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From college students to young professionals, six people take us inside their homes to reveal what’s on their walls. PS: It’s mostly about indicating individuality, camaraderie and memory
What does home mean when it’s neither in the city you grew up in or with the family who raised you? As young people hop, skip and jump between jobs and milestones, they are also navigating new spaces and the labour of making them feel cozy. When Manasvi Pote, 21, moved to Bengaluru from Mumbai, she realised that her new house needed to embody nostalgia for familiarity.
“Home for me is a space where I can be authentically myself, where every object speaks to me,” she says. “I got yellow lights just how my parents preferred in my childhood home. But I also made the house vibrant and cool with vintage cameras and posters of The Weeknd.” The latter, she adds, embodies the evolution in her personality—taking memories of a past home into her adult life.
As Gen Z and young millennials create new bases for themselves, they are also unravelling how the décor and mood influence their idea of home. For Bengaluru-based Soumita Halder, having cutesy coffee mugs, scented candles and soft yellow lights wasn’t just a necessity for her and her flatmate, but also a way to make their one bed inviting to friends. “I often cook for people, we play Pictionary and Uno and just sit together for hours doing nothing,” the 21-year-old student says, adding that building a sense of family away from hers is essential.
But as students and fresh earners on a shoestring budget, achieving ideal décor isn’t always an easy feat. Halder, for instance, has made peace with not having an IKEA-approved home. “Instead of focusing just on aesthetics, I see how the object makes me feel,” she explains. “I recently picked up an ocean waves lamp from an Instagram shop because that made me feel comforted but I know I can’t get a huge bookshelf because it’s not viable right now.” She usually gravitates to low budget décor pieces from Meesho or finds the odd treasure in a local market.
In the age of the internet, inspiration and temptation to buy that hot, new piece of furniture continues to swirl around young renters. But economic uncertainty and delayed milestones acutely inform their purchases. Instead of spending a month’s savings on design objects and brand names, they gravitate to creating shrines of their experiences. Think an art wall carrying used flight tickets and coasters from their favourite restaurants, a stray disco ball breaking the monotony of the cream-coloured ceiling, a mirror of affirmations preaching self-love in the bedroom or a fridge full of magnets and sticky notes reminding them they aren’t alone.
Home décor has soared well past pretty-looking pieces and become about indicating individuality, camaraderie and memory. Below, six young renters across ages, cities and professions give us a glimpse into how they are transforming temporary houses in unfamiliar cities into homes, one magazine cut-out and DIY project at a time.
“From when I was a kid, I’ve been very attached to elephants, my family home in Surat is filled with elephant toys and artefacts. So in my Mumbai flat too, I have an elephant keychain that brings me comfort. Over the last few years, my flatmate and I have become like sisters. We have a common group of friends who we host once a month. We’ve even planned low seating in the living room to accommodate more people. Our décor is a mix of buys from Amazon and DIY projects. We bought a microwave recently and couldn’t throw the box. So I stitched a pink jacquard cover for it, at least it looks good lying around now. We also have a bunch of artwork that have personal meaning. My flatmate and I made two of the paintings at a workshop while a friend gifted us a woven canvas. We have fit so well into each other’s lives that I can’t imagine living with anyone else now.”
“For me, home is a place where you come back at the end of a tiring day and feel instantly calm and serene. I have lived in my 2BHK for about three years now, and have filled it with little plants that bring me happiness. They even attract butterflies so sometimes I have my morning coffee with colourful butterflies sitting on my hand. I have a seven feet tall Tabebuia Rosea tree that was just a sapling when I moved. I love that as I evolve, things in the house are growing too. I avoid spending money on décor and instead try to create something myself or with friends. I’ve crocheted a sofa throw and coasters, and made Lino block prints for my wall of memories. I’m a huge Game of Thrones fan so I’ve framed the maps from that fictional universe and hung them up too. I also have two books signed by George R. R. Martin that I’ve displayed very proudly. I may not have a defined aesthetic in my home but it’s an amalgamation of who I am and all the things I love.”
“The first time I met my flatmate we had a two-hour-long conversation about everything you needed to know while sharing a house. From finances and personal space to our professions and everyday timings, we were aligned and that’s why our space feels like a home. Big windows were a non-negotiable for both of us. We went to Oshiwara market to buy yellow lights and beautiful lamps. We happened to be obsessed with the colour teal so that became the colour palette of the house, the side table, the floor mirror even our sofa is blue. We got a tiny yellow circular table to contrast the sofa. Even though our rooms are different—she has many posters and lamps, mine is more minimal—we’ve created such a safe space that when we enter each other’s rooms it feels like an extension of the home.”
“Until recently I shared my cozy 1BHK with a flatmate. The fridge became our playground, we had a magnetic planner where we would scribble daily tasks, what we’re craving for dinner or even inside jokes. But now it’s just me and it’s been really special to see the space evolve. I’ve gotten a lot of pieces to make the home mine—there’s a Van Gogh-themed lamp, a black and gold tapestry of the sun and the moon, a vinyl recorder, a Halina Paulette vintage camera, all things I love. I also have six small mirrors on the wall, each with an affirmation so when I look at my reflection, I’m not just reminded of how I look but what I need to hear. My house isn’t Pinterest-perfect but it’s me, in every messy and meaningful way. It reflects my personality—vibrant, cool, loud, a bit artsy and old school.”
“When I first moved to Bangalore I was staying in a PG and that felt impersonal and disconnected. It was important for me to live in a space I could make mine and with someone who respected my creative side, I got that with my flatmate. We share a 1BHK and are constantly doing DIY projects together whether it’s painting on the wall (pray that we get our security deposit back!) or building a memory nook with Polaroid pictures. We also leave each other sticky notes on the fridge as a reminder that we’re not alone in this city. Luckily, we both love plushies so our house is full of them. We even upcycled glass bottles into vases and placed tabletop mirrors so they reflect light and make the room feel like a soft, fairy tale. These are the little ways in which we make the house special to us while being on a college student budget.”
“I share a 2BHK with my flatmates in Juhu and even though we have different aesthetics, we have our own corners in the living room. They always encourage me to cover the walls in art or do up my wardrobe how I want. I found a disco ball on sale online so we’ve used that as décor as well.
And I have created art walls around the house, so I stick a silver or white paper as the background and then collage over it with art prints. This could be artist merch from a concert, posters or stickers from Magnetic Fields and other gigs or even postcards from cafés. Our friends often come and stare at the art wall and that is very validating.”
Will you be living in your space during the renovation ?
DEC 2023
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Appointment Date & time
17 Oct 23, 03.00PM - 04.00PM