How to decorate your uni room

When you arrive in your Unite Students uni room, you’ll find everything you need to work, rest, sleep and store all your stuff. But it’s always nice to add some personal touches. There are certain rules you’ll have to follow when decorating your uni room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and make the space your own during your stay. Read on for ideas on how to decorate uni halls.

First of all, what isn’t allowed when decorating my uni room?

There are some things you’re not allowed to do when decorating your uni room. It’s mainly things that could cause damage or leave a permanent mark, as this means extra work for us at the end of your tenancy. Some decorations are also prohibited for safety reasons.

While the rules may be slightly different from accommodation to accommodation, typically you should avoid:

• Making holes in the wall with nails, pins or anything else

• Painting walls, ceilings or furniture

• Burning candles, incense or wax burners as these are a fire risk

• Blocking fire doors or propping them open

Check with your accommodation provider or landlord for any additional rules before you start making any changes, just to be sure. If you do leave a mark or cause any damage to the room, you could be charged a fee for repairing it.

With that in mind, there’s nothing to stop you adding personal touches to your room, so long as they’re not permanent. So, figure out how to decorate a uni room without causing damage or leaving lasting marks, and you’re onto a winner.

So, what can I do to decorate my uni room?

There are lots of things you can do to make your uni room feel like home, and the good news is most of them don’t cost a lot. You can bring things from home, and you can add to your décor by browsing charity shops and markets in your uni town throughout the year. Watch the video below to see how Ruby decorated her uni room to show off her personality and make it her own!

Put up pictures, posters and wall art

There are loads of ways you can hang things on walls without causing any damage or leaving any marks. You can put up posters of your favourite bands with blu-tack, so when you leave you can easily take them down again.

Command hooks are great for hanging framed prints or pictures. Most Unite Students bedrooms come equipped with a pinboard which you can use to pop up your favourite snaps from nights out or friends and family back home. Over-door hooks don’t leave a mark, so why not add a throw or wall hanging to brighten up your doorway or storage spaces?

Get some plants

Adopting a houseplant immediately makes your room look and feel more homely, and there are added benefits too. Did you know that certain species of plants can clear toxins from the air in your room, lift your mood, and even make you more productive? Spider plants are great for removing toxins, so you’ll have a healthier environment to study in.

Cacti are ideal if you like plants but have trouble remembering to look after them – most cacti only need watering once every couple of months. Peace lilies don’t need much light or require watering very often so they’re easy to take care of, and beautiful too.

Make the most of your bedding

You’ll need bedding for your uni room, so take the opportunity to treat yourself to something vibrant and colourful, or cosy and warm for winter nights. High street shops and the big supermarkets stock affordable bedding in all sorts of colours and materials, so you don’t have to break the bank.

Make your bed a haven and you can change the entire look and feel of the room easily. Add some nice accessories like a few throw pillows or cushions, and a fleecy blanket for extra comfort. And perhaps that favourite childhood teddy that you couldn’t bear to leave behind will enjoy looking after it for you?

Lighting for ambience

Candles and wax burners are a fire risk so you should never bring those to your uni bedroom. But that doesn’t mean you can’t jazz up your room with some atmospheric lighting to make it feel warmer and more inviting.

Fairy lights are cheap and pretty, and you can string them just about anywhere without making a mark on the walls. A good desk lamp will help you study, while a muted bedside lamp is perfect for reading in bed. You can also get cheap LED candles to recreate the flickering firelight feel without the safety risk.

Give your room an inviting scent

You can also make your uni room feel homelier by changing the way it smells. Certain scents trigger specific reactions in us, whether that’s relaxing, reminding us of home or making us feel energised.

Mix it up with reed diffusers, plug-in diffusers and mist sprays so you can alter the aroma depending on your mood. Maybe a baking cookie scent for when you want to be reminded of home, lavender for a good night’s sleep, and lime and mint for times when you want to be productive.

Use mirrors to open up the space

We all know that mirrors are useful when getting dressed, putting on make-up and checking you don’t have spinach in your teeth. But they can add extra depth and light in your uni room too.

Mirrors give the illusion of more space, so strategically adding a couple to your room can make it seem a lot bigger. They also reflect light, which will make your uni bedroom feel brighter and warmer. And they’re a great spot for draping fairy lights and sticking up pictures of friends!

Display ornaments and trinkets

You might find that having things to remind you of home will help you settle in during your first few weeks in uni accommodation. While you don’t want to overpack, make some space for a few trinkets or ornaments that remind you of good times. They might just help if you’re feeling a bit homesick.

These could be souvenirs from a holiday, a cherished childhood keepsake or something you found in a charity shop on an afternoon out with your mates. Stuff like this also lets your personality shine through – quirky ornaments that reflect your nature help make the room your own.

Use a rug to add colour and warmth

Rugs are a great way to add a splash of colour without breaking any rules or leaving any marks. A good thick pile is comforting to walk on, or even to lie back on and read. You can also use rugs to divide the space in a studio apartment or single room – have a dedicated area for study and another for relaxation, using rugs to mark the boundaries between each space. Check out the local charity shops or marketplaces online for some great deals.

Get crafty

If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a little bit crafty, the early months of uni are a great time to explore your creativity. Not only can you make fab, cheap decorations for your room, but you could join a crafting society to keep you motivated with your project and make new friends.

You don’t have to get too technical, although it’s always good to learn a new skill. DIY décor ideas can range from a photo collage to a macrame wall hanging, bunting made from materials that have happy memories, or even a knitted or crocheted blanket for your bed. Have you decorated your uni room and want to show it off? Share it on TikTok with #UniteStudents.