Fairy lights and family photos: how to decorate your student room on a budget

It’s not just about making your place look and feel nice – there may be items such as kitchen utensils that you need to invest in. Photograph: Peter Cade/Getty Images

This month, hundreds of thousands of students starting university or going into their second or third year will move into the room that will be their home for a while.

Maybe you are going to be living with eight flatmates in a huge house-share, or perhaps you are moving into a room in a hall of residence.