Moving away from home and heading to college is an exciting stage in your life, but we can’t deny the fact that it can be daunting too. If you’ve always lived at home, always had your parents cleaning for you, cooking for you, providing you a nice space to live in, when you find yourself looking around your bare college dorm room, you might be wondering what you can do to make it feel a little more like home.
This is a common first thought, because nobody wants to live in a cold, empty space. Of course, we want to feel at home, somewhere warm, comfortable, and surrounded by some of our favourite things.
If you’re currently wondering how you can spruce up your new space and make it homely, here’s a few ideas, and many of them certainly won’t break the bank.
Ask Your Parents For Furnishing Help
Your parents will no doubt have a few blankets, bedding, cushions, odd bits and bobs that they don’t use, so why not ask them if you can borrow them and take them with you to make your space more homely? Your parents will be more than happy to help, and this also saves cash compared to buying new items when you arrive.
Charity Shops Are Your Friend
You will find all manner of quirky pieces to furnish your home and make it colourful and comfortable in a charity shop, and again, you won’t pay a fortune either! Simply head down and keep an open mind, to see what you can do with any potential items you see.
Storage Space Should Go Upwards
You probably won’t have storage space in abundance, so think about items which allow you to store items on the walls, or space which heads upwards. Ikea is your friend here, just like charity shops were for you in our last suggestion.
Colour And Comfort
If you can paint the walls, do it, however do check beforehand as many dorms don’t allow you to do this. If not, get some colourful cushions and throw them around, perhaps a beanbag – you can make these things yourself if bought ones are a little too expensive. Lamps are also a great way to add warmth to a space, rather than a sometimes sterile light on the ceiling.
Make Sure You Actually Clean It!
You’re probably used to your parents cleaning up after you in every single way, but now it’s time to do it yourself. When you move into the space, you need to get your rubber gloves on and clean it until it shines! A clean space is always going to be more pleasant than somewhere that needs dusting every single second! Make sure you clean regularly too, once is not enough!
Club In With Your Housemates
If you’re sharing a college house, why not club in with your new housemates to buy bigger items to jazz up your space? This cuts costs, makes everyone’s life more comfortable, and everyone benefits from it.
Personalise Your Space To The Max
Photos will not only make you feel at home, but they will also help starve off home sickness. Find some funky photo frames and dot them around, or better still, create a collage on the wall; you can find pin-boards for very little money, and throw some photos on them to jazz up your space, and also add colour.
Time To Get A Bit Crafty
There are lots of ways you can make your space a little more homely and personal, and crafting something special is a great way to do it. For instance, Decopatch is a way to change furniture around, using colourful patterns and papers; alternatively, you can try your hand at wallpapering!
These are just a few ways you can make your new college dorm room a little more homely, to give you a space to retreat to during your studies. The great news is that none of these ideas will cost you the earth, which is always a bonus when cash may be at a bit of a premium!
