Five ways to make over your uni room with IKEA

Whether you’re moving into student accommodation or staying at home, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your bedroom whilst at university. You’ll want to make sure it’s a homely space to live, make the most of a small space, as well as being a productive study environment.

So we got the expert advice of IKEA Interior Designer and BCU graduate Claire Watts to share these five tips for transforming your little area of the world.

View video transcription

1) Comfort is key

One of the most important things for your room is textiles – you’ll want to make the place as comfortable as possible. So think about your duvet, bedding, any cushions you want to add for texture and pattern and also some comfort for the floor. Adding in a rug will make things a little softer on your feet when you wake up in the morning.

2) Organise your tech

Technology in your bedroom is also really important. When you're working at your desk, you need a laptop to be a good height for working so you aren't straining your eyes too much. It’s also useful to have numerous charging ports around the room if you’re in your family home – having one next to your bed makes your phone easily accessible.

Get your free packing checklist

Download your free packing checklist to get on top of what you need for September!

Download

3) Set the mood with lighting

When you’re working and sleeping in the same space, it's really important to get the mood right. So when you're working at your desk, it's really good to have a light above your laptop so you don't strain your eyes while you're working. And to get ready to relax and wind down for a good night's sleep, you can use battery-powered candles, fairy lights and also dim side lights, too. Real candles are a fire risk in student accommodation – so stick to the electric ones.

4) Clever storage

It's really important to make the most of the storage in your room. When you're working at your desk area, you could use magazine files to keep everything organized. Arrange your stationery so everything's easy to reach when you're working. You can make the most of wardrobe space as well and underneath the bed, with storage boxes for clothes, out-of-season items and things you don't need to get to day to day.

5) Add some personality

It's really important to add a little bit of your personality to your space as well. Why not add some photos, frames or prints to your room to remind you of your friends from home and favourite memories? Adding some greenery to your room with some artificial or real plants really helps boost the mood.

[00:00:03] Speaker 1 Hi, my name's Claire and I'm an interior designer at IKEA Birmingham, and I'm here to give you some tips on how to make the most of your uni space.

[00:00:15] One of the most important things for your room is textiles, you want to make the place as comfortable as possible. So think about your duvet, bedding, any cushions you want to add for texture and pattern and also some comfort for the floor. So adding in a rug so when you get out of bed will make things a little softer on your feet when you wake up in the morning.

[00:00:34] Technology in your bedroom is also really important. When you're working at your desk, you need a laptop to be a good height for working so you aren't straining your eyes too much.

[00:00:43] Also having numerous charging ports around the room like one next you your bed so your phone is easily accessible.

[00:00:49] The next thing I want to talk about is lighting in your room because you're working and sleeping in the same space. It's really important to get the mood right. So when you're working at your desk, it's really good to have a light above your laptop so you don't strain your eyes while you're working. And to get ready to relax and wind down for a good night's sleep, you can use battery powered candles, fairy lights and also dim side lights, too.

[00:01:12] It's really important to make the most of the storage in your room. When you're working at your desk area, you can have magazine files to keep everything organised and also stationary so everything's easy to reach when you're working. You can make the most of wardrobe space as well and underneath the bed, we sell a wide range of storage boxes for clothes, out of season items and things you don't need to get to day to day.

[00:01:35] It's really important to add a little bit of your personality to your space as well. We have photos, frames and prints that you can add to your room and you can add your personal photos to them as well. We've also added some artificial or real plants to your room, adding that little bit of greenery really helps boost the mood.

[00:01:52] Thanks for watching and I hope you found those tips really helpful. And now it's time to get creative and really make this space your own.