Making a home away from home

How to decorate your room, by Maria Clark

One of the most stressful things about going to university is leaving home and the environment where you feel safe and secure. It's crucial to make your new home as comfortable as possible, and decorating your room is the best way to make it feel like your space.

Most university websites show only generic pictures of accommodation, so I wanted to share with you some different students’ rooms and how they have decorated them.

Before I came to university, I knew that I wanted my room to look perfect, and I hope these examples give you some inspiration about how you can use the space in Lancaster accommodation and how to personalise it to make the room your own.

My room

Cartmel Superior Ensuite

I wanted to make my room reflect my love for travelling. I went Interrailing in the summer and collected a painting from every place we visited on the way, reminding me of the incredible trip we had. I’ve covered the pinboard above my desk with photos of my friends, family and travels and I love being able to sit and work amongst so many happy memories. It was really important for me to bring a sense of my bedroom at home with me.

My advice for decorating your room:

Your room needs to be somewhere you feel safe and comfortable. Decoration doesn’t have to be fully planned out before you arrive, and Lancaster has lots of poster, plant and furniture sales during the first few weeks to help you out.

A student bedroom, a bed with bue bedcovers and multiple prints of travel destinations
A student bedroom, with grey bedcovers an a male student sitting on a chair

Harry's room

Grizedale Superior Ensuite

“Climbing is my main passion - so there is a theme around that. There are memories from down south, things that remind me of home and things that I enjoy. It doesn’t feel like a hotel room - it’s somewhere where I can relax and feel at home.”

Harry's advice for decorating your room:

“Strike a balance between not having enough things in your room and having too much, to make it comfortable.”

Jess's room

County Townhouse

“Yellow is my favourite colour, so I wanted to decorate with that. It’s bright; it makes me feel happy, and it’s quite homely and quite welcoming.”

Jess's advice for decorating your room:

“Get pictures…the first week, when you’re homesick, all you want to do is look at pictures and reminders of people from home.”

A student bedroom with navy bedcovers and mustard and white cushions
A student bedroom,with a female student lying on the bed, reading

Zahra's room

Pendle Studio

“I chose this accommodation in particular because I’m in my third year and it’s the ideal space for one person. I love the colour yellow…it makes me happy and my colour scheme matches. It’s all warm-toned. My brother decorated my first pinboard, which adds a personal touch, and I always get compliments on how homely it feels.”

Zahra's advice for decorating your room:

“Make it comfortable but functional…and fashionable! I always try to make it the most convenient for me as possible.”

Simran's room

Grizedale Superior Ensuite

“My backup for uni was to go to fashion school so all the fashion boxes come from that. I wanted to put lots of pictures up to make it homely…making it as homely as possible, bringing along my love for my family. I like coming to my room and being happy with it. You just want to feel at home wherever you go…I was really excited to put on my creative stamp on it!”

Simran's advice for decorating your room:

“You don’t have to buy all the expensive stuff in order to make it nice. Just shop around…you don’t need to spend a lot to make it your own. Comfort is key - use loads of fluffy blankets!”

Shelves with photos and folders on and a bed with navy and white covers and a pinboard of polaroids
A female student in a bedroom standing drinking a mug of tea

Beth's room

Furness Superior Ensuite

“I brought everything I have with me because I wanted to make it as homely as possible. I’ve got hundreds of books…I’ve got a map of all the places I’ve been on the wall; I like tracking it…looking at places I haven’t been. The room has got a strong pagan Wicca vibe: it’s expressing a lot of that. I wanted to make it look as dense and as lived-in as possible.”

Beth's advice for decorating your room:

“Absolutely give everything a go - if it doesn’t work, you can just take it down and try something else. It’s probably the first time that you’ve had a room that’s just your own, so having your own identity in it is awesome.”

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