When you first join a hostel, you usually miss home so much that you don't think having a neat and done up room can make life any easier. In a few months however, homesickness becomes less severe and you think it would be easier to live in your dorm room if it was more organised and cleaner. Team YOU has gone a step further and rounded up some other things you can do to make your room comfortable and Instagram worthy.

Light it up

One of the first things you need is a table lamp. Your roommate may wake up early in the morning for a study session while you prefer late nights. A table lamp will ensure neither of you lose sleep because of the other's study habits. It is not mandatory that you choose that old workhorse, a study lamp. Any lamp with a shade and a bulb bright enough to read by will do. Pick an interesting lamp to add to the room's decor.

Patterns in tape

Neatened up your bookshelves? Now edge it with washi tape - pick a pattern that echoes the colours of the books - and see it go from ho-hum to a thing of beauty. If you have put up a collection of posters on the wall, you can give them a cohesive look by framing each one with washi tape - either a single one or a bunch of colours that go well together. You can even draw designs on your wardrobe door that has seen better days or the door of the room in washi tape. The best thing about washi tape is that it can be peeled off without damaging the surface or leaving a residue.

Colour code

This is more of a collective effort. If all the roommates are willing, working out a colour scheme for the bedlinen, curtains and table covers will give the room a more finished look. You don't have to have everything in the same colour but stick to a colour family. Clashing colours will also make a room look smaller - something you really want to avoid in already small hostel rooms.

Jewel show

It is always nice to have pretty things around you - they brighten up your day. Instead of keeping your junk jewellery jumbled up in a box, invest in a pretty bowl or a smart cup. You can hang your danglers from the rim of the cup or display them in a bowl. If jewellery isn't your thing, use your watches for the same effect. You can also get a bit of chicken wire framed. Hang this on the wall and keep your danglers safe on it. Use s-shaped hooks to put up necklaces and bracelets too.

Green things

Nothing makes a room come alive like a green plant - on the window sill, hanging from the bookshelf or on a table. Get a small succulent or cactus for a start. They are good-looking and difficult to kill. Just ensure that they get some sunlight and water once or twice a week. The easiest plants to keep alive are of course money plants, also called portos vine ( in pic). Just get a sprig from a flourishing plant, stick it in a bottle of water and forget about it.