Halls of Fame: How To Brighten Up Your New Student Accommodation Bathroom

If your student offspring are starting a new term in new student accommodation, welcome to the world of bathroom uncertainty. If they’re in new-build or newly-refurbished halls, it may be possible that there ’s a lovely spanking new bathroom awaiting them on their return to academia. If it’s in a shared house, it may not be quite so salubrious. Whatever the current bathroom situation, we’ve got some ideas to help you perk it up on a budget.  Remember, cleanliness is the best thing to aim for – a grubby bathroom is off-putting and depressing. Even if it’s a grotty bathroom, encourage their housemates or fellow bathroom sharers to keep it clean and sparkling! From personal experience, I suggest a small investment in a steam mop for kitchen and bathroom floors and walls is a great practical idea.

Colourful Concepts

We rather like the colour scheme this shower/wetroom. Strong-coloured tiles – try bold blue, plum, teal or grey – can create a ‘frame’ to define the space, and of course, make it easier to clean. See our range of colourful Metro tiles if you fancy recreating the look in your own home (not a student let – don’t jazz up someone else’s’ property without recompense!). The lesson is; some colourful towels, freestanding storage items and a few lovely green plants will make a world of difference to a dull bathroom space.

Time for a Soak

Life as a student in a shared home, whether it’s halls or a rented house, can be overawing and hectic. So it’s important to be able to seek a few minutes (well, ideally at least half an hour or so!) for a good old soak in the tub. Create a little bit of luxury by hitting some of the big stores, there really are some very good bargains out there – and don’t forget, keep an eye on the sales for bargain treats as well. A bath rack with space for a book, iPad, or cuppa as well is great to help sooth away first term stresses, and of course, some scented candles and diffusers will add a touch of indulgence and luxury too. Bathmats are probably not the best idea for a shared student bathroom as they’ll likely need washing constantly. Avoid manky bathmats by investing in a duck board – our pals at Soak.com have a few to choose from.

In The Kitchen

If you’re sprucing up the bathroom, extending your thinking to the kitchen areas as well. It’s likely that as a new student they’ll either be all-inclusive or left to their own devices, living on super-noodles, Nando’s and pizza. Try and encourage of a bit of kitchen pride by supplying some fabulous utensils and accessories. All the big stores have very affordable ‘student ranges’, which are a joy to behold if you’re on a budget, but if there’s a little more budget available, take a look at the sleek accessories from Debenhams.

Cabinet Matters

Cramped bathrooms can be made easier to use by the addition of slim-line cabinetry. We’re rather impressed by this mirror-shelf-cabinet idea from Red Candy. It needs to be wall-hung, so check with your landlord that you’re allowed to before cracking out the drill and rawl plugs, but the Umbra Cubiko offers mirror and storage space all in one go. In general, most bathroom showrooms usually have a choice of cabinets – it’s a good idea to check sizes before making a purchase though, so take a tape measure and pick something that will add practicality and sensible storage space to any bathroom.

Cheerful Bathroom Ideas …

A spot of shopping to add a splash of colour to a temporary, boring bathroom: From left; Pretty tea light holder, Debenhams;  Wastepaper bin with lemons pattern, HomeSense; Hook-up with this clever shower caddy, also from Red Candy. With such a range of lovely yet affordable accessories avaialble we really think that there’s very little excuse for a messy bathroom!

Keeping It Colourful

And if your new-termers are feeling enthusiastic enough to spruce up the bedroom and kitchen as well, we can’t help but offer you some other ideas. From left; Colour-block panel bed-set, from a great selection at Next; for excellent value crockery and kitchenware in general, try these Zen Reactive plates (cups and dishes available too) from Dunelm; Finally, encourage untidy bathroom or kitchen sharers to keep things neat and organised with these sets of woven felt baskets from  MADE.com

Next time: Sprucing up your hallway and entrance porch. We’ve got some great ideas for colour, style and texture.

You might also enjoy these posts on the Tile Mountain blog…

Four to the Floor: Four Ways to Cosy Up Your Floors for Winter

Bringing In The Light: Making a Dark Bathroom Look Lighter