Aire continues its Home tour with Sophia. Here is the second part of her interview. Let’s explore her apartment in detail. How did she come up with her ideas? What difficulties did she encounter?
Where do you look for your ideas and inspiration?
Pinterest is the best source of inspiration I can recommend. It gives me a lot of ideas. I like the clean, Scandinavian style. I think you shouldn’t put too many things in a small space.The more cluttered the space, the more oppressed you’ll feel.
Instagram is less focused on decoration. There’s less content.
The videos YouTube home tours can give a lot of ideas.I use these 3 platforms to get inspiration for decorating our space.
Which space do you find the hardest to organize?
I have trouble organizing my kitchen. We have very little space available there. It’s the biggest challenge in this apartment. There was little storage. We added a folding table, a first shelf to put the microwave on, and another serves as a side table. I stored everything else in the bookshelf. Pots and kitchen utensils are stored in the kitchen. The dishes are stored next to the dining table. It limits movement. I also got an IKEA piece of furniture to store the cutlery and added extra drawers to it. Standard kitchen furniture didn’t fit in our space. We repurposed a piece of furniture and the result is great!
How do you adapt your inspirations to your apartment?
You have to identify the constraints. Ours is my partner's hobby. He loves playing video games. As for me, I like to stay in front of the TV. Thanks to the separation made with the bookshelf, we each have our own corner. We would have been on each other's toes if everything was in the same room. For the noise, everyone wears their headphones. This is our daily life. Especially during lockdown. To avoid being on top of each other, we each have our own activity.
Is there still a space in your home that you dislike?
The bathroom is the only room I haven’t decorated. We want to change the tiles and the floor. It’s an old building and the ventilation system doesn’t work very well. Humidity builds up quickly in the room. The bathroom floor isn’t great. II would like to transform it with stickers. I didn’t dare to start big transformations because we are tenants and don’t have the landlord’s permission to carry out such ideas.
What are the most difficult items for you to store?
These are my clothes, I have too many! It bothers me to store them in the kitchen. I was afraid my clothes would absorb bad odors. I didn’t know where to put them. But the closet closes properly. I just make sure it’s well closed when I cook.
Papers are always a problem. I store them at the bookshelf level. It’s the multifunctional piece of furniture. We bought document holders. We can store important documents there. The result is neat and tidy. I really like it.
My partner stores his shoes in a basket at the bottom of the bookshelf. I keep my shoes in my dressing room. I have a lot of space. I keep the boxes to store shoes according to the seasons. The ones I don’t wear are in the boxes.
How do you decide whether to keep or throw something away?
I prefer to sell my stuff on Le Bon Coin or Vinted. I only throw things away when something is broken. I also give clothes I no longer wear to my little sister. It makes her happy!
I keep some things at my parents’ house. When I was in Lille, I had a mirror to store my jewelry. Now, it’s at my parents’ place because I don’t have space at home anymore. I will go pick it up when we have more space because it’s really useful.
In your opinion, what is the impact of storage?
Storage is important; it helps us save time. II don’t spend hours looking for my things anymore.. I can no longer afford to be disorganized. in a small apartmentSo I changed my habits. Everything in its place.
I have a lot of cosmetic products: creams and perfumes. I had to limit myself.
I told myself, “Okay, I have to stop, I need to finish what I have before buying more.” We are caught up in this overconsumption effect. I wanted to consume better. I gave away things I no longer use. I keep everything I think is necessary. In the end, it’s not a bad thing. It helped me. I realize we keep way too many things that have no use.
What is the most important thing in decoration for you?
It’s about feeling good at home! I wanted to create something very clean and simple with soft colors. The important thing is to adapt the apartment to the style you love. I like the Scandinavian style and cocooning. They allow me to create a safe bubble.
What advice would you give to someone with limited means to organize their apartment?
Shelves are the ideal solution. They don’t cost much. We added a lot of them in the bathroom and kitchen. I also like pegboards. There are plenty of small holes that allow us to hang practical accessories. We can quickly create a reminder wall or a storage wall for the kitchen. We can also add green plants. It’s really practical for students and small spaces.
What is the one thing to avoid when it comes to storage?
You need to identify the essentials to avoid piling up objects in corners. We have many baskets that are very well organized inside.
I recommend giving each thing a designated place. You shouldn’t put an object just anywhere. Every object must have a place in the home and a reason to be there.
Interview conducted by Imane Charkaoui.
Layout by Coralie Mottu
0 comments