How to Decorate Your Uni Room (Without Losing Your Deposit)

Making your university home cosy and personal has multiple benefits, one being that it can help you avoid homesickness. But, how can you decorate your uni room without risking losing your deposit while on a budget? 

There are many ways! However, with restrictions on what you can change or hang up, it’s important to find creative and non-damaging ways to personalise your space. 

This blog offers simple yet effective student accommodation decoration ideas, along with tips on how to hang items on university walls and keep your room tidy, all without risking your deposit.

1) Add Fairy Lights and Bedside Lights for Ambience

Lighting can completely change the vibe of your room and make it feel warm and inviting. Swap out those harsh overhead lights for something softer, like fairy lights, LED strips, or a stylish bedside lamp. 

Fairy lights are super versatile and are often draped around a bed frame, lined around a desk, or hung on the walls to create a cosy atmosphere.

Bedside lamps are great options for when winding down and you can choose from warm-tone bulbs and dimmable options to create your ideal interior. 

2) Indoor Plants for Purified Air

If you’re a plant lover and are looking to add a touch of nature to your uni room, then adding an indoor plant is an ideal option. Some low-maintenance indoor plants include succulents, snake plants, and spider plants - they can also tolerate a mixture of indoor conditions. 

If you’re not the best at looking after plants, you can create the illusion of greenery with artificial plants or by hanging artificial leaf vines on your walls. Though artificial plants may not have the benefits of real plants, they can give life to your space and be mentally uplifting. 

3) Personalised Pin Boards

A pinboard is a versatile and low-cost way to keep important reminders in sight while personalising your room. You can turn it into your vision board for your semester and add meaningful pictures and inspirational quotes. These will keep you motivated while at university while making your room feel personalised. 

If you want inspiration on how to personalise your pin board, then Pinterest is a great place to look. 

4) Expand Your Room with Mirrors

Mirrors are a clever way to make your student room feel larger and brighter. You can position a mirror opposite a window to reflect natural light or use a tall mirror to create the illusion of more space. 

As you will not be able to mount any mirrors to the wall, opt for freestanding options instead.

5) Bright or Patterned Bedding 

Your bedding can make or break your room decor. If you’re looking for decor that stands out, then think about adding bright and bold patterned bedding to your room. If you prefer more neutral tones, then sticking to one solid colour or simple patterns may be better. 

You can also play around with the textures on your bed by adding smaller pillows for decoration and throws. These are budget-friendly ways that will make a huge difference to the decor of your room. 

Tip - Choosing your favourite colours or bringing items from your home can be a great way to combat homesickness. 

6) Damage-Free Wall Hanging Strips

One of the best student accommodation decoration ideas is to use damage-free wall hanging strips. These are perfect for hanging lightweight items like posters, photos and hooks without damaging the walls. 

You’ll want to avoid damaging your walls if you want your deposit back when it’s time to move out. Find out easy methods of doing this later in this blog!

7) Printed Tapestry Wall Designs and Posters

An easy way to brighten up the walls of your student accommodation is through printed tapestry wall designs and posters. It can turn a plain wall into the main feature of your room while showcasing your personality and creativity. 

But, how can you hang these on the walls of your student accommodation without damaging your walls? Keep reading to find out. 

8) Complete Your Space with the Perfect Rug

A cosy rug adds warmth and comfort to your room and can be an easy way to change your decor if and when you feel like it. Not only are they great for improving your decor, but they also help to protect your floors.

Choose a style that complements your bedding and decor for a complete look. This could be a fluffy rug, flatweave rug, cotton rug or even a minimalist geometric design. 

9) Stay Organised with a Laundry Bag

Dirty laundry can pile up quickly, so staying on top of it is essential. As a student with limited storage space, a laundry bag is a must-have and will help to keep you organised. You have a few options when it comes to laundry bags:

⚫︎ A collapsable option for easy storage

⚫︎ A stylish design that blends into your room decor

⚫︎ A laundry bag with a lid 

⚫︎ A simple open-top laundry basket

10) Add a Statement Doormat

While it may sound like a small addiction, it can really make your room feel more welcoming. 

A statement doormat can be both practical and decorative, giving you the flexibility to play around with unique general designs. It also helps to keep your room clean by trapping dirt from your shoes - it’s a win-win! 

11) Add Stylish Storage Solutions

You can maximise your space with stylish storage solutions that have lids to keep items out of sight and out of mind. This is a great method to reduce clutter and make sure everything has a ‘home’. 

Stylish storage options can include under-bed storage, stackable crates and decorative baskets, and you’ll find them in a variety of colours and designs. 

What Are The Best Ways to Keep Your Uni Room Tidy?

Keeping your space tidy helps to improve your concentration and productivity, limits distractions, lowers stress and can even help you relax.

Here are quick tips on the best ways to keep your uni room tidy: 

➡️ Make your bed every day

➡️ Clean as you go

➡️ Declutter regularly

➡️ Organise small items (including jewellery) with small holders and baskets with lids

➡️ Create a cleaning routine

➡️ Do the laundry regularly

➡️ Multi-purpose surface wipes for convenient cleaning

Tips on How to Hang Things on Walls in Student Accommodation

With rules and restrictions around drilling or using nails, damage-free solutions are essential for making your uni accommodation feel more like home. There are plenty of innovative methods to try, such as:

⚫︎ Command strips - Perfect for hanging posters or photos

⚫︎ Command hooks - Perfect for additional storage or to hang lights and other decor on your wall

⚫︎ Blue Tac or White Tac  - Great for sticking posters up

⚫︎ String and pegs - Great for hanging up Instax pictures 

Find Your Ideal Student Accommodation in Ormskirk or Liverpool Today

Making your uni room feel cosy is super important to help you settle in and feel comfortable during your student days. At Stockton Students, we put you in control of your deposit options. 

With us, you can choose between a non-refundable deposit of one week’s rent or a refundable £400 deposit protected by MyDeposits

If you go for the refundable deposit, keeping the property in great condition is important. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on making your space feel like home. 

Using the student accommodation decoration ideas recommended in this blog will help you create a cosy and personalised room without risking your deposit.

Ready to get started? Check out our student accommodation options in Ormskirk and Liverpool today! Still have some questions? Head to our FAQs section or contact our compassionate team directly here

Uni Room Decor FAQs

How to Make Student Accommodation Homely?

Your room is an extension of you and as a student, you’ll spend a huge proportion of your time in your uni room, so decor is essential. 

Though there can be restrictions with putting nails into walls to hang items up, this shouldn’t stop you from personalising your room by using alternate methods, like adding fairy lights, bedside lamps, storage boxes, patterned bedding, a personalised pin board etc. 

How to Make Student Accommodation Homely?

Bringing home comforts is one of the easiest ways to make your student accommodation more homely. This could be your favourite bedding or blanket, sentimental photos, musical instruments, a dressing gown, slippers or even your favourite clothes. 

Can You Put Posters Up in Uni Accommodation?

Let’s face it, no student room is complete without something on the walls. This is usually posters or fairy lights - but how do people get them on the walls? Easy - use Blue Tack, White Tack or Command strips and hooks. These products are easily removable and shouldn’t leave a mark if applied and removed correctly.