‘RE:Decoration‘

In the UK especially, currently it is ever harder to find a place to live, and nigh impossible to purchase. This is nothing new, the past 4 years have led us further and further down this path, but the lens in which it is viewed has focused on a new area. I talked with a number of creatives from around the globe about how their living spaces have evolved, and how rearranging or swapping rooms can alleviate the imprisoned feeling of the lack of location diversity.

Many creatives will look to the likes of David Bowie for their various stints in European or American cities, always making and moving, gaining inspiration from wherever they were. For many this may be the dream, but never a reality; We can barely keep a roof over our head here, how could we ever up and start over somewhere else? The contemporary solution is a more local approach, swapping rooms with a flatmate or nearby friend, gaining new perspective on a familiar city.

Marina (UK) talked to us about exchanging a room with her flatmate. Initially serving as a solution to differing room sizes, it blossomed into an exploration of decoration, more space to work with allowed the room's personality to flourish. “My living space. . . gives me energy and makes me happy because the way I decorate it brings me joy.” Like a lot of people in London currently, Marina fills the walls with posters and decorations that accentuate the space to be their own, and she expressed that she would be looking for mood lighting to make her new room feel different from previous locations.

However, where Marina has set boundaries for work and relaxation, other creatives in the city are finding it hard to separate the home and work life. Just as living spaces are scarce, working spaces and studios are constantly filling up, forcing many to pile in together. Myself personally, I work from home a lot of the time, and my room has become a hybrid of an office and sleeping space, but I try and keep them in separate corners of the room if possible. This has its benefits of not having travel or rental costs associated with working elsewhere, however, it has left me finding it hard to define the cutoff point for when I am available. I caught up with Luca (UK) about sharing a studio space with two fellow peers and how they keep it fresh. “Obviously we all have a lot of stuff, especially with there being two different stores stock in the same room as well as photography equipment, but we try and rearrange fairly often to not let the space feel stale. We have a change planned for the room which would involve the rails of clothes lining the walls, creating a center space with the desk and sofa, a sort of oasis for clients we have in.”

Where Luca embodies the maximum maximalist approach, Riley (AUS) has taken the opposite approach to his room. He moved in to a room previously occupied by a friend, which before he moved in, was a haven of heavy carpets, long draped curtains and adorned walls. Riley flipped the script, keeping the bed in the same position, but ditching the decor for “clear walls, lots of light, no curtains, plants at ground level, a side table and a mirror, both white.” “Built-in storage hides my clutter, except for a small drum kit and synth that I’m minding for a friend and an old wooden chair used to hold my projector, but they are all temporary.”

Before

This temporality bleeds through Pinterest culture as well. Mood boards filled with copias inspo images, new layout options, endless opportunity. Many who are tired of their space will build an image of their idyllic room, cobbling together a ‘wish list’ of items to make this a reality. When looking for new objects or furniture for their room, there appears to be a consistent trend of ‘Facebook Marketplace’ finds, with many opting to relieve others of their old used items in exchange for lower or even no costs. Alongside this, there is a contrast in spending, where people will save for a larger statement piece of furniture from a reputable collector or store (such as Myakin, run by Matt Flemming), and bulk out where they can with second-hand goods. 

Ahead of the upcoming Myakin Exhibition on Oct. 25th, I contacted Matt’s partner, Sarah (UK), about how she has decorated her living spaces over the years. “Space is so important, I know Matt feels similarly. I do consistently redecorate my homeroom as my taste develops and changes, I also have a collage wall I’ve adapted over the years and consistently updated to reflect my current headspace - it’s quite neat and minimal at the moment - which attests to where I’m at currently.” 

Text: @madame3swords

Many thanks to Marina, Luca, Riley & Sarah