Moving out of your childhood home and into a university dorm room is one of the most exciting experiences in a young adult’s life. However, university residences are also notorious for being the dictionary definition of small, bland and boring. Fear not! With a little bit of creativity and some thrifty shopping, you can style your room to be both comfortable and stylish no matter how beige the walls are!  

Give these top tips a go for creating a great look on a tight budget: 

Wall photo mural 

Add some personality to your dorm room by creating a mural using photos. You can use old photos to create a nostalgic collage or new photos to document your current life and friends. Either way, it’s a great way to add some colour and interest to your walls. All you need is some tape, photos, and a little bit of time. 

Invest in a stylish rug 

A decent rug can add both style and comfort to a space. Whether layering multiple rugs or investing in a single large one, rugs are an easy way to add colour and pattern to a room, and they can be swapped out seasonally or as your style changes. 

Use washi tape or wallpaper to refresh furniture 

Most furniture that comes with a dorm room is old and outdated. However, you can use peel-and-stick wallpaper or washi tape to refresh the pieces in your space. Best of all, washi tape and wallpaper come in a wide range of colours and patterns, are easy to apply and just as easy to remove at the end of the year! 

Upgrade your lighting 

Twinkle lights are a great cost-effective option to add a touch of warmth and personality to any space. As a bonus, they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to install and remove, giving you the freedom to change up your look whenever you want. 

Go with quality bedding 

Your bed is the centrepiece of your dorm room, so it’s important to have something that looks good and feels even better. By investing in quality bedding, you’ll be able to create a stylish and inviting space, and you can take it with you at the end of the year. 


Expressing style doesn’t have to be expensive. From photographs to ambient lighting and quality bedding, you can make your dorm feel like home. And don’t forget about storage! Wigwam’s student storage units in Chipping Norton are the perfect way to keep your dorm room organized and clutter-free.  

Give us a call at 01608 656 300 and chat with our friendly team or get a quote online

Simon Fothergill
Written by

Simon Fothergill has more than 20 years of experience in the UK self storage industry and is Managing Director of Wigwam Storage. He writes practical, easy-to-follow advice to help customers make the most of self storage, whether they are moving house, decluttering, renovating, storing business stock or simply needing extra space. With a long background in self storage operations and customer service, Simon shares useful self storage tips, packing advice and storage solutions designed to make storage simple, flexible and stress-free.

Customer Reviews

Wigwam Self Storage place picture
4.9
Excellent service from Wigwam Self Storage Lincoln. The staff were friendly, helpful and professional from start to finish. The storage unit was clean, secure and easy to access. Everything was explained clearly, and the whole process was quick and straightforward.

I would definitely recommend Wigwam Self Storage to anyone looking for a safe and reliable place to store their belongings. Great service!
Paul Adams profile picture
Paul Adams
7 days ago
Very clean space, app works really well. Plenty of trolleys available.
Stephen Grey profile picture
Stephen Grey
1 week ago
I have dealt with both Selina and Sascha, in person and via email. The service each of them has provided has been excellent and makes me feel that I have made the right decision to use Wigwam's services.
Colin C Harman profile picture
Colin C Harman
1 week ago
I have used the storage at Cheltenham for nearly two years now and have always been glad I made the change from a large facility in Kingsditch. I recall leaving a glowing review of Casey and his team when I first took on the unit. Just yesterday I left a less than complimentary review but have discovered my frustration at the time was due to misleading info I obtained over the Internet and nothing to do with Wigwam. So that review is withdrawn and I continue to recommend Wigwam as a convenient town centre facility, well run and utilising a high tech, easy to use entry system.
Dom Hall profile picture
Dom Hall
1 week ago
I can no longer recommend this storage facility after being a customer here for a few weeks. The lift to the second floor has been broken for some time, and this is a serious problem - the stairs are too narrow to get anything remotely large up to your unit, which makes storing bigger items essentially impossible. For me, that defeated the main purpose of renting a locker here.

On top of that, the dolly trolleys are meant to be returned to a designated point after use, but in practice no one does this, so you end up hunting for one. Most of the time they’re left in a separate building I don’t have access to, meaning I have to walk around 50m through corridors and up stairs carrying my belongings just to reach my unit. I reported this to reception and was told they’d return the trolleys to the proper point, but nothing has changed.

Parking is another issue - the boxing gym attached to the building also uses the car park, so it often feels crowded.

Only use this facility if you’re desperate. Otherwise, I’d look elsewhere.
Steve Rooney profile picture
Steve Rooney
2 weeks ago
Good experience so far ! Staff Helpful and available if any issues ! Appreciate the discounted offered for 8 weeks, so took advantage of that ! wish it was longer !!!
Easy to navigate the site with easy access and facilities !
Tony Watson profile picture
Tony Watson
2 weeks ago
Fantastic idea to use an app to gain entry. Once set up it's so easy to use and saves faffing around with keys and security fobs. My first visit was a revelation and is a definite encouragement to keep going back.
Well done Wigwam!!
Benjamin Currie profile picture
Benjamin Currie
3 weeks ago
Got a small lock up for short term use - getting set up was quick and easy. Introductory offer is also great.
All the team we've dealt with at Wigwam have provided fantastic customer service with some lovely personal touches. Our storage unit and the surrounding site is clean, well maintained and good value for money. I would definitely recommend.
Brian Stacey profile picture
Brian Stacey
3 weeks ago
Really friendly team, very helpful and good facilities. Would happily use Wigwam for short term storage again. Cheers!
Laura Smith profile picture
Laura Smith
3 weeks ago
Great storage facility, would highly recommend. The process of booking and accessing the unit was really straightforward and customer service has been excellent.
Chris Sabin profile picture
Chris Sabin
4 weeks ago
Lovely helpful friendly staff
Transparent pricing
Very happy with the service.