THE POWER OF ENERGY IN INTERIORS and HOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW THINGS

It made me feel in control of my environment and gave me a sense of purpose in a time when the world didn’t make sense to me.

Taking time during lockdown to clear out what is not needed immediately in your interiors improves your interaction with a space and combined with good interior design improves how you live and work in your environment.

When lockdown began, there were many people I knew who decluttered and got rid of stuff to create space. This is instinctively correct because everything in our homes takes up space and either creates or takes away energy. 

Rooms make us feel a certain way, we are drawn to light and darkness depending on our emotional state. 

All things bring something into a space

I used to lie on my bed in my bedroom when I was ill and study the objects in my room. Each object; the miniature porcelain tea set, the wooden printers tray, the white stainless steel kitchen table, the old wooden dining chair, the steel framed bed, the Tinkerbell jewellery box, the Beechie gum boxes stuck on the cupboard doors: all had some sentimental value or story. Either beloved items that had been given to me by a loved one or bought with money I had saved for a long time. Or, they were handed down: bits no one wanted and there for purely practical reasons (beside the gum boxes which was my attempt at budget décor). 

I used to play with these objects for hours, creating different configurations and arrangements for my child-like interior designs. Taking them up, pulling them down. Getting our beloved nanny Selina, to help create my new interior design by moving my bed, the rickety desk, the small bedside table and hand me down lamp, around until it suited how I was feeling. 

My mother always used to say I was on the mend the moment the furniture started to move around again. I lost myself in how that room would feel when I changed things around. 

It made me feel in control of my environment and gave me a sense of purpose in a time when the world didn’t make sense to me.

To start again you need to wipe the slate clean

This was the first thing I discovered that really worked for me so that I would not be influenced by how it had looked or felt before. I would put every item at the front of my room as far away from the space as possible. 

In these years, this was as far away as I could get from all the items without getting into trouble. I was actually supposed to be resting when I was busy with these experiments, and I had already learned the first time around that using the passage for this activity advertised my covert activity.

So, I used to close my door, be as quiet as a mouse, and pile all the items in front of the door.  My mother would mostly be busy in her sewing room, so it would take some hours before she realised what I was up to. 

Over time, I think she just left me because it was good for me. My Dad was at work so I mostly got away with it during the week but on the weekends he was around, and often up and down the passage past my room so I would read and plan my next move. 

Dear Selina just turned a blind eye and pretended to see nothing when she brought me tea. It was only when she was worried about me would she call my mother to intervene, or when she had had enough of playing mover. My sister, well she just thought I was bonkers and pranced her fairy dances in the garden, doing handstands and cartwheels that I envied.

People affected my space 

I found that people around me also affected my space and how I arranged it. It was a combination of how I engaged in my room, the people who entered it, the objects in the space and how the light changed over the course of the day. 

I also found it difficult to let go of objects. I had been brought up not to waste, that all things have value, and to be grateful for what we had. These are good values that I still live by today, but I found this limited my thinking to work from what I had, rather than on what it should be. This is why it was such a good exercise to clear the space and start from scratch. 

Build the space one decision at a time

I would start to build the space one decision at a time and if I didn’t miss the item in the space I would pack it away carefully in my cupboard, or store it in the garage possibly to be called on for another new scheme I may think up in a week’s time.

I kept going until the space felt complete (not just looked complete). I just knew when it was right and would keep going until I hit that moment. I felt such a sense of achievement when that feeling came: a feeling of complete balance and peace when it was right.

My principles today

Today, I have the luxury of completely clearing a space when I start with an interior design. I still believe in only taking into a space what it needs, layering it only until it feels right. 

I believe in the principles of a perfect entrance where the opportunity for the entire space is created. Keeping clutter contained so it doesn’t detract from how the space feels. Keeping bathrooms super clean and their doors closed. 

It is also very important to understand the light in your house and how it is used. We gravitate towards light and warmth during the day and quieter, cooler places at other times. It is important to know how these different areas can best serve you.

Start each day fresh

I believe in sweeping my front entrance every day to start my day afresh. That feeling of a freshly swept floor welcomes the day.

I think during lockdown that a lot of emotions have come up for all us. Spaces help us clear this emotional energy. They help us see ourselves and heal. The way My Yellow Room helped me heal. 

We are in control of our environments and small acts of cleaning, decluttering help us process the events in our lives and move towards a fuller way of living. Small things make a big difference.

Love from my yellow room.