My Room: Starting From Scratch

You may have figured it out already: Thursdays are about Interior Decorating.

My room happens to be the smallest bedroom in the house, but I chose it because it gets the most sun and the other two rooms had weird mint-coloured walls whereas mine are a light grey. The plan is pretty simple: A door, a window, and a closet.

It was a clean slate, and maybe that’s why I got so excited. Before my dad had moved into the house, we adopted Foxy. There was nothing in the house except for wifi, but I began living there to take care of Foxy because my mom did not want a dog in her house. My room was bare, but I decorated it the best I could. I had a few pillows from my old room, and a couple of sleeping bags that were the same size as the bed I intended to eventually get. My guitar I put in the corner and a new upside-down garbage can topped with a tray I found at an estate sale made a stylish nightstand if I do say so myself. That was about it. That was my room.

Then I got my bed.

Beds are such an important part of bedrooms, obviously. Not just because they’re sort of the whole point of the room, but they demand so much attention with the space they take. Maybe it was a mistake in the small room I got, but I decided on a double bed. When I move out (if I can ever afford to move out) I figured it would be a good size bed to bring with me. I also chose a small IKEA desk and I figured I could make up for the bed that way. Things ended up being a little squished in the end.

I also had a nightstand that wasn’t a garbage can and a matching tall drawer thing because I needed storage. I think they were a mistake because they were both wood and that gave the impression that they were a bit clunky. In a room where I was already squeezing things in as it is, they were too much. But they did the jobs I got them for. My closet had a single shelf in it, and still needs work.

After all of this, my room was no longer empty but still came across as monotonous. My furniture was black, everything else was white. Some people may prefer monochrome colour schemes in bedrooms because they think of it as calming. I couldn’t get over how boring it was. To remedy this, I set out in search of a colourful duvet cover. The look of a bed tends to set up the colour scheme and overall feeling of the rest of the room, so I was careful with my choice. In the end I decided on one from Urban Outfitters. It had the desired effect, and though my room was far from finished, I was happy with it when I left for my second year of university in September.

That was where I left off, and while away I dreamed up a lot of changes to make. After getting back only a few days ago, I immediately set my plans into motion. It looks like I’ll have to finish my room over the summer, but in the meantime I’ll still be able to make continuous improvements.

Even after I think I’m finished, I’ll probably continue to make changes and improvements. Such a personal space will always be a work in progress.