Student hovel into real home – Transforming student communal living spaces
You might have moved in many moons ago, yet term after term has only seen your shared student space become ever messier, and less and less like home. Whether you’re a student in York, or anywhere else in the UK, coping with your co-inhabitants really needn’t mean putting up with spaces only fit for partying and faced with your beer goggles well and truly on. Here are our five star tips for transforming even the gloomiest of shared student spaces into a communal room that welcomes you in.
1. Set a few ground rules
It’s a drag, we know, and most students who reach university will have long awaited their new-found freedom. So discussing rules and regulations for shared living can feel a little like playing mom and dad. Nevertheless, this first pointer is going to be pretty critical if your made over space is going to be maintained. At the very least you should put in place a weekly cleaning rota – with named individuals tackling set rooms on a rotation basis.
2. Create a focal point with a tapestry or washi tape wall art
How are those walls looking? Grim, grimy or plain dull? Introduce a focal point with a large tapestry, or create interest throughout with washi tape – a type of masking tape designed for adding patterns and colour to interior walls.
3. Add a little colour and more seating in the form of floor stools
Floor stools come in all shapes and sizes – from knitted poofs to simple leather effect boxes – and as they’re priced from just £10 each when shopping online, it’s easy to welcome more guests into your space whilst adding a splash of colour in the process.
4. Tired looking sofa? Freshen up with a new throw or two
Buying a brand-new sofa would be pretty heavy for the average student pocket, so opt for the alternative – choose bright, crisp new throws for instantly made over furniture and a lighter, brighter space. The addition of a new rug can also mask an unsightly carpet (large rugs start from just £40 from Ikea).
5. Lighting – Get the ambience just right (and forget the fluorescents)
Student living spaces are all too often lit up in bright, white and super harsh florescent lighting. Not only is this far from ideal for making a room inviting, it’s also a nightmare for showing up every single speck of dust, dirt and grime.
For ambience and an instant lift in cleanliness, go for soft mood lighting – uplighters, down lighters, lamps and orbs.
As specialist student removals professionals, we’ve seen our fair share of student properties – from the out and out luxurious, to communal spaces that could really do with a long-over due makeover. Whatever the type of property that you’ll call home during your student years, we can provide the brawn for moving those items in on time and on budget.
07931 849 112 | 01904 375 995 | Get your removals quote online | admin@vanmanyork.co.uk
