Your main hub at home will probably be your bedroom, so let's start there. A massive part of any student room is the desk - it is where you will spending a lot of your free time studying towards that rather expensive degree you came for. The first thing you can do to jazz up your desk is add a lamp, the more colourful the better. My major rule of making your digs homely is to use colour as much as possible. This bright red lamp costs just £8 and accompanied by the retro phone for styling and a mirror for the all-important grooming, transforms a boring desk into an exciting one.
Uni is a lot of hard work, so you need some fun to help balance things out. If you have space on the side of your wardrobe, why not buy some cheap wrapping paper (of a pattern of your choice) and display some art work, inspirational sayings to spur you on or photo's of loved ones? I will be writing a new blog post this weekend all about a great way to display those photo's of loved ones at home!
Spare shelving is yet another great way to make your room look more attractive. You can showcase important sentimental items from home, display your perfumes/scents, add funky decorative items or even your toiletries!
Many students will find a dowdy-looking noticeboard in their bedroom, and you can use the left over wrapping paper from earlier to spruce this up. Pin a wall calendar up to help you plan your year ahead (you can cross out the days as you go along) and add decorative signs or sayings around the edge to help inspire you to achieve your goals in your degree. I particularly like the 'Live Laugh Love' - one of my fave expressions - sign which cost just 2 quid - I even have it tattooed around my wrist.
Two very simple ways to make any room look a little more homely are a canvas photo or some bunting. Art doesn't have to be expensive, with canvas photo's costing from between £2 and £10. And you have so many designs to choose from. Why not order a personalised one online to help remember friends and family far away at home? Bunting is also cheap and looks great hanging across a wall - and you avoid using nails to hang it up which might lose you some deposit at the end of the year! This Union Jack bunting is both patriotic and stylish, and links in nicely with the London bus canvas.
Moving on to the kitchen/living room/diner, these can be barren looking places which put residents off from using them. But once again, colour is key! Buy brightly coloured items and to instantly make it more welcoming and friendly. There are some great, inexpensive and very colourful ranges out there in the shops.
As you will see on the above photos, a lime green drainer, purple chopping board and red oven glove make the kitchen look a little less bare and a lot warmer. A bright blue table cloth, clashing with the red plates & place mats improves the previously depressing kitchen table. Of course, this palette may not be to your taste - try sticking to one colour theme and accessorize the kitchen/diner out in just that! And to help save money, do you really need a toaster if you have a grill in the oven? A saucepan will boil your water just as quickly as a kettle. So if you are tight on cash, don't bother.
My final tip is cushions. They make any sofa more inviting, encouraging you to sit down and spend more time in the living space, chatting to your flatmates. Interaction with other people is a huge part of student life so the more time you spend in the communal areas, the better! These two cost just £8 for the pair, and can be used if one of your mates is crashing at yours for the night.
All of the items on the blog today were purchased in Wilkinsons at the Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester - however you will be able to find similar items elsewhere.
Happy styling peeps!
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