This Instagrammer’s Home Is a Color and Pattern Playground

When looking for inspiration for interior design ideas, we often turn to the internet, searching for answers. Just as we hit the enter key, we are flooded by millions of results all about mood boards, color palettes and different aesthetics. Then comes the fun part: envisioning a certain wallpaper for your living room, a different backsplash for your kitchen, or how that armoire in your bedroom could use a revamp. And as easily as it was born, your creative bubble bursts when you remember you live in a rental. 

Instagrammer and blogger Amara of The Pajama Hub (@thepajaamahub) knows the nomad lifestyle all too well and has found many ways of turning ’a borrowed house’ into ‘the dream home’ while still keeping the deposit. So, we asked her to share the process behind making her colorful, vibrant place her own.    

How would you describe your home’s personality?

My home is very much a fusion of my personality, beliefs, and travels, all woven into one, keeping the comfort of my family as my top priority. It showcases the power of color in a happy balance of cohesion and complication, even though I am renting. 

What inspired you to create this design?

I am one of those with quite diversified interests in people, art, places, cultures, and nature with friends from all walks of life. As a family in general, all five of us have quite distinctive personalities, so it is essential that our space acts as a cultivating medium. Those are my basic design pillars when it comes to decorating a room & you can find subtle nods to them in my style. My home, I would say, is my connection with like-minded people. 

It’s not just another colorful home but a space that creates conversations and delivers a message often picked by those who are on the same page and resonate at the same frequency level. 

How did you put everything together? What were the biggest challenges?

I love colorful spaces that have a sense of sophistication about them. Every room is decorated with vibrant colors, dramatic patterns and an element of surprise — keeping it exciting but not too overwhelming. I am a much more considered shopper than I used to be and believe in letting a room evolve in different stages. We are quite an adventurous family and love spending time outdoors, which means the indoors need to have a cocooning element to help us unwind. 

As a renter, it feels tempting to play safe while decorating a space. For a person who loves life in technicolor, magnolia walls have been quite a challenge. Your home, even if it’s a rental, should not feel like a borrowed space. Instead, it should be a narration of your dream home. My philosophy is that just like I wouldn’t wear a color that doesn’t suit me, I don’t want it to be a space that doesn’t excite me. All my design ideas are renter-friendly and removable, but they bring me joy.

What is your favorite spot in your home and why?

With the whimsical lemon wallpaper and checkerboard quilt, my daughter’s room has to be one of my favorite spaces. It has a Wes Anderson vibe to it which I so admire. I used clear sticky back vinyl on the walls underneath the wallpaper to turn it into a removable wallpaper. It’s easier to invest in peel and stick wallpaper, but sometimes the choice of colors and patterns can be quite limited and expensive. In this way, I can use any wallpaper from any brand, design, or texture while keeping it budget-friendly. I think renting has made me resourceful, so seeing this idea work out as I had imagined made this room a total triumph.

What do you think is always worth investing in when it comes to your home?

I would say a statement piece that would bring you joy no matter how beige the walls around you are! 

What’s your best advice for someone looking to bring their home to life? Any important dos and don’ts?

Think outside the box. I remember searching ‘rental home décor ideas’ and seeing the same suggestions repeatedly. While I respect the creativity behind them, I would say they are not the only solutions. Get creative with your decor and explore unusual ideas. Start by experimenting with one corner of the room and build your confidence from there. A little furniture upcycle, an amped-up wall, a go at your DIY skills can help you bring a space to life. 

 Do:

• Take your time in finding your core style.
•  Consider using stick-on tiles in a creative way. 
•  Let your rental home be an extension of your personality. 

 Don’t:

•  Think a rental has to be boring.
•  Underestimate the power of sticky back vinyl.
•  Think you can only add color by painting the walls. 

As we continue scrolling in our journey to find the best décor ideas, we must always keep in mind that what works for others might not work for us. And as Amara points out, the best way to bring your house to life is by making it wear the style that best suits you.

All images courtesy of @thepajaamahub.

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