Written by Sophie Clemson

Are you living at home still? Me too!! Here are some ways that you can make your room feel more like your own, and tips for buying items that will still be useful in your future home.

Hi, it's Sophie from The Living House. Each month we want to let you know a little bit more about us and the people behind the brand. First up is me! 

I’m 23 years old and like many people I’m saving for my first home! Saving can be a long slog, and I’m happy to say my boyfriend Liam and I are fortunate enough to have completed the majority of the saving part now! 

A little bit more about me, as this is my first blog... I like to leave the writing to our talented writers Catherine and Becky. I will be honest, when we came up with the idea that we would tell you more about us every month, I was a little nervous as I’m more the IT department when it comes to weekly blogs!! I will happily share my face to all our followers on Instagram stories but writing a blog scares me! But here goes!

I feel so lucky to be in this position, 23 and having my own business. Living at home isn’t every interior designer's dream but on the upside I may not have been able to take this amazing opportunity of building The Living House if I wasn’t.

Whilst I am living at home though, I wanted to make my bedroom (and luckily enough I have snapped up the dressing room/office too!) feel like my own. My Mum was already in the redecorating process when I moved back home so I got to choose exactly what I wanted, which as you can imagine was a dream and excellent timing.

I wanted to make my bedroom feel as though it was mine, to reflect my style and personality. As this isn’t my house, my bedroom needed to feel like it was part of me and what I would choose if it was my own home. I wanted it to be cosy and as I love dark and moody colour schemes, I opted for the beautiful Juniper Ash from Little Greene on every wall (much to Mum's horror when she saw the dark grey blue colour on the paint chart - but now she loves it just as much as me!).  

As I knew this was going to be my bedroom for a year or more (saving takes time!) I made sure to choose furniture that would work with my own future home. I love mid-century style so when I saw these gorgeous bedside tables from JYSK, I knew I had to get them and they were budget friendly too!

You may have seen these bedside tables featured a few times on our Instagram grid. You can see how many different ways I have managed to style them! I have made sure living at home hasn’t limited my options to show off my style.

Do you rent your home and want to add your own personality? Check out our affordable online interior design packages.

Then we move on to what was meant to be ‘our dressing room’ but I have somehow claimed this as my own (sorry Mum and thank you too!). Before we redecorated this room it had bright blue paint with Minion wallpaper, which of course had to go!! The space is small, so something with impact was needed. I chose the Harlequin Kelapa wallpaper - the large scale print helps bring the room to life. The room is tiny so a feature wall wouldn’t have helped but wrapping it around two walls has given it real personality and I’m so pleased with the outcome! 

Working from home has now become a big part of my life, as it is for many of us. My dressing table was a fantastic find as it doubles up as the perfect desk giving me a beautiful creative space to work from. Again, like the bedside tables, all the furniture is my style so it can be used in my own home. I’m desperately craving a mortgage (who’d have thought anyone would say those words!) and being an interior designer I can’t wait to work on my very own DIY and decorating projects. But making this room feel like my own little office space has really helped me feel ‘at home’. 

When you are choosing items for your room, it is important to make the space you have feel like yours as much as you can.  When you buy new items, ask yourself will they be versatile for my own home? Even when I buy accessories, I always think about whether they will have longevity or could they be upcycled to be used in a completely different space. 

If you are living at home and want the space to feel more like your own or even if you are renting (I know this can be hard too when you are restricted by the landlord's magnolia paint), then we would love to help you. It may be that our Midi Living package is perfect for you - to give you a little advice on how to make your space feel like a sanctuary for you.