How to Tap into Your Interior Design Preferences in Student Housing

Attending university is your chance to discover more about yourself. As well as exploring new interests and deciding what career you want to pursue, it’s an opportunity to figure out your preferences in various aspects of your life. Your student housing, for example, gives you a blank slate to experiment with your interior design preferences. Instead of simply copying the latest trends, aim to create a space that will welcome your home at the end of each day. Here are some tips to guide you.

1. Decide What Defines You

Your interior design preferences will be closely linked to your personal style. Think about what defines you as a person and how this can reflect your choice of decor. For example, you may like to use your favourite colour, showcase a hobby, or reflect your personality.

2. Choose a Style

Learn the interior design lingo to define what kind of style you want. You may find that something resonates with you immediately or you may need to spend some time researching. Popular choices for students include minimalist (sleek and simple), bohemian (free spirited), timeless (always in style), chic (elegant and stylish), feng shui (a harmonized space), hygge (warm and comfortable), and eclectic (a mixture of styles).

3. Seek Out Inspiration

Once you have a specific style in mind, you can search for inspiration online, such as by using social media. You may like to specifically look for ideas for student apartments — these will be more relevant to the kind of space you’re working with. Remember, there’s no need to exactly replicate what you find: the point is to put your own spin on an idea to make it your own.

4. Create a Budget

Before you start purchasing anything, you need to decide how much you can afford to spend on interior design. Of course, there’s no need to finish decorating your student housing immediately — you can gradually add more items as you find them. Nonetheless, you do need to have an amount in mind to spend initially to ensure you’ll still have enough for other expenses during the month. Furthermore, you should consider which items will be an investment for future apartments and which will likely be just for your student housing.

5. Build on the Essentials

Even when you know what you want to achieve with your space, it can be difficult to know where to begin. The best way to approach this is to start with the essentials and build up. These should include things like your bedding, bathroom accessories, and throw pillows. You can then think about the other elements, such as artwork for the walls and other decorations that match the base you’ve created.

There’s little opportunity to explore your interior design preferences when you share a small dorm room with another student. However, you’ll have plenty of room to experiment when you have your own apartment. You can find Waterloo student housing that provides you with your own room in a spacious suite at myREZ. All the bedrooms are fully furnished, meaning you won’t need to worry about buying furniture — you just need to infuse the space with your personal style. Book a tour to check out the housing for yourself.