Tips for Comfortable Student Living

By Student Cribs | September 19, 2016 | Reading Time: 7 minutes

When you first move into a student house, everything feels a bit strange. There’s no such thing that could remind you of home: no associations, new scents, and every corner is…too clean. On the other hand, you’ll have *almost* full freedom to do anything you want with your space!

Your house will influence your mood and energy, it will encourage or discourage you from partying/studying (underline the right answer), so make sure you keep it stylish, comfortable, and most importantly, feel like home. Here are the few of suggestions on how to decorate and fill up your space. Without breaking a bank, of course.

Bedroom

You’ll spend a lot of hours in your bed (a third of your life, to be exact!), so make sure you find the most comfortable and visually eye pleasing bedding. Pick a set or two that reflects your personality and add a throw on top to make it cosier during winter nights. It’s very unlikely that you’re a pro in picking out bedding, so here are little tips: you want a thread count of at least 200 (the higher the softer) and know your mattress size before you go to a store.

You probably won’t have lots of storage for your life-long belongings, so we highly recommend to purchase things like these flexible wardrobe hangers and drawer organisers.

Don’t neglect your desk – surround yourself with useful stuff that will inspire you to work, read and learn more. You can hang a little board with study notes, store all stationery like that,  create mind maps. Also, try not to clutter, because a mess on your desk will discourage you from using it for studies (been there, done that)!

In order to make your room feel more “you”, add finishing touches by making things instead of buying them. Not a single student is willing to spend more than a tenner on a photo frame or wall art, right? You’ll find supplies in any local shop or thrift store at affordable prices. Poundland is also a great place to find tools for crafts.

Living Room

Cushions will upgrade even the most boring sofa and rugs can change the whole look of the room. You don’t have to splurge on these: Primark, ASDA and H&M offer great selections that will cost you a bit more than a cup of coffee! Also, it’s a small life-hack: the more stuff you put into space, the more soundproof it becomes, as thick materials absorb sound very well.

A little greenery never hurt nobody – buy potted plants to make your living room feel less sterile and more lively, these are often cheap. 

For the evenings, hang fairy LED lights in a living room for an instant homely feel that will be great for gatherings and movie nights. Use washi tape to avoid any residue on the walls (trust us, no decor is worth the money that you could be charged for small damages!)

Bathroom

Shared bathrooms are not particularly enjoyable, especially by the end of the year you’ve spent living together. Besides from regular cleaning sessions (follow our Instagram

 for useful housing hacks), obviously, try to add pleasant scents to your bathroom: there’s plenty of affordable diffusers, soaps and air fresheners in home sections of Next, Zara and even your local Sainsbury’s. Buy a comfy bathrobe to avoid awkward naked encounters at the hallway. Don’t forget about floor mats and flip-flops, as most of the time, the floor will probably be slippery. 

Kitchen

Try to coordinate the kitchen utensils and essentials with your housemates – that way you’ll save money and won’t have too many mugs and pans. Stock the drawers with stuff that you will definitely need during gatherings and midnight cravings – disposable plates (who wants to end up with piles of dirty plates after your friends leave the party?), a bottle opener, matches, plenty of tissues and Digestive biscuits will be handy. Use plastic boxes labeled with your name, so that your lovely housemates think before grabbing your last breakfast yogurt. 

Finally, a tablecloth will be a nice addition to your kitchen table, and it’s easier to throw a fabric away, than dealing with stains on surface. 

What not to do:

• • It can be very exciting to finally move in with your mates, but that excitement can lead to binge-spending on Amazon. Don’t invest into heavy pieces, such as mirrors, sophisticated coffee machines and notice boards, unless you are sure that you’ll be able to carry all that with you after moving out.
• Don’t bring more than one big suitcase with you – luggage takes up lots of space that you will definitely be short of.
• The joy of having cool posters and Christmas decorations will fade the second you realise how hard it is to remove any blu-tack or tape from surfaces. Don’t risk your deposit and be careful with using anything sticky.
• Avoid candles at all cost, or use the ones that are placed inside big glass holders. Candles are usually banned for safety reasons and you can get into trouble if something wrong happens. Also…have you tried to get rid of wax from furniture? Hint: It’s annoying

Good luck and enjoy your student living!

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