In August 2020, after 9 months of waiting, I moved into a small studio apartment. It seems impossible to me that i’ve been in this space for 5 months now, how can time have moved so fast when i’ve barely moved beyond my front door? Time is somehow escaping us as we sit on our sofas watching Schitt’s Creek for the third time in less than 6 months, but that’s a desperate musing for another blog post.
My flat is both small and quite large, I have a wide expansive stairwell with tall white walls just waiting to be decorated with prints and pictures, a bathroom big enough to fit a large chest of drawers in and a separate, smaller room with a toilet. The main attraction is the living room, which holds my kitchen, dining room, bedroom and sofa/tv, all in one place.
When I think of studio apartments in the UK, I think of converted lofts in squashed houses, tiny kitchens with just a sink and an oven, and cramped conditions with no storage space. My home isn’t like that; it’s full of daylight with glorious views of endless fields, a full kitchen with a dishwasher (that never works), space between the bed and the sofa and storage cupboards to house all the things I don’t want you to see.
I moved in hastily at the end of summer, ordering furniture from IKEA for convenience and promising to save some money to buy the things it really deserves. I have spent time living amongst the white walls to think about how I want this place to grow and what I want it to say about me.
I feel totally at home in this little spot, safe from everything outside, but it’s not quite ‘me’ yet. The walls are bare and I am itching to cover them in pictures that tell you what kind of person I am, the colours are grey and clean but lack any real personality and the furniture is pure white, full of 90 degree angles, no stories to tell there.
I’m an impatient animal by nature, excited to make something completely my own and it’s taken the better part of a year to slow down and consider things, to mull over the intricacies of decorating my home and find that balance between cosy and aesthetic. My favourite thing about this journey, is that it’s mine. I don’t have to consider anyone’s opinion, no compromises, no surrender; if I want to paint the walls Grass Green and hang satanic offerings to the devil from my slanted ceilings, I can. I’m thinking of a more neutral palette though; creams, light browns, a pop of colour here and there perhaps.
With all the time ahead that is likely to be spent indoors, I’m looking forward to creating the perfect space for me so that whenever I feel like screaming into a pillow at the monotony of it all, I can at appreciate that i’m doing it surrounded by warmth and calm…and pretty wine glasses i’ll rarely use.
The dining room / office 
Documenting the rare occurrence 
Beautiful views
Some interior inspo for my future plans.
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