Finding a half-decent flat to live in is hard enough without having to worry about decorating it, let alone live up to Instagram’s standard of interiors. No matter how many times we’re reminded that social media is nothing more than a highlights reel, it’s completely normal if following aspirational interiors accounts makes you feel even worse about your less-than-fancy living situation.
Chances are your IRL home isn’t decorated with perfectly curated yet totally effortless trays of Le Labo candles and enviable furniture. But it’s perfectly okay if your vanity table isn’t a colour-coordinated arrangement of luxury skincare but rather an amalgamation of approximately 400 bobby pins, some tangled jewellery and a soy sauce packet from the takeaway you ate in bed three weeks ago.
Today’s economy means many of us are stuck in the renting cycle, which means that you may feel a long way off living in your "dream" home. But whether your space is tiny, old, cramped or cluttered, or you’re not allowed to nail stuff to the walls, your home should still be your sanctuary; somewhere that makes you feel calm and at peace. Not only is it your place of retreat, it’s also totally reflective of your personality and passions.
Even though you might not have uninhibited creative control – and an unlimited budget – there’s still plenty you can do to make one little corner of your less-than-enviable flat more liveable.
We spoke to six women about how they transformed a nook in their house to make it look Insta-worthy – because you’d be surprised how a well-decorated bookshelf can make that weird roommate or unidentified smell more bearable.
Click through to see these nooks and get some inspiration for your own flat.
Lydia, 24
"I live with three of my best friends and about 1,000 fruit flies. While we’ve made the most of what we’ve got, the house itself isn't ideal, and if I’m in a bad mood or stressed it’s hard to ignore some of the downsides. When we moved into this house a month ago (which we’d collectively already paid more than £4,000 upfront for), there was mould on the ceiling and plaster falling from the walls. Oh, and mouse droppings in the cupboard.
But we’ve sourced some cool furniture for free and tried to make it cosy and creative, regardless. There’s a corner of my living room with an Elvis frame and armchair that makes me feel calm, collected and like we’ve achieved something really great given the constraints.
Apart from the books, most of the stuff in our living room was free or stolen from skips. The armchair was taken from one of my housemates' old bosses who was moving house, as was the pink globe lamp, pink candlestick holder and white lamp. We made the window seat with one of our dads and the stripy Ikea rug was on Gumtree for a third of the price.
Elsewhere in the room we have an amazing purple '60s sofa that was thrown away by people living over the road from us and a red Chesterfield sofa that I got from my old job when we moved offices. Even if you don’t have loads of spare cash, time or resources to find cool furniture and decor, you can still make a sick home."
Bridie, 25
"I live with two flatmates in a two-bed property, the living room is now a bedroom and our only communal space is the kitchen. I love my flatmates and the location, but the flat is just too small for us. The woman who lived here before left a lot of stuff, including a massive mural on the wall, and we’re not allowed to get rid of it. We’ve tried to make it our own but it’s hard when you’re renting. The flat is also quite shabby and things always break.
My favourite corner is what I see from my bed, and it’s a view full of things that are all mine. I framed most of the prints so it looks more put-together. Having the crates, shelves and desk as decorative space is a massive help as we can’t put any new hooks into the walls. I bought the crates off eBay, and in my head they work with the white brick to create a low budget Brooklyn loft vibe. The shelves were already here, I bought the white desk from Argos and my granddad gave me the TV. The decor comes from myriad places, it’s objects gifted or picked up along the way. A few favourites are a hand-painted motivational "If Britney can make it through 2007 I can make it through today" print, a Lauren Conrad crying watercolour from Etsy and a disco ball that reflects across my whole room when the light hits it. It's magical.
As someone who’s lived in a lot of rented properties it’s so important for me to be able to make a space feel like home. Postcards, photos, posters, trinkets – having these things on show means that the room, or at least this wall, represents as much 'me' as possible."
Ornella
"Ever since I moved to the UK, I have lived in a flatshare. So far, this [flat] is the best deal I have found, there’s three of us and our flat isn't too disgusting. My favourite spots are the dining area and where my coffee table is. Besides my bedroom it's the one bit of the house that I have invaded. The dining table is as old as 70 years probably, and the coffee table is a DIY industrial pallet. I got big plants that take up a lot of the space, and buy flowers and magazines every so often to make it look more lived-in.
Don't get me wrong, I can’t complain about my living situation. I live by a park, five minutes away from the station in Zone 2, in one of the most wanted boroughs in London, but I didn't pick my flat because of the room I would be living in. When I feel stuck about my room, I head to the living area and it reminds me of the reasons why I picked this flat almost two years ago. It just feels homely around there."
Meara, 25
"My flatmates are pretty laid-back and we have a living room; we are quite lucky in that sense because so many people don't even have a communal space because it's been turned into another bedroom. I'm currently doing up the garden and reorganising the living room in an attempt to make things nicer. I see myself living here and saving for at least a few more years so I want it to be as homey as possible.
The bookshelf and desk corner is a kind of accumulation of living in London and travels over the past few years; each piece is quite personal to me and I use it as inspiration for the future too. The furniture was from Argos, decorated with bits from all over. The crystal is from Greek mountains, Polaroids of friends and Amsterdam, a tiny ceramic tagine from Marrakech, mood boards for shoots, old books I've inherited, wristbands and photo passes from shoots, plant babies! I like being able to add and take things away depending what projects I'm working on or trips I've been on."
Hannah, 23
"I live with my mum, dad, brother and two cats. It’s mostly cosy and comfortable and I’m lucky to have a good relationship with my fam where my parents aren’t pushing me out, but the fact I will probably be here for a while makes me feel like a baby sometimes, despite it being the case for so many.
This pinboard is so many things for me. A visual representation of my brain... All kinds of art (my own and babes I admire), Grime, trinkets, patches and pins, photographs and gifts from friends. Some people might find it cluttered or too busy but to me it’s an explosion of beauty and inspiration. Living my life freely and expressing all parts of myself. Some things might inspire future art I make, some remind me of my loved ones or special memories. Family photos, my embroidered flags and Hindu imagery remind me of where I come from. It’s my past, present and future, and makes me feel whole."
Liv, 25
"I lucked out with my living situation because I live alone in a family-owned flat, which is a rare privilege in a city like London. I love my flat but it’s got old bones and it’s starting to show: the floorboards have warped from humidity, there’s cracks in the wall mouldings and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a moth infestation but I can’t afford to have pest control come fix it so Raid will have to do for now. As I’m self-employed I work from home, and often don’t leave my flat for days on end, so I’ve worked hard to make it as nice as possible.
I spend 90% of my day working from the sofa in my living room, so you could call that my office, and it’s hands down my favourite room in the flat. Last summer I went dumpster-diving at a recycling centre and found a vintage green velvet armchair in mint condition. You can’t technically take things from the recycling centre but it was too good to just leave it, so I took it home, polished the wooden frame, washed the upholstery and bought a new foam padding for the cushion. It fills the corner of my living room perfectly, and I’ve surrounded it with some of my biggest plants. I love that armchair so much, no one is allowed to sit on it – unless it’s for an Instagram picture, in which case I’ll allow it because its beauty has to be shared. It’s hard to feel like an adult when you’re living in a flat you don't own, but this corner makes me feel a little more grown-up, like I have my shit together. And, I mean, it was free. Bargain much?"
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
What Your Coffee Mug Says About You: An Anthropomorphic Exploration
Changing Rooms Is The Most Iconic TV Show In British History