Being in the business of designing beautiful spaces can be quite frustrating when you don’t have one of your own to kit out. It has its upshots however, in that it has inspired this brief blog post…
As a non-homeowner in Auckland, I desperately crave my own space- a sanctuary where I can kick off my shoes the moment I step through the door, jump straight into my Pyjamas (I’m 30 but act 90) and sprawl out on my couch.
Currently living in a flat-share, I have just my bedroom to myself (though even that isn’t off limits for the all-access-pass house cats). Not alone in this predicament, with a large number of adults in Auckland in shared accommodation, it got me thinking about the low-cost, non-permanent additions, (beyond hanging art with 3M hooks) that I have made to my room to make it feel a little more ‘mine’.
Embrace those green fingers
What initially started with one plant; inherited when another housemate moved away, has since become a wee forest. Plants are a great way to introduce colour to a space, as well as providing a feeling of calm / retreat. I’ve found that having something in ‘my space’ to regularly maintain has also made my room feel more homely.
Soften
Bedding, cushions, rugs… are all easy, affordable ways to update the look and feel of your space, that are also super easy to swap out if you feel like a change. Invest in great quality bedding to really keep up the ‘my room is my sanctuary’ luxury feel- remember, this stuff is an investment and while you may leave furniture behind, this can move with you too!
Decorate
Not allowed to paint? No worries. Decals are a great, semi-permanent way to add personality to a space without damaging walls. From simple polka dots, right up to full-blown wall murals, they are an instant and affordable way to add colour and life to a room without damaging walls.
Restore
Like many in temporary shared accommodation, I didn’t want to spend much on furnishing my room. Besides my bed, many of my storage pieces were inherited. Tired, knotted orange pine inherited. Embracing my inner Banksy, all it took was one sunny weekend to sand down and repaint them a different colour to change the whole look and feel of the room.
And below?? Some inspiration for my ‘one-day’ dream home, where I intend to paint walls regularly on a whim, trail vines around architraves and change room layouts daily… A girl can dream, right?!
Thanks, Pinterest. ~Nat
