Bedrooms are sacred spaces: the four walls you see when you open and close your eyes every morning and night, the only room which is truly, solely yours. Your room reflects your mind, whether that’s with clothes strung around in times of turmoil, or the addition of a new yoga mat when you decide to reinvent yourself the following morning. This becomes even more apparent in a college, where the chance to customise kitchens and other shared spaces is often sparse. I often find myself in notable people’s bedrooms but rather than buying just a postcard or exhibition book at the giftshop to commemorate my visit, I memorialise it in other ways. My uni room is an amalgamation of the best spaces I’ve been in, emulating my inspirations in one cohesive space. From Frida Kahlo’s room reconstructed in full technicolour in Shenzhen, Marie-Antoinette’s ornate Versailles bedchamber, to Louisa May Alcott’s cosy bedroom in Concord. All of these rooms embody vastly different aesthetics and budgets, but there are ways to pay homage with minimal spend.

“In true Frida fashion, blend your identity with these colours, add a postcard from your hometown or country, or hang a piece of your cultural dress”

After a life-changing accident, Frida Kahlo was confined to her bedroom for long periods of time; she painted, entertained friends and lovers and slept in her terracotta-coloured bed. Like Frida, I want to surround myself with vivid, emotion-provoking colours. It’s nearly impossible to feel down and uninspired when you’re surrounded by bright pinks and oranges. But how do you achieve this when you can’t paint the peeling walls of your rented room? Use scarves – gauzy and colourful, the crazier the better. Bought from charity shops and borrowed from mothers; hung from the tops of wardrobes, draped over standard-issue chairs, covering windows like kaleidoscopic sun catchers. In true Frida fashion, blend your identity with these colours, add a postcard from your hometown or country, or hang a piece of your cultural dress.

“An even simpler way to preserve all the love in your life is through something we all have: a pinboard”

Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, lived in the same warmth written into her novel. The family home is full of the repaired and handmade; Louisa’s desk crafted by her father, a portrait by her sister hanging above. If you’ve seen the 2019 movie, and are as obsessed with the March’s decor as I am, it can easily be achieved on a budget. Dry some flowers from your best friend and frame them, make paper chains out of old Varsity editions for a staircase party then keep them up. An even simpler way to preserve all the love in your life is through something we all have: a pinboard. As John Berger observes in Ways of Seeing, pinboards are like personal museums of life, so treat them as such! Display everything from old birthday cards and notes, to pretty serviettes and old formal hall menus. Although the termly reset is always tiresome, I find the act of organising the artefacts of your life grounding.

Now your room is sentimental and colourful without breaking the bank, the next step is to bring in a bit of Marie Antoinette’s grandeur. Again, this is possible while staying sustainable and spending very little. Find ornate picture frames at estate sales and charity shops, turn a glass or teacup into a jewellery stand and display your most cherished pieces. My most recent acquisition is a little imitation bust from an antique stall in Market Square, emulating the rococo style without the excess and inequity which surrounded it. Another option (if you aren’t guilty of plant neglect like me) is to transform your room into a botanical hot-house – some colleges offer free potted plants in welfare schemes, but if yours doesn’t, there are many reasonable florists around the city who can help you to start your greenhouse.

Your time in your uni room is temporary, but the time spent in it doesn’t have to be. Fill your spaces full of things which both inspire and provoke you, things which remind you of all the people and stages of your life. While some may accuse me of verging on the maximalist, I think all of this is possible with the goalposts of minimalism in sight. It’s not about how much you have, but rather what you have, and at the end of the day we all have to move out every eight weeks, so try to pack light. Your room may be contained within the ancient walls of a college, but its bounds don’t have to be.