Aaron, 25
“We went for a deep blue for its relation to calmness and tranquility. And given the messed up world on the other side of the front door, can you blame us for choosing a colour that promotes peace.”
[Aaron sat chilling with his cat, Monster, 2017]
How’ve you been?
“I’ve been alright to be honest. Living through a pandemic has its stresses but family is good and I’m alive and well so there’s not much else that I could ask for.”
Are you still in the same bedroom?
“I’m not in the same bedroom as I was in 2017. I’m actually in my third bedroom in 4 years as I moved to Leeds in late 2017. None of my other bedrooms away from home have felt as homey as this one does and I think that’s in part to the fact that its the first bedroom that I’ve shared with someone else (I moved in with my boyfriend in 2019) and also the first room that I’ve been able to throw paint of my choosing at.”
Looking back at your bedroom in 2017, what has changed?
“Everything and nothing has changed if that makes sense. I mean, I’m in a completely different part of the country for starters and a lot of the decor that I had in London was left in my old bedroom but in terms of how things are laid out and what I’ve chosen to display and whatnot, those have stayed the same. My boyfriend calls me fussy because I like things to be laid out in a certain kind of way so the layout of things is more or less the same as it was when I lived at home. I used to be very anal about it all when we first moved in together but I’m far more relaxed now… I think. Dunno if he’d say the same lol!”
[Aaron sat in his new home, 2021]
Can you paint a picture of what life was like back then?
“Life back then was HECTIC. At that point in 2017 I was trying to find the balance of coming down to London enough so to ease the homesick feeling but staying in Leeds for a long enough period that I could forge my own path and lay down some roots. Having never lived away from home, that was a whole different experience. Getting to know a new set of people in a new city at a new job was stressful but character building which sounds SOOOO cliché but I don’t think there’s any other way to describe it. It was tricky and somewhat expensive looking at my train ticket bill in hindsight but I think I found the correct balance at that period in time. I’d lived in London my whole life up until that point so getting to the North and realising that Leeds is slower paced city than London was a shock to the system but its a city that I’ve really grown to love, and at this point maybe more so than London. (The South Londoner in me just screamed as I typed that).”
What do you love about your bedroom?
“I love how bright it is when the sun shines. We have two windows right by the bed which means in summer the sun blazes in. There’s also a really nice (non-functional) fireplace on what we’re now using as the feature wall in the room which is a nice focal point.”
What does your bedroom mean to you?
“The bedroom is my solace. It’s where I shut the world out for a few hours at a time before I have to tackle the capitalist machine again. So I like to/try to keep it as clutter free as possible. Like I said before, its the first room that I’ve ever shared with a significant other so it has a special place in my heart for that reason too. Lots of memories and laughs have been had in this room so it feels warm and comforting even in the winter months when the sun isn’t shining through the windows.”
How much time do you spend in the bedroom?
“The short answer… A LOT. I’m a homebody anyway so being at home in the bedroom is where I recharge and find peace from the outside world. Given that there’s a pandemic outside which kept us in the house for an unprecedented amount of time I found myself in the bedroom a lot more which was both a blessing and a curse. Working from home I took a lot of dance classes in this space which made the bedroom feel like an office. Then having to use the same space to find comfort was such a strange feeling that made me feel uneasy, a feeling that I think a lot of people were and still are experiencing. Thankfully I’m able to go back to the studio so the bedroom, for the most part has returned to being my sanctuary.”
What’s the most recent addition to the bedroom?
“At this moment as I sit typing this, I’d probably have to say the clothes horse. But if we’re talking permanent fixtures I’d have to say the new paint job that we recently finished. Having time in the lockdown we took to decorating the house given that there wasn’t much else to do outside. We painted the bedroom white with a navy blue feature wall which makes the room really pop. Being able to put our stamp on this space has been the final puzzle piece to really owning what this room is.”
What inspired you to decorate the room this way?
“We always knew that we wanted to paint the room white with a feature wall. The colour was a long time in the choosing. We had paint samples on the wall for months before we settled on this colour. We went for a deep blue for its relation to calmness and tranquility. And given the messed up world on the other side of the front door, can you blame us for choosing a colour that promotes peace.”
If you could change anything about your bedroom what would it be?
“If I could change something about the bedroom I think I’d make it a tad bit bigger. Having two people in this space is fun at times but being two grown men we definitely need more space to store clothes and to move around. More space would help that but given that we work very different schedules its not top of my list at this moment in time. Also I’m 100% not a builder so how the hell would I make it bigger? Lol.”
In 4 years time where do you want to be?
“In 4 years time I would love to for the bedroom to be adorned with mementos and souvenirs from travelling around the world. The pandemic has really taught me to grab life by the horns and live in the moment so would love to travel the world once this is all over.”
