Help! We still have a student bedroom and are in our 40s!

[NeededANameChangeAnyway]

I've just bought a bedding set from dunelm which is white with green leaves on it. Any suggestions for other things I could buy to brighten up our bedroom?

https://www.dunelm.com/product/harper-stem-floral-144-thread-count-100-cotton-duvet-cover-pillowcase-set-1000252823?defaultSkuId=30929286

We have a tiny bedroom with grey/green tongue in groove halfway up the wall, white everywhere else. We pulled up the carpet hoping to find beautiful floorboards but they are wrecked beyond saving so I'm looking for a large rug, maybe green? We have a wardrobe mirror door leaning against the wall as our mirror and zero storage. A black metal IKEA bed and two IKEA beside tables. All ancient.

I feel we have a student bedroom!! Help!

I wouldn't get it because a lot of the reviews says it needs ironing as looks crumpled after washing. The Sainsbury's ones don't need ironing after washing and you can get some bold colour ones.

It’s going to feel much better than washable polyester though.

Ruggable does some nice rugs

The bedding looks nice - but will you iron it?

I'm a big fan of the Fired Earth washed cotton range at M&S - I have three sets in muted greens/grey-greens/inky blues, & mix & match the duvet cover, sheets & pillowcases. No ironing needed! They have fewer colours now, but I have the Storm & Weald Green, plus one called Hesper that pops up on eBay/Vinted sometimes. You could mix in the Carbon Blue - blues & greens together are very restful.

Could you mend & fill any damage/gaps in your floorboards after sanding, & then paint them white with floor paint?

https://www.marksandspencer.com/washed-cotton-duvet-cover/p/hbp60740875?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share

Can you post some pictures of your room?

I like Weaver Green products. Their rugs & cushions are made from recycled plastic bottles - but you honestly wouldn't know it! They look & feel like wool/cotton dhurries.

https://www.weavergreen.com/products/anatolia-green-rug

What is your budget/how much of a change do you want to make?

Are you happy with the green/grey colour? If so you could paint the upper walls and ceiling in a similar shade but a bit lighter to give a colour drench effect. Or have a complete change of colour e.g. Little greene masquerade mid on the wood, with masquerade light on upper walls/ceiling (colour matching is available!)

Dunelm does lovely plug in wall lights which you could put either side of your bed to create some room on the bedside tables e.g. https://www.dunelm.com/product/tobias-easy-fit-plug-in-wall-light-1000216161 (they have all sorts of styles if this isn't your taste)

If you can afford to replace the bed an ottoman storage bed would give you loads of space. Dusk do good ones.

And finally a proper mirror would definitely make things look less studenty! And some art on the walls. Maybe a plant or two.

Personally I’m a fan of seersucker bedding as it doesn’t need ironing but is still crisp cotton. A good quality throw at the foot of the bed.

I think less is more to upgrade. Do you have any art/pictures? A decent size piece can look good. Etsy has some great bits or a photo printed in a good quality frame.

Decent lighting - bedside lamps rather than overhead and a stylish lampshade can make all the difference.

If the op wants to avoid a student bedroom look, ironing bedding is essential and I couldn't sleep in less than 100% cotton. The Dunelm set is really nice imo but I'd check the quality of the cotton at that price. I once bought a 100% cotton sheet in Tesco for about a tenner, because I couldn't belueve the price. It was like sleeping on a brillo pad, even after a wash.

Those wall lamps are hideous - the cable hanging down the wall is the epitome of student bedroom imo.

One of my DC furnished their university room with that bedding set...

My DC teamed that bedding with a dark green quilted blanket and striped cushions.

You can get nice rechargeable lights if you want wall lights but not the cables.

I think Pinterest may be your friend.

I also just googled 'help me style my black metal bed frame so it looks grown up' and loads of different options if room/bed ideas came up.

Can you paper above the panelling, something dark and exotic - even if it's just in one wall.

Introduce textures in the floor/bed and prints on the wall.

Do you need both mirrors?

Utopia bedding from Amazon. It's not cotton but feels like cotton, loads of colours to choose from and doesn't need ironing.

@NeededANameChangeAnyway Pooky is my go to destination for lovely lamps and shades. They have loads of different styles and many are now available as rechargeable options.

We did, however, use a pair of Dunelm plug-in wall lights in a guest bedroom at our previous house after we realised the bedside tables we'd chosen were a bit small. They didn't look at all studenty imo (see attached pic), but that might have been down to everything else we did with the room! I still think they are a good, inexpensive option in certain circumstances.

Agree about adding art and a gorgeous throw. We have lots of art above our bed (mostly car boot/fleamarket finds) and got a good quality lightweight throw from Doing Goods. For the colder months we have a faux fur one.

How do you mean wrecked beyond saving? If they are proper wood you just sand them and stain or lacquer.

Or is it OSB / plywood?

What's your budget for the updates?

Firstly think about what you need in the room. E.g. somewhere to sleep, clothes storage, a mirror, lights next to the bed, a surface for things you need in bed, somewher to do your makeup? Which of the things you have in there at the moment do you want to keep and which do you want to replace? We have far too much furniture in the world already so look on FBMP, ebay, Vinterior, local auction houses, gumtree, charity shops and get good quality second hand replacements in whatever style you like. Get solid wood furniture and real wool carpets, they will age much more attractively than modern MDF and plastic alternatives. Then once you have your layout and key pieces of furniture think about your colour scheme. You could colour drench dark and moody, or have a maximalist wallpaper and decoration or make it light and calm and serene. Whatever you love.

If you have a student bedroom is it because you aren't fussed about decorating or because you are a bit scared to be brave or suffer decision paralysis? Buying secondhand makes it easier to make decisions because you should be able to sell it for as much as you bought it since there's no 'brand new premium' and also if you see something you like you just have to buy it because there's no guarantee it'll turn up again.

Have fun!

What a beautiful room!

Where do you keep your clothes?

Surely an obvious and very easy fix is to get rid of the old wardrobe door and hang a proper mirror on the wall?

But if your clothes are kept in another room, which I assume they must be as you say you have no storage, then you don’t need a mirror at all.

Thank you 💐

Ditto re seersucker. Have had several sets of crisp white ones & some pale greens over the years. I rarely iron my clothes, let alone bedding!

Pooky - lovely though they are - cost a fortune, though. For a surprisingly good range of interesting lighting at a fraction of the cost, I recommend OP tries Wayfair.

@LibertyLily - that rug and bed frame are stunning.

Chat GPT is great for this. Take a photo of your room as it is, upload it into chatgpt and say decorate this room for me, mock me an image. It comes up with great ideas.

@NeededANameChangeAnyway There's no such thing as a "student" bedroom. Calling a plain bedroom a "student" bedroom is insulting to people on lower incomes.

Oh, for heaven's sake - are we still in the early 2020s when people felt the urge to be mouthpieces for all whom they felt should be offended? I have a basic bedroom, and take absolutely no offence whatsoever. Except at your comment, suggesting I have something to feel offended about.

Do you like being called a student?

I know exactly what she means when she calls it a student bedroom.

I know she is not calling me a student.

I have the ability to see that I am not the victim of a slur, here.

Thank you 💐 Annoyingly we sold the rug when we downsized from that house in 2024...wish I'd kept it as it would have fit in our new place after all.