Decorating Your Student House for Cosy Season: Budget-Friendly Decor Tips

With spooky season just around the corner, it’s official: cosy season has also arrived! If you want to make your university halls or student home the perfect place to come home and curl up after a long day of lectures, keep reading. 

In this guide, we’ll share our best budget-friendly decor ideas for making your student pad cosy, as well as tricks for heating your room without actually putting the heating on. 

How to make your student house cosy

Grab your slippers and put the kettle on, you can’t go wrong with these autumn decor ideas on a student budget. 

• Glow up your lighting

  You would be surprised just how much good lighting makes a difference. No room or halls looks good under a naked bulb, so start your glow up by getting a good lampshade. A bedside table light will also make your bedroom a cosy haven to wind down in of an evening.

  For the rest of your student house, fairy lights make the world of difference. Get lights that plug directly into the mains, so you don’t have to fork out for batteries. A standing light for your living room is also a good shout to make the space cosy when everyone is spending the night together, or you’re hosting pre-drinks before a Halloween night out.  

• Invest in more furniture

  Too much space is the antithesis of cosy. By adding more furniture to your home (being careful not to cross the clutter line!), you can make the space feel a lot more homely. We’re talking a squishy armchair, a coffee table for books or even a wooden spice rack. If you are investing in more furniture, shop second-hand to stay within your student budget.

  Good places to find cheap furniture include:

  • Local charity shops
  • Facebook marketplace (you might have to download Facebook again!)
  • Gumtree
  • Vinted and Depop
  • Online community groups 

• Add some great smells

  Student halls can, unfortunately, sometimes carry a bad odour. That’s why adding smellies is one of the biggest autumn decor essentials. While lighting candles can be a fire risk (particularly if you get distracted chatting to your pals or forget to blow them out before you leave for lectures), there are plenty of other easy ways to make your home smell better.

  Diffusers can do all the hard work without you having to lift a finger, especially if you get a plug-in one that works while you’re not home. For the ultimate witchy vibes, opt for autumn scents like spiced apple, pumpkin and cinnamon. And if all else fails, go old-school with a classic bowl of potpourri.

• Put artwork on the walls

  Posters, prints and photos of memories from university can quickly lift a space. Not to mention, you can continue adding new prints when you find them throughout the year. If you’re printing snaps, try websites like Photobox and Freeprints, which have great photo printing deals for students. And don’t forget to pick up a postcard if one of you goes abroad.

  When it comes to getting your artwork or photos up there, use special mark-free strips instead of Blu-Tack. You can also put your prints in frames and display them by leaning them up against the walls or on a shelf. If you’re considering using a picture hook as a way to decorate your student room, make sure to ask your landlord’s permission first.

• Get a TV for your living room

  Having a TV in your student house isn’t essential, but a telly can definitely make any room a lot more inviting. Even a small TV will likely have a bigger screen and better sound than your laptop for watching shows and films, not to mention it will significantly up the stakes for your Halloween movie marathon.

  It’s worth asking around to see if anyone has an old telly they no longer use, or else shop secondhand and split the cost between you — don’t forget to check if you need a TV licence! To really keep costs down, you could alternatively all chip in for a projector. All you need is a big white wall and a Bluetooth speaker, and you’ve got an almost cinematic experience. 

How to heat your student house without putting the heating on

These five tips and tricks for heating your home can help you stay warm in spooky season, without the fright of a big utility bill. It’s also worth reading these common energy myths about heating your home to help curb any extra costs.

• Snuggle up with a hot water bottle

The ultimate cosy student accessory, nothing gets you warmer quicker than the humble hot water bottle. Especially when it’s paired with a hot brew! A good quality water bottle won’t set you back too much, and is perfect for winding down when the nights are long. Just remember to properly close the lid and use a teatowel when the bottle is piping hot.

• Treat yourself to an electric blanket

For full-body cosiness, an electric blanket will do just the trick. You can get one that resembles a regular bed sheet and sits on top of your mattress, or one that really does look like a picnic blanket. Both will usually have adjustable temperatures so you can find the right warmth for sleeping, resting or studying.

• Add rugs and soft furnishings

By trapping heat and keeping it within your four walls, rugs and other soft furnishings not only make your home look cosy, but feel cosy too. For properties without carpets or older homes without efficient insulation (so pretty much all student houses!), a fluffy rug can make a world of difference.

• Prevent cold air with a draught excluder

A ‘does what it says on the tin’ home furnishing item, a draught excluder is an essential bit of autumn decor for any student accommodation. Place your excluder by your front or back door, next to big windows, and by internal doors and radiators to isolate the heat. You can pick up a decent excluder online or in Home Bargains — or get crafty and make your own!

• Rearrange furniture

Turn your spring cleaning into a winter makeover and rearrange the furniture in your home. By pulling sofas away from the radiator, you can make sure there’s enough space for heat to travel around. The same goes for beds that are directly against a heater, or even your bedroom walls; the latter is an essential tip if your room is very chilly and might have mould.

We hope you all enjoy the start of spooky season, bring on the cosy vibes!