by Alan Nemirovski, Illustration by Jac Williams
Listen — I hear you. A lot of students can barely afford the small rooms or flats they live in, let alone have enough money to splurge on fancy decorations. Still, that’s no excuse for your room, nay, your sanctuary, to be as rundown as the rest of your flat. Don’t worry, though, I have your back. Here are my tried-and-true tips on how to spice up your room and make the vibes immaculate.
Theme: The theme can be a colour, a mood, or a general aesthetic (grunge, cottage core, academia, and so on), but just keep something in mind that can tie your room together. It’ll also make your decorative purchases and rearrangement much easier, and less random.
Bed: Your headboard should never face your door. This one seems obvious, but worth mentioning nonetheless. Your bed should be as far from the door as possible, ideally facing one (or more) windows.
Desk and chair: Your desk should be directly parallel with or exactly perpendicular to the bed. No weird side angles, no matter how many corners your room has. And as close to the window as possible. We love windows.
Windows: Speaking of windows — they’re often so neglected. If you have ANY money to spare for decorations, invest here. I have a single plant and a candle to complement my window, and I wouldn’t have it any other way; for my friend, it was fancy curtains. A little goes a long way here.
Wall decorations: There’s a bit more free reign here, but the important thing is: you need to have a plan! Adding extra posters here and there will end up a mess. Make it cohesive, and make sure everything on your wall serves a purpose. If you want to put photos up, make a collage. For posters, make sure they complement each other (again, in colour, theme, etc.).
Closet organisation: I’m not telling you to Marie-Kondo your closet, but I’m telling you to Marie-Kondo your closet. Less is more here. Closets easily become people’s repositories for things they don’t need, and clothes can get messy. Get rid of everything except the clothes (and other necessities) that belong there, and store them as compactly as possible. If you can move your closet, I’d suggest moving it opposite the foot of your bed.
And from there — you’re set. Add as little or as much more as you want. At the end of the day, it’s your safe haven. Don’t be a stranger, and make it yours (while following the guidelines of your signed tenancy agreement).
