Polaroids and dead houseplants: how to recreate your uni room from home

With COVID-19 cutting short the last term of uni, many students flocked back to their hometowns before the lockdown was announced. Living in a small town in the middle of nowhere isn’t quite the same as your overpriced slightly dodgy university room and we can only try our best to recreate it’s greatness

Here’s The Sussex Tab’s guide to recreate your university room, at home.

Random flatmate you never see

You know the one – you saw them once during the move in and haven’t seen them since. Do they even exist? Have they moved out? Realistically, you’ll never know. If you have a sibling you never see then there you go: that’s your mystery flatmate, at home style.

Washing

If you lived in halls, you’ll know the horror of Circuit Laundry. Simply, £3.70 to do one wash is a scam. Whilst in lockdown, using your own washing machine with some nice smelling Comfort fabric conditioner is a luxury compared to ASDA’s own brand two-in-one pods. If you want to save up over the summer, every time you need to do a wash, put money in the piggy bank.

Drinks

Whilst you might not be able to have pres with your mates, or go to the pub for a pint, pets make the best drinking partner. Pour them a pint, and you have to drink it for them – double the fun.

Fairy lights

Students and fairy lights go hand in hand and no uni room is complete without their soft orange glow. Hung up around your bed, the window, with pictures and on just about every wall imaginable, they’re the most versatile of decorations. Just pop some on the wall, and you’ll feel the uni vibes flow back in.

Tapestry

Usually from Urban Outfitters or bought from South East Asia on the ‘gap yah’ , every uni house will have at least one. Simply hang one up in your hometown room and it will remind you of the annoying ‘when I was on my gap year’ housemate.

Pictures everywhere

Much to our landlord’s annoyance, the one way we make our plain walls look pretty is pictures, and way too many of them. Arranged in a heart shape, on a pinboard, or polaroids hung up with fairy lights, they are a staple in every uni room. It’s not like we’re going to be making more memories this summer, so you may as well stick some pictures up of the good ol’ times.

Posters from the first week of term

Everyone has one, the massive over sized poster you brought as a fresher in the first week thinking it was a good idea that’s somehow made it into every room you have lived in since. It’s torn, it’s tatty and definitely time to go in the bin, but for some reason it’s made it home. Well, it’s time to fish it out and hang it back up.

Dead houseplant

Students are barely capable of looking after themselves so these poor plants we buy have no chance. Every house has a sad looking plant that’s dried up and long gone. Go and treat yourself to a new plant that you can guarantee won’t make it to the end of summer. RIP.

Go on, get decorating.

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