9 Tips to Decorate a Study Space

Since imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, we had no guilt recreating the cover image of this IKEA back-to-school flyer. It was easy to do since we already had some of the key pieces shown, which is part of the reason why the image was so inspiring to us in the first place.

This study area has everything a student needs to succeed in school — it’s functional, comfortable, and stylish. This look is especially perfect for students living in small spaces.

Here are tips to keep in mind when getting your student’s space ready:

1. Anchor the study space with a desk, or table desk, and place it against the wall. We used an IKEA desk. It has two large drawers perfect to hide little things handily, while keeping the desk area free of clutter.

2. Use a drawer unit (we removed the wheels to fit it under the desk) to store paper, textbooks, magazines and school supplies. It’s surprising how much stuff fits in these six large drawers. It’s also very convenient to have it right under the table.

3. Cork boards are perfect to pin up school schedules, notes, pictures of friends and family, and notes with important reminders (get milk and call mom). To find the perfect hanging height for the boards, sit at the desk with your laptop open and pretend to hang something on the boards. It’s a simple strategy, but it works. We hammered a nail in each corner of the corkboards to safely secure them to the wall.

4. Use a white pegboard to hold heavier items like bike accessories, a helmet, kryptonite lock and keys, and essential tools such as plyers, hammer, and scissors. We used three Déco Nails to fasten the board to the wall, two at the top and one in the middle. If you know where you want to place the pegs, place them before hammering the board to the wall.

5. Use your bike as a decorating accessory. It’s part of an active lifestyle, the more you see it, the more motivated you’ll be to use it. There’s no need to hide it on the balcony or in the bedroom.

6. Fill up wall space with an extra large clock. This look is fairly inexpensive, functional, and can easily be seen from any corner of the apartment or room.

7. A word about lighting: even if you have ceiling lights, invest in good task lighting. It’s more conducive to studying since you can directly control the light source.

8. Keep the paint on the walls white or light in color. This will make the space look larger, brighter and will feel more open. If your room has very little daylight, white is definitely the way to go.

9. If the carpet is old or outdated and can’t be changed, invest in a good size area carpet in a neutral color. You’ll be able to use it in other areas of the home or in future apartments without being restricted by the color. We used a sisal rug.

Now that your study space is ready to be used, let school begin!

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Liette Tousignant

I’m passionate about picture hanging and wall decorating (and I’m also the Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decorating)