I’m so excited to publish the first of my new blog series, Home Tours. I want to share some of the fabulous homes I have discovered during my journey into interiors and home renovation. I am especially excited, because I am kicking off with one of my favourite homes – that which belongs to Amara of The Pajama Hub (follow on Instagram – @thepajamahub).
The Pajama Hub
Amara is the force behind The Pajama Hub. A colourful documentation of turning a standard rental property into something bright and really very beautiful. Amara lives in her Berkshire rental property with her husband and three children. Personally, my love affair with Amara’s home began with her toilet! Not something I would have ever really expected to say. But here it is, and I hope you can see why I love it.
Amara describes herself as a ‘colour enthusiast’, which succinctly sums up her style. The Pajama Hub Instagram feed is a feast for the eyes, awash with cheerful colours dancing together. Each square is, I think, pure joy.
Amara is a colour craftswoman. With a rare eye for colour combinations that work together effortlessly, she is able to create harmonious schemes, whilst using an extensive colour palette. Amara describes this as ‘cohesion with solid hints of complication’.
Cohesive Colour
This understanding of colour is rare and delightful. Using colours from the same tonal family creates coordinated schemes. Using colour so skilfully means that, instead of creating a ‘riot’, Amara’s home manages to be both full of colour and life, whilst also feeling rather peaceful and serene. Amara maintains the sophistication she wants from her home, whilst also embracing her passion for colour.
I can imagine myself in this house, sipping a cup of tea, and just feeling totally comfortable. This is how home should be.
Amara says she wants people to feel welcome and appreciated in her home. This home is an inspiring place to be.
Amara has been interested in interior design for as long as she can remember. Her husband was a pilot, so Amara became used to moving around a lot, and in the process, skilled at designing rental property decor.
Renting is no barrier to design
At first glance, you would not think Amara’s home is rented. And yet it is – each wall is painted that most quintessential shade of the rental market: Magnolia. Hardly a colour enthusiast’s dream shade! Renting need be no barrier to creating a unique home though. Amara demonstrates this to perfection with genius hacks, such as using a duvet cover as a wall hanging. For just £25, Amara transformed her bedroom with am H&M duvet, watercolour paint and her signature hack: clear vinyl to protect the walls. You can see the full transformation on her Instagram page.
Amara plans all the projects at home herself. She and her husband then carry out the DIY. This is real proof that, with a bit of imagination, anyone can transform their home, whether owned or rented.
In a dream world, Amara would love to tear out the dated kitchen and start afresh. (I completely sympathise – we have done our own budget kitchen hack because we can’t afford to replace our kitchen). It’s important to remember that sometimes we will come up against barriers when we are doing up a house, but that doesn’t mean a rental property need be a sea of beige walls.
Think outside the box
To make the best of your rental property, Amara says you need to think outside the box. Use vinyl to transform surfaces: it is easily removed, making it a damage-free way to update surfaces such as walls, furniture, tiles and worktops. There’s a huge range of vinyl available online now from suppliers such as Vinyl Warehouse, Create Your World and Jes Rose Vinyl. Sketch out a plan and use Pinterest for inspiration. Creating a moodboard on Pinterest will help you gather together colours that work well.
I completely agree with Amara on the vinyl. Admittedly, it is plastic, but in the grand scheme of things you won’t need a lot of it to transform a space. We have used it to cover our worktops and it makes such a huge difference – plus it’s completely budget-friendly. You can even cover your fridge (watch this space, as I plan to do mine in the coming weeks). Or your car in fact, but best to pay a professional for that!
Gallery Walls are King
‘Don’t underestimate the power of a gallery wall’ says Amara. And she is absolutely right. Especially handy in a rental property, you can cover a big area of wall fairly inexpensively and you can use your choice of prints or photos to tell a story. Avoid damage with removable hooks, such as Command Hooks.
Look to accessories
With a a rental property, there will be some limitations to your creativity. Fill the gap by focusing on accessorising and styling your home instead of tearing down walls. Amara’s walls and bookshelves are all carefully considered and styled to perfection. Statement lamps, mirrors and chairs will offer plenty of interest. Having a colourful palette of accessories works very well against neutral walls.
More from The Pajama Hub
If you have fallen in love with Amara’s style you can follow on Instagram and create your own gallery wall of prints from her online shop The Faff Store: ‘a colourful ode to life and human emotions’. Come and be colour inspired!
This is gorgeous! What a beautiful colourful home 🙂
I will be taking a nosey over there this evening, I love the ideas used in the above pictures, thanks Mel