Students with stylish pads

A perennial problem for students is furnishing their often out-moded university accommodation after years of careless occupants and halls parties. Especially when leaving home for the first time, there’s no more important instance of needing to create a home-from-home atmosphere to settle into quickly.


So the question is, how do you do it without incurring the wrath of halls managers or breaking the bank? There’s 5 key tips we believe will help you/or your offspring make the most of the available accommodation and make it feel homely in the process.

First off, pick furniture that will multi-task for you. You’ve not got much space, so having furniture that serves several purposes will make life easier. Pick up a futon or sofa bed so you’ve got a spare bed, a storage ottoman to double up as a coffee table, or a table that can be used for eating or studying at.

Next, opt for clever storage that makes the most of your room’s height. If there’s not much length or width to your personal space, adding in wall mounted shelves or wall hangings will work a treat. As will under bed storage boxes to help to pile up all your necessary knick-knacks.

Clear out the clutter (or at least out of the way) with desk and shelf tidies. These super easy storage boxes will help you focus when working and make it easy to grab bits on the way to lectures! Head to Ikea for incredibly cheap yet stylish options.

Next up, colour. You’re stuck with those drab magnolia coloured walls, but no one said you can’t spruce up your pad with colourful rugs, bedding, throws or other splashes of textiles. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but it’s one way to make a big impact with very little money to spend.

And finally, have your own Art Attack. This is your space, albeit for a year, so hang your posters (ask first if blue tack or pins are preferred by the halls of residence management to avoid a telling off later!), put up the photo frames and inject your personality in to the little space you have.