Interesting Interiors

The last thing you expect from a holiday accommodation is to be dirty and repellent, in fact when you go on holiday you expect to have an accommodation that reflects the money you paid for it.  I once booked a holiday accommodation and paid 200 for the four days and I was expecting it to be just as in the pictures I saw in the website but on the contrary it was dirty there was just one tiny bed, a table and two chairs. I was really disappointed and had the impression of having wasted my money.

Then last summer I was planning my family's summer holiday I was looking for an accommodation in Devon when I came across a website called Blue River Cottages. I visited the website and the cottages were just perfect, they were well-furnished and looked very welcoming so I decided to book for 3 people. When we arrived there it our holiday cottage was the complete opposite of the first one I described earlier. In fact, it was well-furnished, clean, the bedrooms were so nice and we had a big garden were we could have a barbecue. There was also a private fishing spot and my friend and I decided to learn how to fish.

I'm no fan of beds that fold in to the wall. This doesn't look too bad, but still being that close to your desk, especially if you work from that desk, doesn't seem to appealing to me.

I wanted this room so much when I was younger. Toy Story may be the best two hour advertisement for toys and other merchandise ever created, but to the 5 year old me, and not the cynical graduate, this was and may forever be the epitome of a child's bedroom. In fact, I would still love that cloud-wallpaper now.

I remember doing the same thing last year following my graduation. On top of saying goodbye to a lot of friends and the thought of finding a job, leaving the place I studied for three years and simply moving back home with my parents, felt like moving backwards in itself. Living with them again after three years of debauchery and freedom can be disheartening when you think you've grown up. It hit me on carrying my stuff into my bedroom, which had remained a tribute to my 17 year old self. Old posters of bands I no longer liked. Dark Emo colours to represent teen angst. And just clutter in the form of books and papers that had piled up, and I had never gotten round to clearing when home for holidays.

This is an opportunity to start over.  An exciting new chapter of your life to start to earn proper money and get on the road to earning a living, saving for the future and growing up. Your room should represent you especially if you'll be there for a while.

Clear all that old stuff through recycling. 

A new lick of paint to freshen things up. As I said, I had previously gone through a moody emo phase which I had thankfully grown out of. Something brighter to feel a bit more optimistic, perhaps?

Go to Photobox or Snapfish for deals on photo-printing for new members, like x amount of free prints and put up some photos of good ol' uni times on the wall so even if your mates aren't down the hall anymore, they're still close by. 

All those books and files which you compiled at university will make you look dead clever now. If you can still stand the sight of them after writing about them.

Going through some old photos, I found something I thought I would share. It's a photo of my room just after I moved into my house for my second year of university. Not that I lived far away from my parents, but at the start of every term my mum would help me back in. Among the tears of not having me at home for a few weeks, she would make my room look brand new and have a quick tidy to settle me in. It would definitely look its best at that moment, before it looked lived in in the following weeks, with books and papers strewn everywhere and remnants of nights out on the wall. Also, my bed would be fully made up and hotel-quality, rather than draping the sheets across in the morning. At this point, you can see my (empty) folders neatly stacked, and any marks on the wall left from previous tenants disguised by photos of nights out from the first year, and of family at home. Also, while you can't see from the perspective, the room is quite small and also had the worst purple carpet ever, despite being very, very soft to the touch. 

I am now back living at home with the parents following graduation last Spring. It's warm, cost-effective and doesn't have that funny smell, unlike most student accommodation; so you would think it would make a nice change from three years living away while studying. The "Interesting" part of this blog's title brought to mind some of the qualities that I found in my three years which only really can be found in student accommodation. 

I will never know how exactly The Rocky Horror Picture Show quite ends. You see, thirty minutes from the end, while watching it with my housemates, the roof began to leak. And so another drip was added to the many that ran down our walls. The drip effect is a progression from one of those rain-effect panes of glass, made famous by Joey in F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

In addition to the numerous carpet stains left behind by the previous tenants and those accumulated through many parties. and spilled drinks, one of my houses had a slug problem. Yes slugs. Thus many creative attempts to mask the trails and other marks, especially from the letting agents through rugs and Feng shui of the furniture. 

The above point reminds me of the nightly arrangement of the sofas and chairs so everyone could see the small laptop screen for films. Oh the lack of enthusiasm once the credits rolled at having to re-arrange everything again.

If the house comes with a shoe-rack, consider it a major plus. Many times living on the ground floor, I would exit my room to find a long row of shoes, hardly in Military formation, all the way from the staircase to the front door. Many were swapped around, including pairs which were never, ever worn and just sat there without feet and thus unloved. Neither particularly decorative either in the colour scheme as many were encrusted with mud and soggy.

Light-bulbs without a shade. Standard.

Bricks as a doorstop. Many toes stubbed as a result.

On laundry day, doors, radiators and every ledge one could find were adorned with damp clothes, hanging from them to dry despite paying a bit extra to use the dryer at the launderette (one less drink on Friday). Again, on paper may seem decorative in the case of the girls but most of the time looked like the merch stand at a gig, if like me, you own a lot of band shirts.

If you’re thinking of decorating your home, you’re probably excited and nervous at the prospect.  But worry not, because with a little inspiration, you can fall in track and decorate in a way that says, “This is me!”.  

 Colour Combination

First, decide on a particular colour.  If you’re struggling here, ask yourself this.  When you walk into your chosen room, what to you want the first impression to be?  Do you want the room to be dark and sultry, or light and airy?  Once you decide this part, the rest will be easy.

 Theme

Once you’ve decided on the colour, the next thing is the theme.  Do you want the room to reflect your profession?  Your hobby?  Or do you want to focus on a specific part of the room, for example, the fireplace in a living room, or the bed in a bedroom?  Once you decide this you can devout the most of your time and resources into making it look just the way you want it.

 Animal lover?  Maybe choose some animal print rugs, figurines, or paintings.  Party lover?  Maybe have paintings of cocktail glasses, or go for a bold colour theme to represent your extrovert personality.  If you love booze and have room for a bar, why not just go for it? Hide your car keys though, we don't want to advocate drink driving; and stock up on booze if you plan a party so you're not tempted to pop out later and get busted for drink driving. 

 Even if you hire an interior designer to do your decorating for you, it’s always good to have some of your own ideas to present to them, so your home reflects your personality.

 General Tips

Here a some basic tips to help get you started.

 1.  Keep It Neutral

It’s always a good idea to keep it fairly neutral in any room.  Too many colours, patterns, and furnishings will vye for your attention and make it look chaotic.

 2.  Maximise Storage Space

Whether it’s the living room, bedroom or dining room, it’s always good to forsee what you might store in that room, so you can choose good storage furniture.  Having good storage space means always being able to tidy everthing away in minutes.  

 3.  Hang Artwork

As already mentioned, a piece of artwork can be a focal point, and instantly changes the look and vibe of a room.  Keep it in line with the theme for maximum harmony, or something completely different to complement.

 4.  Fresh Flowers

Similar reasons to #3.  Flowers can instantly change the look and vibe of the room.  Will instantly give a softer, more feminine vibe.  

 5.  Change Accessories

Bed linen for the bedroom and cushions for the living room.  They will instantly liven up the room and make it look and feel different.