Living Space

After a month of living in our den, I have finally moved back into my room. *applause*

I enjoyed my stay in the den. While there wasn't any wifi and I'd have to stay in our sala just to go online, I had the luxury of having a TV in the room, staying up to watch CSI and the other telenovelas before finally falling asleep.

But it was meant to be a temporary arrangement, as my excitement over planning my room renovation and seeing it to the finish was mounting. I designed my new storage spaces. I looked for color schemes on Real Home Ideas: The Color Book and headed to Handyman for paint swatches. I thought of which things would go into my new storage spaces and which ones I'd have to let go of. And everyday, I asked my mom what the workers had finished, and what was left to be done.

Over the long weekend, I finally got busy with moving in to my room. I arranged my books on the shelves, sifted through the knickknacks that would find their own shelf space, oversaw the delivery of my new chair, moved clothes into my closet. By Monday evening, the last few items my room needed were finally in place, and I could say I had fully moved in.

Here's how my room looked since 1997:

It's not a great photo of my room, as you can't see the seater and the full length of the L-shaped desk. But the seater and my desk both turned into a dumpsite for all my things. While the seater and desk were added when I hit college, this is basically how the room has been since I was first year high school and it has seen me through so many experiences and heartaches (how emo!).

And here it is today:

This is the area where the seater and the desk used to be. My only request for my room was to buy a comfy chair where I could do all my reading. I'm tired of reading in bed or sitting down on the bed and leaning against the wall, so that's the only thing I really wanted for my room. Thanks to Real Living's recommendation, I discovered Mandaue Foam (along Ortigas Extension) and bought my chocolate brown recliner from them. I designed my desk to fit the bay window, and it's a design my mom wants to copy for their own desk. I love how the white and chocolate brown look against the orange wall.

The accent wall for my room is a nice, bright shade of blue. The cabinets right above my bed house my books, and my picture frames and little figurines have their own shelves as well. I like how my bed sort of has its own niche against the cabinets-- when I lie down and the lamp by my chair is on, the light doesn't get into my eyes. And of course, I love the blue wall!

See how the white cabinets break up the orange and blue walls? This is the main reason why I decided on bold and bright colors for my room, because I knew that all the white storage units would somehow soften the look. The long cabinet is a closet for added storage, and the ladder propped up against it is not only functional (as I'll need it to reach into the higher shelves) but decorative as well.

See how the blue and orange look so good together? Hanging on the orange wall is a cross-stitch I made back in seventh grade. It's a Precious Moments pattern of a boy sitting on a stool, mending the broken heart that a girl holds up for him. By some happy coincidence, the matting is blue with a touch of pink, and its wooden frame matches the frame of the mirror.

This is the component I've had since 1998, I remember that we were new to our house when I received this as a Christmas gift. It's still alive, although the tape deck no longer works and the CD tray gets stuck sometimes. I use it today to listen to the radio and to amplify the sounds on my laptop, whether I'm watching CSI or listening to my favorite playlists. It's especially helpful when the rain is pounding against my window and my laptop's volume can only go so high. The component has its own place now, above the shoe cabinet and below the cabinet that houses all of my kikay stuff.

And finally, I have my photos hanging on my walls. It's funny because I never intended to have them in frames with matting; I was only looking for the normal kinds that I could hang on the wall. Unfortunately, most 8x10 photo frames were designed for desk display and not wall display. Thank goodness a kind saleslady suggested that I buy those frames that already come with a picture, and just replace the picture with my own. The result is photos that look like they were professionally done, and I couldn't be prouder to have my own work hanging in my room.

Now that my room is finished, I can't wait to come home everyday and make the most out of my personal space. I want to sit in my recliner and read more. I want to light scented candles and relax in my room. I want to do more than crash on my bed and sleep. Because this is a room that, with it's vibrant colors, is meant to be lived in, not merely slept in.