From Prison Cell to Luxury Flat: 11 Ways to Redesign Your Student Bedroom Without Going Broke(r)

Does your hostel room look like a luxury prison cell? 

The walls look like they haven’t been repainted since the building was built in 1963, the floor has cracks all over and some spots are missing tiles. Basically, you feel so ashamed of the place that you’ve been squatting with your rich friend who lives in a better hostel.

Well, if you’re tired of living as a squatter, here are eleven affordable options for a student bedroom makeover WITHOUT breaking the bank.

1. Peel and Stick Tiles

What kind of floors do you like? Rugged wood patterns or colourful shine-shine floors? With peel-and-stick tiles, you can change your floors from prison cell chic to classy baby girl apartment flooring. You can find different types of peel-and-stick tiles on AliExpress or Amazon.

Why You Should Get It:

• Peel-and-stick tiles are easy to install. As the name suggests, all you have to do is peel off the cover and stick it to your ugly floors.
• They’re cheap.
• When you’re ready to leave your hostel, you can simply unpeel the tiles and pack them with your load.

2. Adhesive Shower Caddies

Student hostels are notorious for having bathrooms that are smaller than sardine tins. There’s barely any space for you to shower, let alone store things. With these Amazon shower caddies, you can store everything from your soaps and sponges to shampoo and skincare. You can also get them on AliExpress.

Why You Should Get This:

• Super easy to install. Just stick it on your bathroom walls.
• Holds a lot of weight. You can store all your skincare products without stress.
• Flexible use. Instead of putting your caddy in the bathroom, you can stick it on your bedroom wall to store pencils and pens or anything else you need close.

3. Door Seal Strips

Your bedroom is the meeting point for all the cockroaches and rats in your hostel. You’ve begged your hostel manager to fix the gaps under the door and windows. But they seem to think the roaches have the same rights to the room as you. 

Pests have invaded your cupboard and contaminated your food. It’s time to take charge. This door seal strip blocks the little gaps under your door to prevent disease-causing buggers from invading your privacy.

Why You Should Get It

• The cockroaches have grown immune to insecticides. You need a plan B.
• It’s easy to install, just slide it under your door.
• It’s cheap on AliExpress and you can cut it to fit your door.

4. Removable Wallpaper

Paint is expensive, my dear. And you can’t peel off your paint when you’re leaving. Repainting a hostel room is like doing charity work for the hostel owner. And you know they won’t appreciate you. Instead, you can get adhesive wallpaper from AliExpress to make your room look presentable.

Why You Should Get It:

• Again, easy to install. No need to hire a professional. Just stick the paper to your wall. 
• (Note:This might not work on rough walls)
• You can easily peel it off when you’re leaving.
• It’s cheaper compared to paint.

5. Wall Art

Nothing makes your room more bougie than art does. AliExpress sells cheap framed wall art that you can use to brighten up your room. 

Why You Should Get It 

• Having artwork in your room can improve your mood.
• As usual, you can carry the art with you or even resell it when you’re leaving.
• Amazon also has different types of artwork to choose from. 

6. Decorative Plants

Real plants will attract flies and insects, but plastic decorative plants will make your room look good without stress. You can get small, colourful plants on AliExpress, or if you’re a big baller with money to spend, you can go for taller, realistic plants.

Why You Should Get It:

• Unlike real plants, you don’t need to water decorative plants or give them any attention.
• Your plants will prove you’re a big baller and make your friends jealous of you.
• You can choose from different types of plants on Amazon as well.

7. Fairy Lights

If you have somewhat stable electricity, then fairy lights or LED lights are a must-have to add a warm aura to your room. Imagine getting back from class after a long day and walking into a room with twinkling lights that make you feel like you’re in a movie. AliExpress also sells fairy lights with vines attached for an extra fantasy feel.

Why You Should Get It 

• Fairy lights add a great aura to your space and put you in a good mood.
• They are better for your eyes than regular light bulbs.
• They’ll make your friends jealous of you.

8. Memo Board

If you love planning things out, a memo board will be a game-changer for your room. You can hang up your board above your bed or get a small board for your desk. The board can be a vision board where you write out and pin your future plans to motivate you, or you can make it a place to pin reminders and timetables. 

Why You Should Get It 

• A memo board can help you stick to your study schedule.
• You can get good quality boards on AliExpress that will last you for ten generations. (You can pass it down to your younger siblings or grandchildren.)
• A vision board will help you keep going when school starts to frustrate your life.

9. Washi Tape

Washi tape is colourful artistic tape that you can stick on your walls or wrap around your door and windows to give your room a unique look. You can even cut the tape to form shapes and stick them on your books. Basically, you are free to express your creativity on a budget with washi tape.

Why You Should Get It 

• It’s cheap.
• You can use it for a million things.
• You can also just use it like regular sellotape.

10. Portable Bed Desk

If your room is the size of a dollhouse and you barely have space for your bed, this portable desk will be a lifesaver for you. You can use this desk while studying in bed. It also folds up, so you can take it to school or anywhere else where you might need it.

Why You Should Get It 

• It also doubles as a laptop stand.
• It takes up very little space.
• It’s affordable on Amazon.

11. Desk Organizer

Say bye-bye to messy desks with this. If your friends have made fun of you over and over for your desk always being a mess, this will help you shut them up. 

Why You Should Get It 

• You can also use it as a skincare organizer.
• It’s cute. It’s portable. It’s easy to use.
• It helps you maintain a clean space.

If you want to do more with your room, both Amazon and AliExpress have a wide range of products that you’ll love. Please read the description of each item carefully and go through the reviews before making a purchase.

But even if you only try three out of these eleven options, your room will thank you for the upgrade. And you’ll feel more comfortable in your space. 

So say bye-bye to your squatting days and start renovating!

Wishing you peace and funds,

Dee