MY room.

Sheila and i are living with two of our co-workers...in a flat that i've visited lots of time, and been a guest in lots of times. one of the things that is hard about moving into a flat where people already live is how to make it feel like its your home, and not that you're a guest again.

i was talking with Sarah and wondered aloud, "i wonder what it will take for me to feel like this is my room and not Kristin's anymore." (Kristin is the last person to live in the room). Sarah said a coat of paint would do the trick. a year and a half ago Beth moved into Sarah's old room - painted it, and really made it her own. Now its beth's room. nobody thinks of it as Sarah's old room.

i was hesitant. i wasn't sure i was ready to commit to a room. i wasn't sure what color i'd want my room to be. how do i want to decorate? i wasn't sure i wanted to invest the time or the money in painting the room. The color wasn't bad - but it was Kristin's. In the end, i decided to paint...and i'm so glad i did.

after the paint dried, i started really making it home. i still feel very much in transition...still waiting to get my wardrobe (so i don't want to hang things on the walls yet) .

the coat of paint is also a way for me to begin to make my room home while i take my time in figuring out what sort of furniture i want to purchase. (this takes a lot of pressure off - i was kind of freaking out before...with the tension of wanting to feel like i had a home vs. not being ready to make "big" purchases...and wanting to take time to discern what i really need/how i want to spend money here - i've also had some bad experiences where i rush purchases out of necessity and then regret what i bought...would obviously like to avoid that!)

my room is mostly a conglomeration of borrowed things from other places in the house - as a desk i'm using a plastic table that was in the house. i've comandered 2 chairs from Beth's table for the next month (one for a nightstand, one for my "desk"), and i have some shelves that i'm using for now. the bedcover and curtains were in the guest room...i'm just claiming them temporarily until i can figure out what i want my room to look like.

i love it.
love it.
looking forward to continuing to put down roots and make my home here...both literally and figuratively.

BEFORE:

AFTER