Maximising Your Space in Student Accommodation

Living in student accommodation has its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the limited space. Learning how to maximise your space can take a little bit of work. However, once you have it down you will find that your level of comfort in the room increases and so does your productivity and efficiency.

The key to maximising your space and managing to maintain it is cleaver organisation and maintaining a clean and tidy environment. Here are some practical tips on how to maximise your space. 

Seasonal Organisation: Rotate, Store, Simplify 

One of the easiest ways to optimise the space you have is to rotate your items according to season. If you can go home, then you might want to take summer clothes home and bring back winter clothes to fill your closet.

If going hoe isn’t an option, then you can keep your winter clothes in your suitcase until the time comes to change rotate your closet and then you can pack you summer clothes away and put your winter items into your closet.  Organising things in this way means that your closet is never overfull and prevent your bulkier winter items from taking up valuable space.  

Smart Storage with Organisers: Maximise Every Drawer and Shelf 

 Cabinet and drawer organisers can work wonders in optimising space and organisation. Kitchen cabinet organisers can allow you room to stack your dishes and containers without turning the cupboard into a risky game of Jenga.

Similarly in the closet organisers can help you maximise your vertical space or even add additional shelving. Organisers can help you keep your items organised in each in its designated place without any hassle. 

Overhead and Vertical Storage: Use the Full Height of Your Room 

This is where taller people have an advantage. Make use of the overhead storage in your cupboards. Sometimes the space on the top cupboard shelf is just big enough that you can stand your suitcase on its wheels, leaving space next to it for other times. Additionally, shelves can be for more than just books.  

 If you find that most of your textbooks are digital, and your bookshelf is empty, then you can use it to store your electronics, extra bedding or cookware. Cooking gear can also be kept on the top of the kitchen cabinets provided you can reach it after putting it up there. 

Door and Wall Space: Hidden Potential in Plain Sight 

Don’t forget that doors and walls can be part of your storage solution. There are hanging organisers that that can be used to keep shoes, accessories or small items out of the way. Wall mounted hooks are also good for light weight items like handbags or coats and hats. Using your doors and walls for storage will free up some of your closet space allowing you to fit a little bit more in there. Just remember to ensure that anything you put on the walls is easily removable so that you can get your whole deposit back! 

Functional Furniture: Combine Use and Storage 

There are many smart storage solutions online that you can investigate. I would recommend stackable binds or drawers. These can be dual function. They provide extra storage and if you place it in your bedroom then it can serve as a bedside table or if you keep it in the bathroom it can serve as a bathroom caddy.  

Similarly, you could invest in an ottoman that has storage built in. This could be used as additional seating, a footrest or a place to sit when putting on your shoes. Additionally, because it has storage built in, it can be used to store winter blankets or something to that effect. 

 Finally, KCI does provide storage base bed in the bachelor units. This means that you have additional storage there for whatever items you please, whether it be additional blankets, winter items or your suitcase.   

Read More: Moving into Student Accommodation: Freshers Essentials 

Grocery Storage: Reduce Waste, Save Space 

The golden standard of manage groceries is the FIFO (first in, first out) method. It is very simple use up what you bought first and what is already open before opening or buying something new to replace it.  

This habit will help you save money by reducing waste, and it will help you keep your space clutter free because you won’t have a collection of half empty items. Once you have used up an item then you can throw away the packaging which will instantly open space in your cupboards.  

Cleanliness and organisation 

Implementing all the solutions mentioned above is all good and well but there is no point if you can’t maintain it. This is the most important part of maximising your space. Once you have organised everything and everything has its place, you need to keep it that way. A messy or cluttered room can significantly shrink its perceived size.  

What this means is that everything needs to go back to its designated place when you are done with it. You need to build the habit of putting things back where they belong as soon as you are done with them.

If you don’t do this then you will find that very quickly after organising everything that things start to collect on your bed, on your counter tops and on your floor.  

So, learn to put things back in their place. Wash the dishes immediately after eating. When you change put your dirty clothes straight into the laundry basket, and after doing laundry make sure to fold up your clothes and put them back in the closet or hang them up immediately.  

 If you have tough time keeping your space organised, then you should create a cleaning schedule that you can stick to. Do two or three small things every day and then you can do the big things once a week like mopping. 

Let there be light 

 Dark spaces can feel small and depressing. Natural light does a really good job of uplifting your spirits and making a space feel bigger. Keep your windows clean and unobstructed and your room will feel bigger every time you open your curtains.  

Final Thoughts  

 Maximising space in student accommodation can be done using a combination of organisation, multifunctional furniture and a commitment to tidiness and organisation. But I have only scratched the surface. There are so many different renter friendly ways to maximise your space. By implementing a few of these tips you’ll find yourself living in an environment that is comfortable, practical and inviting. 

No matter your type of accommodation, whether you are in private accommodation, campus accommodation or even at home, these space optimising tips are universal and can be applied anywhere you see fit.