Quick, cheap and easy ways to decorate your rented room

LOOKING for affordable but creative ways to decorate your rented room without ruining the walls? Trinity College Foundation Studies students Vanessa Lim and Indri Tjahjadi share their tips. 

Photo: Vanessa Lim

For international students we all know it’s the little things that count when creating a home away from home. But how do you bring a personal touch to your dorm room or rented apartment without running the risk of marking the walls and forfeiting your bond?

We scoured around for ideas to help students revamp their rooms cheaply, quickly and simply – here are our top three.

A photo clothesline

Photo: Vanessa Lim

Things you will need for this project are photos, string, clothes pegs, washi tape, markers, scissors and blue tack. Measure the width of the wall you want to hang your photos from, then cut three strings of the same length. Lay the string out on the floor and position the photos as you please.

Next, using either clothes pegs (which you could decorate using the washi tape) or just some coloured tape, attach the photos and printed pictures to the string. Then, place the stringed photos on your wall using blue tack. Tada! Your done! (You could also use the washi tape to attach your ‘clothesline’ to the wall).

Washi tape wall art and more

Washi tape

Washi tape can do wonders when it comes to livening up an otherwise dull and dreary room. It comes in different patterns, colours and widths, and the best part is, unlike sticky tape, it doesn’t strip paint from the wall and can be applied directly to surfaces to create wall art limited only by your imagination.

For some washi tape inspired room decoration ideas, vlogger LaurDIY shares three easy projects on AwesomenessTV we think is worth checking out:

DIY Jewellery Board

Who said cork boards are only for pinning up notes, photos and reminders? It’s great for organising your jewellery too! Here’s a neat little how-to video we came across from fashion blogger/vlogger Wendy’s Lookbook that’s easy to replicate at home, as well as affordable. All  you need in addition to a sizeable cork board are push pins, some fabric, ribbons, string, scissors and measuring tape. Fans of washi tape may like to use that instead of fabric or ribbon:

So there you have it, three easy ways to decorate and personalise your room to make it a feel a bit more like home. Remember these ideas are just a starting point so feel free to adapt them to suit your tastes! Happy decorating!