Zhang Week 1 - Fairy Lights & Room Decoration

    

    This past Christmas, one of my friends gave me fairy lights which she had meticulously clipped meaningful and aesthetically pleasing photos onto. When I first received this present, I had no idea that it would lead to a pretty significant change in my life.

    Before the fairy lights, my room was the same as it was ten years ago: a child’s room. I know this may seem strange, but I don’t really spend much time in my bedroom because I’m usually out for school and sports, and when I get back home, I study in areas of the house where my bed isn’t readily available. Nevertheless, redecorating my room has been something that was lingering in the back of my mind for the past two years, and the pretty lights which my friend kindly gifted to me sparked my three day decorating spree over the winter break.

    I started by hanging the fairy lights over my bed and around the corner of my room so that they illuminated my open closet. With one corner filled by this warm, pleasant light, my room was much cozier. However, I still felt like something was missing. The walls of my room were all just blank sheets of powdered pink, and as a result my room had a dusty, uninhabited aura. So the next day, I cast around for any materials which I could use to make the walls have some spirit. 

    One of the main reasons as to why I previously never tried to redecorate my room, despite how much I wanted to, was because I thought that I didn’t have the materials to improve it. However, I quickly discovered that this was not the case. I began by unclipping the photos which my friend provided (apologies to my friend) so that I could later paste them on the walls. Next, I ripped out pages from a photobook and gathered little polaroids that I had accumulated over the years. I arranged the photos on each wall so that they varied in size. On one wall I used the larger, notebook sized pages from the photobook as well as some polaroids and arranged it so that the polaroids intersected the larger pictures in two diagonals, and the larger pictures were staggered up the wall. Another arrangement that I’m particularly proud of is the one where I mixed the regular sized photos from my friend along with polaroids so that they were outlined by the fairy lights and created a small pyramid above my bed.

    With this, and some small finishing touches, my room was completely redecorated and had a warmer, more welcoming aura. Although nearly all of the furniture remained the same, the simple addition of fun lighting as well as pictures that reflect on my personality, made my room into a whole new place. Now, when I’m not busy, I choose to spend time in my room, watching TV, reading, and just recharging in surroundings that make me feel at peace.