My only suggestion would be to move the desk over by the wall shelves that are at the end of your bed (I think where the easy chair is.) That way, you have shelves for your books and things. That opens up the middle of the room for some type of living roomish sitting area under the pendant light. I would have the seating area face what looks like the window. Maybe you could put a small t.v. stand there (where the desk is in the picture) with a tv (if you wanted that) Its hard to tell how much space you have for furniture...maybe a loveseat with a chair? I like your wardrobes where they are. Is it possible to move those over all the way to the wall (where the nook is?) You could place your dresser next to your sink and use the top for with storage you need for getting ready. Like Jewelry holders, cute baskets for hair stuff ect... If you can move the dresser you could create some type of entry way system (maybe hooks and a bench) for when you walk in...for your bags, coats and and your keys.
You totally can add color without painting. Use curtains, pillows, a fun rug in the middle of the room, cover your pinboard with fabric, your bedding.

I hope this helps

Sorry no suggestions that I can think of yet, but I just wanted to post to say "Yes! This is how you ask a furniture layout question!"

As far as furniture placement, find a place for the bed first and then the largest piece of furniture (which might be the wardrobes. I like that little alcove to the right of the entry. I'd try putting the bed or the desk there to create a cozy and private nook for sleeping and study.

Another place for the bed is with the head centered on the wall it's against now and sticking out in the room.

re: the curtains that you can't get rid of. If you hate them, try hanging other curtains over them, so they are hidden. From outside it will look the same, but on the inside, different.

re: colour scheme and the faded red carpet. You can put another rug over it, if you don't like the carpet. Or find something you like - art, bedding, accessories- that have a little bit of the red in it and then draw out the other colors elsewhere. Just a little bit of red will make the whole scheme look purposeful.

I totally feel you. I've been there, done that! I couldn't paint my dorm room walls or remove the curtains either. Instead, I added new curtains on top of the old ones with clothes pins. Also, for the walls, I used 3M Command strips to add artwork to add color and interest to the walls. Check out my YouTube series on how to make your dorm room NOT look like a dorm room where I discuss everything about dorm decorating on a super affordable budget: http://www.youtube.com/kentkawasakidesign

I would suggest rotating and moving 1 of the wardrobes against the alcove wall and then moving the 2nd wardrobe down a little bit further. The desk would then fit below the pin board and allow you to sort work, put up reminders.

I would then suggest rotating the bed and placing the 2 chests of drawers on either side of the bed. Once that is relocated adding an additional chair/small loveseat in front of the window with the other chair next to it and the nightstand as a side table would make the center of the room feel more like a conversation area. It also allows you to mount a TV on the wall/or on top of a shelf/ shallow anchored bookcase to the side of the bed if you would like one in the room to watch.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to keep moving things around after your first go at it, until you have a layout your enjoy.

i never comment but i am pretty sure that my friend lived in this room when we were studying abroad at aberdeen.

I completely agree about putting curtains over the permanent curtains. and a new rug. We lived there for 3 months and she changed her room layout about 3 times and I recommend doing the same. My favorites were when she put the bed under the window and partitioned the sink off with a curtain. She put the chest of drawers and bedside on either side of the bed as well. Essentially she created three separate spaces in the room.

My niece is living in an apartment off campus and she was on a budget too but wanted something with a little more style. So I helped her from 500 miles away. She liked her furniture layout but didn't have any fun textiles, a ugly black sheet as a window covering, poor lighting + was pinning important papers into the wall.

Solutions: Goodwill (or your equivalent in the UK) and discount fabric places became our friends. Found a $3 shower curtain and added some black out liner and that became her new window covering. Also found a $6 retro metal desk lamp that I spray painted a bright yellow. I took some of the textiles and stapled them to cut up foam core boards to create leaning pin boards and leftover fabric became some throw pillows. She loved the small changes for about $50. I hope this helps. Good luck!

you didn't really ask about decor. i vote you set a price limit, decide a color scheme and head to IKEA:

Flip the bed to face the door: put the chest of drawers under the high shelves and the nightstand to the left of the bed

Break up the wardrobes: one on the short alcove wall facing the sink, and the other L shaped against it

Leave the desk or movie it under the pinboard (and the dresser under the high shelves), then put the easy chair in front of the window for reading

There are many inexpensive ways to add style and design to your dorm room. From adding an area rug to making your own DIY wall art to using remove wall decals. You should never feel like you are stuck with the four white walls in your dorm room. You are only limited by your imagination. I have a article on my blog about 10 DIY Dorm Room Decorating ideas that are low cost and can help turn your room from bland to fab: http://www.hlminteriordesign.com/10-diy-dorm-room-decorating-projects/

Dorm decorating isn't about what you have, but what you don't -- clutter. When your whole life is crammed into a small room, it's so easy for things to get messy. Focus on smart storage ideas that make it easy to put things away and furniture arrangement that makes the most of your space.

In college, one of my best moves was to mini-loft my bed. Rather than building a fully lofted bed, I stacked my bed on a couple layers of cinder blocks. It made it just high enough that my chest of drawers and mini-fridge fit under it, and there was room behind those to store bulky things like luggage. With the floor space that was saved from the dresser and fridge, I was able to fit a small futon into the room.

The idea of putting your desk under the shelves is a good one. To make it work,you may need to rotate the bed so the foot faces the door. Then move the dresser to the wall the bed is now on.

Before you move the wardrobes, see how much space you need to have the door swing - that may be why it isn't deeper into the alcove.

Beyond that, it is all about fabrics, floor cushions, posters, wall decals and your imagination.

If the bed fits in to the little alcove, I would definitely move it there. Create spaces, as some others have said: A sleeping space, the sink and 'dressing' space, a study space, a relaxing space. If you can't bring in furniture, having some large comfy floor pillows can still create a pretty fun and comfortable hang-out area instead of a couch, and you can use a cheap rug (thrift store!) to mark off the space. Definitely hang curtains over the curtains! You can attach them to the current curtain rod or as suggested above you can use clothespins. I would leave the desk there, though; I always find it easier to study with lots of natural light.
Good luck, how exciting!

If the desk fits into the alcove, I would put it there, to have a separation between study and living areas. If it doesn't fit, I would put it sideways on in the alcove, on the wall the wardrobes are on. If you can move the shelves I would put them there too. You will need a good lamp though.

Place the bed on the long wall with the foot pointing towards the sink, and put a chest of drawers at its foot up against the window so you can use it as a dressing table with a mirror and good light. Put a small sofa or futon on the wall that the door is on, opposite the bed - you can then have this double as a social area, with people sitting on the bed and sofa facing each other. Put the second chest of drawers in the middle of the wall between the bed and sofa to function as a drinks table with your kettle etc, or put in a small coffee table or trunk or something in the middle of the space. The easychair can then float somewhere near the door.

Do you need two wardrobes as well as two chests of drawers? I'd be tempted to get rid of one wardrobe and then put the other by the sink, covering the pin board.

I second the advice about hanging curtains over the curtains, and think about what bedding you will have to go up with - if you can buy or find some that will look OK with the carpet it will pull it all together a bit more.

Apart from that, rugs, wall hangings, posters. You can make it look less studenty by hanging pictures with frames instead of using blutack (probably banned anyway). Check out blogs to see what other people have done. People often say think of studios/dorm rooms as a classy hotel room - that can help with figuring it out.

Hey! love how you asked your question! (is this AutoCAD?)

you mentioned not being able to paint the walls, my school does not allow me to paint our dorm either; Instead, we went to a fabric store and picked out whatever fabrics we liked, got few yards and have double-sided table them to the wall (double-side tape shouldn't take any paint off). it was a great to get that self-expression in the room. also, for feng shui sake, (lol) i would rotate the bed so that the head board is up against the West wall. This room definitely has potential! message me if you'd like more feedback :) hope you love college as much as I do!

annemarie