I fully believe that your room is a reflection of you, so when someone walks into your room, they should be able to tell who lives there. When moving to university, my mum was so preoccupied with ensuring that I had packed all of my appropriate kitchen utensils and toiletries, but what mattered more to me was that I had my decorations. A great way to get started is to browse Pinterest and make a vision board of your ideal room. Most student accommodation rooms have a corkboard, which is the perfect feature to start decorating your room.
Some quintessential items that will instantly add an element of pizazz to your room are as follows!
Firstly, fairy lights around your mirror or bed can help to add an element of cosy mood lighting. Posters are another great decoration. You will definitely be able to get them from poster sales during the Big Welcome. Moreover, see if you can find memorabilia from a certain franchise that you love! Or try and go with a specific colour scheme/aesthetic and use a variety of different-sized posters to make your room appear more cohesive. Additionally, you could create a photo wall with the corkboard, comprised of pictures of you and your friends from your hometown to reminisce on your memories before you came to university (which you can consistently add to throughout first year). Make sure you leave a lot of room on your wall, as it will only continue to grow!
Another decorative element is fake plants or even real flowers; a lovely element to inviting the outdoors into the indoors. They can come in an array of variations, which are ideal for any corner of your room. Whether it be a long draping plant placed on the top shelf, or a little pot on the corner of your desk, nature always helps to complement man-made decorations. Most rooms in university accommodation are carpeted, so a rug is not a necessity. However, in houses this changes as you are usually subjected to uneven wooden floor boards. Incorporating a rug will not only cover the visually unappealing floorboards, it will also create a nice dimension to your room and make it feel more homely compared to other parts of the room.
Do not forget that you have an entire kitchen and living area to decorate, too! Although these are communal areas, it means that you and your flatmates can incorporate your styles together. Some really cute fixtures are a behaviour chart or quirky poster that really captures the hearts of those who live there.
One thing you must do is use the larger space to decorate for Halloween, Christmas, or any other holiday you celebrate. In that way, any relevant celebration you hold will be even more fulfilling. Undoubtedly, my personal favourite item to decorate a room has got to be an article shrine for The Courier! Make sure you get writing, so you can have your very own personalised The Courier display.