Thursday, July 2, 2020

My Bedroom Makeover: Trashbin to Green Haven

If there was one good outcome from MCO for it, it would be that it finally kicked my ass into gear to do a total bedroom revamp/makeover. During lockdown, I found myself spending a lot of time in my bedroom as I was working from home. On top of that, I was playing a lot of Sims 4 which had my wannabe interior designer juice flowing.


The turning point came when I was a concall with my colleagues and had to turn on my video camera. Erk, my background were two cabinets stacked with dusty suitcases, paperbags and random stuff. The rest of my room wasn't any better with mundane whitish walls, a giant red floor-to-ceiling wardrobe and the original house's green window grills. It dawned up me then that "Holy cow, my room looks so dated."

It didn't help that my desk was in a corner of the room and right next to it were boxes and boxes of media kits and goodie bags. A sizable cat jungle/bed for my cat roommate took up a portion of that mess. Half the time, I was kicking aside paper and files from media events just to get to my table. My bed (with a corner coming out of its hinges) took up the center of the room, pushed up against the main wall under the light. There was a stack of old clothes hidden behind the door (I meant to donate those out by the way before MCO happened)

The final linchpin of my dated room was the emerald coloured cement flooring. I made it an objective to cover up as much of the floor as I could. Covering it with tacky plastic covering was not an option for me.


I used Sims 4 to style my room and realised even with cheats, the game had limitations so I fell back on good old fashion drawings. I listed down the things I wanted in my new old room.
1) a full length mirror (mine broke years ago)
2) An Instagrammable corner for photo shoots
3) Shelves for my cats to climb on and sleep
4) A world map as the centerpiece

I started with cleaning out different sections of my room each day as after all I still need to sleep and use my room for work. I briefly contemplated giving away my 15 year old desk and getting another with attached shelves but in the end, just repainted it with RM5 spray from Mr. DIY.

The two Ikea shelves were the only major additions to the room. I also opted to move out one of my plastic cabinets for more space. I also needed to think about the aesthetics - one small rug and a sizable rug, both from Ikea and a faux fur rug from Lazada to hide that hideous green floor. Looking over my room, I had to work with the green-red theme and kept that colour scheme in mind when buying new stuffs to spruce it up.

I also bought my full length mirror from Ikea, a nerve wrecking experience that required me queuing for a long time just to get into the store at opening time as there were limited stock available. Taking advantage of his senior citizenhood to bypass the queue, my dad went ahead to grab my mirror for me. Thanks, dad!

I also added in the stunning hexagon mirrors, also from Ikea that added texture and colour to the room while also giving it the illusion of space. Ikea's sticker world map went above the hexagon mirrors and I thought it added a nice touch of personality - to represent my suppressed wanderlust.

Then came the plants. I had initially wanted a few to add some life into the room and also to use a photo props for my product shoots. My first plant was a pothos...then a peace lily and diva-ish Rex Begonia...and another pothos from Ikea. And another....well, it hasn't ended. The more I learnt about plant care and types, the more intrigued I became. The more I learnt, the more I wanted more plants to add to my room. I am in love with foliage plants for their stunning leaves. Think Calatheas, Philodendrons and Alocasias (haven't bought one yet but I will soon!).

I even have a plant wishlist featuring a variegated monstera deliciosa and a Philodendron Pink Princess.

But I must say, I am loving the asthetics my plants are contributing to the room. Those ugly window grills are coming in handy to hang them where the sun spills in the most. After moving and shifting my bed around and more rearranging, I finally settled for a layout that makes my room spacious, plant friendly and totally instagrammable.


Now the next step is to finish clearing out some more stuff then who knows. I shall give my bathroom a makeover next. AKA make it for plant friendly. Yes, I am now plant crazy so sue me.