It’s an underwhelming sight. Having just heaved open the fire-safe trunk of a door, you survey your tiny, dusty student room – your home (or cave, more like) for the next year. The walls are bare; the carpet covered in stains; the mattress evidently worn in by… more than a few freshers prior. Now, suddenly, it’s week two and it still doesn’t feel like home. So how do you breathe life into this dingy little college room? Don’t fear, freshers, our experienced writers have some solutions.

On lighting

Gabrielle

I have one word for you: lighting. Thomas Edison was really onto something when he came up with the lightbulb; the quickest way to transform a room from a blank canvas to a Monet is to find some soft lighting. In my room I have three lamps: one red, one white, and one colour-changing, and let me tell you, if someone walked in without their glasses on they could mistake it for a boudoir. Cute lampshades can be sourced cheaply from any charity store, and you can swap the harsh and undoubtedly blinding white light of your college-provided desk lamp with a colour changing bulb or a softer, warmer light.

“Your biggest enemy will be the dreaded ‘big light’”

Lara

Your biggest enemy will be the dreaded ‘big light’, especially if said light is white not yellow. Warm lamps, fairy lights, and electric candles are the way to go. And yes, I do go around and individually turn each one on and off everyday. A worthy sacrifice.

Jess

This combination right here – command strips, command hooks and Free Prints – is the holy grail, the three keys to your room’s heart. I used command hooks to string fairy lights across the walls and some trusty old command strips for securely fastening my posters: Command UK, sponsor me?

On pinboards

Lara

As I see it there are three types of pinners – the ‘fill it to the brim with photos’, ‘the aspiring collage artist’ mixing prints and photos, and ‘the minimalist’, carefully placing the odd art print here and there. All are better than leaving it bare (you know who you are, you psychopaths).

Jess

FreePrints (oh, how I praise the lord everyday for this fine invention), allows you to print 45 free photos for only the £3 delivery fee, making it an easy and inexpensive way to cover the ugly, stained cork of the accommodation pinboard with beautiful reminders of terms passed and memories from home. Personally, I like to take this one step further and create a collage; photos, formal dinner menus, postcards, birthday cards, receipts, bookmarks, and even the wrappers from the Caius mint chocolates left on the table at the end of formal.

“You really have no excuse for a boring room”

On rugs

Lara

The Cambridge student room is its own kind of beast, laden with the added downside of the termly removal. And so, how to furnish a temporary space? A Cambridge room is infused with the bespoke oddness that comes with centuries, so you really have no excuse for a boring room. But my number one tip will always be rugs. The more the better. Currently my stained blue carpet is hidden underneath two six by four throws – one a red Persian, stolen from my house, the other a fluffy cream and burnt orange geometric fished out of the clearance bin at Dunelm. A warning – rugs can be expensive, so I’d recommend sticking to sales. Or even better, stealing one from your parents. Oh, and always throw a blanket over your armchair, and maybe add a nice throw pillow. Cambridge’s lack of a third space is, I’d say, the biggest pitfall of our accom. But this can be remedied by the all healing purposes of a bean bag and/or floor cushion.

Jess

Not to break the bank or anything but this year, I did find myself a seasonal rug from TK Maxx (complete with an autumnal pumpkin motif) to cover my dingy carpet. I chose one in light, colourful shades to brighten up even the darkest of days.

On finishing touches

“It’s crucial to have a sanctuary made especially for you”

Georgia

When it comes to the subject of room decorating, I myself am much more qualified to advise you on what not to do. As someone who makes the brave cross-sea venture to university (from Belfast, but still), the capacity for decorative trinkets and knick knacks in my singular suitcase is limited, and, consequently, I was forced to become what I had previously heard of only in myths and folklore – a light packer. The necessity to underpack and, once in Cambridge, undershop, resulted in my involuntary adoption of the minimalist lifestyle. A bed without cute cushions. Walls without posters. My room was, needless to say, quite sad. Did this help in the mad packing dash before the end of each term’s rental period? Sure. But what it really succeeded in doing was making my ‘home away from home’ feel more like an untouched hotel room away from home, and after long days in a city that doesn’t yet feel like yours, it’s crucial to have a sanctuary made especially for you. Thus, my only real piece of advice is to inject personality into your space any way possible. Whether it be the “go piss girl” print-out for the bathroom, a Freeprints shrine of friend photos, or a lifesize cut-out of Meghan Trainor: pick your poison and get personalising, stat!

Lara

Bunting is a great, non-permament solution for filling wall space – if handmade, even better. Oxfam often has a good selection. Anyone who knows me will know I also love a good knick knack. The more trinkets the better. I am particularly partial to little bowls and boxes, bangles littered across surfaces, random figurines, and origami stars and cranes. I aim for my bedroom to resemble Ark: Gifts for Interesting People – don’t we all? The pin board is another obvious opportunity. As I see it there are three types of pinners – the ‘fill it to the brim with photos’, ‘the aspiring collage artist’ mixing prints and photos, and ‘the minimalist’, carefully placing the odd art print here and there. All are better than leaving it bare. Low effort, hardy plants always add to your space too – particularly bouquets in unique vases, pothos plants, and succulents. Although they come with the issue of transportation back home at the end of term. I tend to place them in a basket and hope for the best.

Jess would also recommend investing in a bouquet of dried flowers – “fresh flowers never make it out alive.”

Happy decorating!