A Journey Begins
Updated: Oct 27, 2021
It is the year 2021 April as I sit typing up this blog, I cannot help but reminisce about the day when I got my first job four years ago and own a place for the very first time to call mine. I started looking for a place to rent and after searching for a few weeks, found one which looked like this
I was kind of put off when I initially saw this place for the first time. However, the house was very close to my work place and it was super convenient for me. So I decided to take it, even though I was not happy about the place. Regardless, I did not lose hope. I knew deep in my heart I could turn this into a home.
I took a picture before returning from my first visit and started to draw in my head on the way back home how I wanted this room to look like. I remember constantly re-arranging the furniture in our family house when I was a little school girl. I used to draw/sketch in my notebook how I wanted the different arrangements to look like.
After confirming the house, I started looking for items that will complement the place. As there was no natural lighting in the room, so I thought adding a lot of light fixtures, a few lamps, all white furniture and wanted a light brown carpeted floor. I started googling and found a store who agreed to custom make the furniture to my specifications. I did not have a big budget and had to do everything within the budget constraints.
I ordered the basic but important items first and then the rest gradually every month. I am a huge fan of light fixtures and lamps and I love warm lights because it makes the space feel cosy. So I bought a lot of lamps and light fixtures! I was fortunate to get one from my brother as a gift. I also found a very beautiful floor lamp which was very expensive for me back then. In total I had 9 light fixtures and lamps in a room!
My mother gave me bedsheets, pillow cases and curtains. I did not have enough in the budget to buy everything together. Therefore, I purchased a few items here and there after getting my salary. I did not know a lot about interior design back then but I did know enough to pull a few things together. I didn't even know about Pintrest to take inspiration from back then either! I just made it how I imagined it would look good in my head.
It was a 1 bed 1 bath with a tiny kitchen. It would be more accurate to call it a dirty store room rather than a kitchen. So first, I thought to add some shelving so that I could use the small tiny space efficiently. I custom made all the shelving by a carpenter that I got to know. The book shelves, kitchen shelves and even the bathroom shelves were custom made to my design and instructions. Even though it was a rental place, I wanted to live a comfortable life. I even had to change the bathroom fittings. My incredibly frugal landlord installed plastic shower heads and sink faucets.
I started to drop by the Gulshan DCC market every weekend to look out for cool, unique but affordable items to add to my house. I found a few good deals which I still have today. I used to spend 1/3 of my salary every month shopping for my house. This is what made me happy and I felt better living that way. This was my first ever place I could call completely mine.
I grew up with a very creative and supportive mother. My mom has given me many gifts in my life, and her creativity and love of beauty are some of the best ones.
What I did was not the best nor perfect, but I was very happy with the results. It was my first home makeover and my ideas got better day by day. It's different the knowledge that I have now but I was and still am very happy with what I was able to achieve with what little I had. It was my own cosy little space where I could come back to after a long hard day of work and just relax and be myself.
One of my friends once asked me why am I spending so much here when I am not planning to stay here forever. I think it doesn't matter as I had no plans to move anywhere anytime soon. So I had plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of my labour.
After completing the makeover I posted the original before and after pictures on my Facebook and I got a lot of responses. Many of my friends and well wishers advised me to look into interior design as a career. Day by day my ideas and passion grew stronger and I thought to study and research about the interior design world. My dream is to flourish in this industry and hopefully I can be a professional interior designer one day. I hope you will support me on my journey.