Opening the door on Londoners’ bedrooms.
People’s bedrooms are more than just a place to sleep. They are a sanctuary, a refuge, and a place of comfort and privacy. For many, their bedrooms reflect their personality, style, and interests. From the colour of the walls to the arrangement of furniture, everything about a person’s bedroom tells a story about who they are and what they value.
The activities that people engage in within the privacy of their bedrooms are also reveal their character and preferences. Some may use their bedrooms as a space to work, read, meditate or just relax. Others may transform their bedrooms into personal gyms, movie theatres or hobby rooms. Whatever the case may be, a person’s bedroom is a place where they can be themselves free from judgment or distractions.
Feng Shui expert Jill Poulston echoes this in her academic paper ‘Taking feng shui seriously’, stating that your bedroom should be a place where you feel supported and comfortable, and that while designing your dream bedroom, you should aim to create an environment that supports you in achieving your dreams and goals. We opened the doors on some unusual bedroom situations.
The communal bedroom
Milo, 22, is a university student from New Cross, South East London. He lives in a shared house where his room is also used as a shared lounge.
“When I first moved into my house with four of my friends, the main problem we had was a lack of an actual living room, which is becoming more and more common for student homes. I managed to bag the largest room on the condition that it would also be a living room for everyone else. It has basic things like a bed and wardrobe, but also two sofas and a television. Having my bedroom as a communal space definitely has its pros and cons. We spend most evenings in my room which is quite chilled, playing video games or watching Netflix.
However, living in a house of five boys means that I usually come home to my room covered with dirty plates, empty food wrappers, and overflowing ashtrays. The worst thing about it is the lack of privacy. There have been loads of times where I’ve come in from a long shift at work and the rest of my house are sat in my room, chatting away, but I feel bad asking them to leave. I don’t think I could handle another year of this!”
The music studio
Felix, 17, is an A Level student from Amersham. He’s transformed his room into a place to play and produce music
“My room is quite small considering all the equipment and instruments it contains. I love music and it’s something I’m passionate about and my room reflects this.
Over the past seven or eight years I’ve collected two saxophones, two guitars, and a keyboard. More recently, I’ve developed a love for music production and I now own microphones and production software on my computer.
My room feels like a space where I can work on my music, which is important to me personally, but also academically since I study the subject for A Level. It feels like a place where I can let my creativity flow and relax and distract myself from stressful things in life, like school.”
A room on the water
Harriet, 23, from Surrey Quays lives on a boat
“Since the cost of living in London is crazy expensive, living on a boat just seemed like the best idea and I thought it would be a fun and unique experience. Although it needed a lot of research at first about various things such as a mooring licence, I would say overall it’s been a really positive experience.
As you can probably guess, my bedroom is small and narrow, and doesn’t fit as much stuff as my room last year, but I’ve managed to make it cosy and feel like home over time. It’s also really quiet at night which is rare when you’re living in a city as big as London. The worst thing about it is how expensive heating it can get as it doesn’t hold heat as well as a regular home does, I think being on the water probably adds to that as well.”