Zahra Dharsi quickly transforms her shoe-box college room into a cosy lickle home…

Your new home in college, roughly the same size as the shoe box your Converses came in and as dreary as Durham prison, will undoubtedly lead to dismay and mild panic. But fear not, young fresher. Help is at hand, with d21’s “what not to wallpaper” guide to making your room positively habitable.

University is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start; a time to upgrade the childish bedroom you had at home into something mature, sophisticated and intellectual. Or not.
Leaving home is a daunting prospect, so a homely room will help you settle in quicker and make loads more chums. Plus, it will transform your bedroom from something resembling the hovel at the local tip to a swanky room at the Ritz.

Remember those bright, spacious rooms in the prospectus? A misleading illusion. Most rooms have one main (and thoroughly ineffective light), a sink light (which probably won’t work) and if you’re really lucky, a desk lamp. So, the first step: bring more lights. They make the room less oppressive and will prevent the need for a pair of milk bottle glasses after all those nights of squinty studying. (Ha.)

Up-lighters are great for filling the whole room, but anything from a simple lava lamp to a bendy desk lamp will do. Fairy lights are also great: no longer just for Christmas trees, they now come in weird and wonderful shapes, everything from flowers to footballs. They add a kitschy and individual look to your room. If you’re feeling really lazy, you could just decorate your college lamps with bits ‘n’ bobs from the Pound Shop.

Go crazy and cover the walls!
Use posters and pictures to make a colourful collage on your wall, or even just a few, strategically placed ones to hide the chipped and stained paint. You could (if you have enough) cover the cheap and depressing ‘wooden’ wardrobe.

Photos are an asset. Saying that, f they are all of you people will start to think you are an egotistical pillock. Do include photos of friends (useful proof that you aren’t an antisocial lunatic and have a life outside of college), family (good for when you get homesick or, more likely, an occasional reminder to phone home and reassure them you are still alive) and favourite places (great for inspiring daydreaming during the essay and exam periods). This is also the perfect opportunity to show off the snaps of your gap-year travels without actually having to talk about it. (Not to self: year-out bores do not attract people into beautifully decorated rooms.)

All these photos will serve as a talking point (apart from the gap chat), particularly useful if conversation falters after the exchange of basic personal details (name, degree, hometown, A-levels etc). Plus, they can be gradually replaced with photos from mad nights out on the toon.

Include the obvious: calendars, posters of bands (the cheesier the better – now’s the time to get your Chesney shrine out), favourite celebrities and, if you’re feeling very cultured, works of art. Don’t feel pressured into picking out intellectual prints of the latest eccentric modernist painter – they will only intimidate people who enter your room. If you’re feeling creative, you could make some artwork of your own. If you can’t draw anything but stick men, a simple splatter of paint a la Pollock will suffice.

Stuck for inspiration, or still have free wall space? Don’t panic. Head down to the Freshers Fair (also useful for collecting typical student junk) and pick up some free posters and pictures. Even arty or unusual leaflets and flyers for clubs and societies will do, though don’t rely on this or you are guaranteed to end up with nothing unique on your walls.

The more adventurous amongst you may want to tackle the grimy windows. Random coloured cut-out snowflakes, stick-on ornaments like butterflies or flowers or even ribbon to tie your curtains back with would do the trick.

Personality
Add personal touches. Anything from a pot plant or fake flowers for the avid gardener, to a cafetiere or teapot for the caffine-addicts amongst you will do. Knick knacks, including dream catchers, plastic toys and souvenirs are also great and the more unusual the better. You could even include items trophied during Freshers Week!

Mugs, cups and jugs are also a good investment, lending a domestic feel. And don’t forget they’re ever so useful for endless cups of tea while procrastinating or (more likely) drinks for landing parties.

You could perhaps follow in the footsteps of Tracy Emin and make your bed a work of art, with bright sheets and duvets to replace the greying college ones with their non-descript patterns. Freshers year should equal fresh sheets fairly often, especially if you’re hoping to entice a fresher of the opposite sex at some point.

And why stop at your bed? On the theme of soft furnishings, you could stretch to a nice rug (anything from a fluffy faux fur one to a Tibetan one picked up on the gap year trip will do) to cover the grey and grim carpet, and some colourful cushions to liven up the tired-looking chair in the corner of the room. If you’re feeling really crazy (Read: eccentric/bohemian/quirky), you could perhaps invest in a bead curtain for your doorway, (although that could prove hazardous when stumbling in at the end of the night).

Don’t be afraid of bringing too much with you: the more (organised) chaos, the better the room, or so the theory goes! The important thing is to have fun decorating your room and go mad with it - after all, you will be living there for a the whole freshers’ year!