every nook and cranny of your room. There are many creative ways to hide them, some of which includes concealing them in hollow books or decorative boxes, or wrapping them in cloth that matches your wall.

Jazz up your desk

Add some greenery to your room. Source: Dose Media/Unsplash

Add some greenery to your study desk by adding some hardy indoor plants that are easy to care for, such as money plants or succulents. You could also put up some pictures, a cork board or lanterns for a more homely feel. Keep the decoration to a minimal, though, to avoid cluttering your desk.

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