Bringing colour to your room is not easy as a student. Not only is painting dorm rooms a no go but the dull decor that plagues all student accommodation is not particularly inspiring. So, whether you’re moving to uni for the first time or simply returning to a boring room in September, we’ve decided to help by gathering together the best DIYs for adding colour to your room!
Often, the big empty space above your bed will make your room feel sparse, especially when the wall is plain and white. This DIY will not only fill that space but also bring tonnes of colour to your room.
It may look complicated, but all you really need to make this wall hanging is a long piece of string for the top, some coloured thread and card to make the hanging moons, and beads to tie on at the end to weigh them down. Bonus points if you can add fairy lights!
You might think that mobiles only belong in children’s nurseries, but, by giving them a more mature twist, they can be the perfect decoration for a student room. They are also super unique and easy to personalise.
All you need is an embroidery hoop, thread and whatever you want to decorate it with. Flowers and beads will introduce colour to your room, but feathers, photographs and even seashells will work as well. Once you’ve gathered everything you need, simply tie it together or use a glue gun and hang it to your ceiling with a pin.
If crafting isn’t really your thing and these DIYs seem a bit intimidating, then washi tape is for you. Nothing could be simpler. It comes in all kinds of patterns and bright colours and is ideal for student rooms because, on move out day, you can simply peel it off the wall without leaving a single mark.
First, plan out your design, whether you’re going for something geometrical or just plain, old stripes. In just minutes you can create something unique and colourful that will transform your room.
Buying paintings is just not an option on a student budget so why not create your own? Washi tape is not only a decoration in itself but can be a really useful tool in creating this DIY. Whether you are talented at art or a total beginner, this craft is both fun and easy and will bring so much colour to your room.
Starting with canvas for a clean and modern look or old wooden boards to add texture, stick your washi tape into a design. It can be geometric, symmetrical or completely random. Once your design is down, paint over everything and leave it to dry. When you are sure that it is dry, peel off the washi tape to reveal your design.
This DIY gives bunting a bohemian twist. Perfect for adding colour to your room and super cheap to make, scrap fabric bunting is a must for any student room. It’s also super addictive to make so you’ll probably end up making them for your friends too.
All you need is string and a variety of fabric (whether it is from old t-shirts and bedsheets, or newly purchased) cut into five-inch strips. Then just knot the strips on and keep going until you’re happy with it. Easy!
Every student dorm contains at least one potted plant, so why not give it a colourful makeover. Assuming you already have a plant pot, all you need to buy for this DIY is some paint and a brush.
Two-toned designs work best, creating a minimalist look while still remaining colourful. If the plant itself is colourful, use a more muted yet matching shade to create a coordinated look.
Terrariums are really cute and add a splash of green to any room. They are also easy to care for, with succulents requiring a lot less attention than other plants or the alternative of faux succulents looking just as good as the real thing.
To create this DIY you’ll need rocks, your succulent and some kind of bottle to build it in. For a more quirky look, you can even build them in old lightbulbs and hang them from a shelf.
You may not have thought of Pompoms as a way to decorate your room but, by simply hanging them up on your curtains, they can bring a fun pop of colour to your dorm. They are also fairly easy to make, with plenty of YouTube tutorials detailing how to make them.
If pompoms prove too fiddly, start off with tassels. These simply require you to fold strands of wool in half and tie them at the top.
Amongst all the typically boring dorm room furniture, you’re bound to have a huge pinboard. A staple of student rooms, the pinboard is critically underused, despite having so much potential for the addition of colour to your room. So if the only thing you’ve got stuck up is that ugly timetable you were given on your first day, then this DIY is for you.
Imagine your pinboard as one giant scrapbook page ready for photographs, magazine pages and postcards. Old birthday cards will give it a personal touch and festival wristbands or train tickets from a special journey will add nice memories.
Having added all of this to your pinboard, it should be looking pretty colourful, but if you want to take it to the next level, then what could be better than DIY push pins? Of course, you can always buy cute pins but they can be expensive and the more you use, the more the cost adds up.
Making your own is much cheaper. Just buy the most basic pack of pins and use a glue gun to stick something onto them. It can be anything: colourful buttons, pebbles or, like in this example, print off some beautiful butterfly designs.
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