So, you’ve decided to move into private accommodation, congratulations! There’s plus sides and down sides to living in university accommodation versus private accommodation, but people generally prefer private accommodation (rented apartments). This is mainly because there is more freedom to decorate your place as you please and there is usually more space to store your things.

You also get more freedom to choose your flatmates and your rooms as well. The main downside is having to hunt down an apartment to rent, but once that’s out of the way, it’s much easier.

Since this is your new home, there’s ways to decorate it and make it more homely. It is also likely that you will be sharing your flat with a few other people, so below are some ways to decorate your new place that your flatmates will be on board with!

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Rugs

This is the first thing that my flatmate and I bought after we moved into our new place. We just looked on IKEA and Amazon for a few days and split the cost of a nice rug that we both liked.

A nice rug brings the whole flat together and even if your budget is small, a rug is usually an affordable way to make your whole place cosier. You can also buy a smaller rug for your own room, but I found that having a rug in the living room brought the whole place together much more. I do recommend being careful with food and drinks around the rug and always keep kitchen roll nearby in case of accidents!

Also by Manasa: How to Personalise Your Accommodation!

Pictures and Artwork

Pictures and art are great ways to bring your flat together, without spending too much money. I recommend either bringing a few of your favourite pictures from home and sticking them in your room or ordering a few prints of your faves (affordable options online).

In the main living room and hall, you can hang artwork with wall safe hooks. A fun idea would be to make an evening out of it with your flatmates and everyone could create a piece of art for the flat!

Organise a painting session!

Lights, Lights, Lights!

I am a huge fan of using different types of lighting in and around my place. A great idea is to use fairy lights all around your place or multi-coloured LED lights. My flatmate was able to find solar powered fairy lights to hang in our living room and they give such a cute and homey feel to our place.

Another great addition are lamps. For example, in our place we have a standing lamp that we only use in the evenings, and it gives a lovely low light (my flatmate and I love to eat dinner with just that light on). Creative use of lights can really transform a place and make it much cosier.

Brighten your rooms with fairy or multi-coloured lights

Throws, Pillows and Blankets

Other than using pillows and blankets in your own room, I recommend getting an extra throw and some pillows for the living room as well. Having a few small pillows and throws on your sofa can again give a comfier vibe to your place. Getting them from the same site makes it easier as you and your flatmates can split the price (or you can each contribute your own thing).

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Fridge Decoration

You may not think there is much to decorating your fridge but trust me, there’s way to use your fridge to enhance your space. I recommend adding your favourite magnets and sticking up your to-do list (for chores, household care, etc). There are also magnetic boards that you can put on your fridge where you can fill in your grocery lists, to-do lists, etc. The options are endless!

Keep track of your grocery list

Centre Pieces and Table Covers

If your flat has a dining table or coffee table, then adding a centrepiece is a great way to brighten up your space! I recommend a vase with flowers, a fruit bowl, or even creative paper weights (I found a wooden elephant in a charity shop, the options are endless and whatever you want). For our centrepiece, my flatmate chose Lego flowers to put in a vase and they looked amazing!

Add character to your room with lego flowers

It was such an easy way to brighten up the area and add some character into the room. Table covers are also a nice idea if you have them on hand, however, it may become a chore having to clean them. Table covers are also great if you’re following a colour scheme in your flat and want to bring the room together.

Candles and Diffusers

This option may not work in all flats (it depends on the rules of your contract). In some apartments or houses, you can use candles, however in my flat you aren’t allowed to burn candles. Don’t worry, if you still want to use your candles and have the lovely scent, I recommend getting candle warmers. They simply use a light that slowly melts the candle, and the scent still goes around your room.

Another way to have your flat smelling nice is to use diffusers. Diffusers are also nice because they only use water vapour and whatever scent you want. Although pricey, if your flatmates are also on board, you can invest in a nice one.

Keep your rooms smelling fresh

An addition to the above idea, I also recommend getting scented cubes for throughout your flat. These cubes essentially combat any bad odours around your flat and keep wherever they are smelling fresh. Places to use them include kitchen cupboards, closets, utility closets, etc. We found these extremely useful, especially when first moving into our flat.

That concludes the list of things you can do to make your new flat more special. I hope they help you make your space more cosy and homely. Enjoy decorating!

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Study Medicine at Queen's

Manasa Ramakrishna Medicine | Undergraduate Student | Canada I’m a 20-year-old international student from Canada and currently studying Medicine. I figured the best way to combine my love for science, travelling and working with people would be to do international medicine. Outside school, I do classical dance, sculpture and biking!