I filled my color space, now I hate it and my “dopamine decor”

Months ago, I transformed my little room into a rainbow space and I loved it. Now I can barely stay in it.

After moving up with my aunt last year, I wanted to make my beige room feel at home, especially since she had to work like my bedroom, my office and my secondary living room.

When I spotted the trend of “dopamine decoration” in design magazines and on YouTube channels, it seemed to be my perfect solution.

The trend is to look into bright colors and fun designs to create a space that causes joy. At the time, I thought that adding light, lightness and color to my life looked like an excellent idea.

My youthful treatment of my room costs $ 3,500

My overhaul inspired by dopamine included a twin -shaped twin bed, a modified IKEA office with an extended table, a colored wall of art and three cabinets in a hot pink cloakroom.

I hired Taskrabbit workers to paint a blue and purple checkered pattern on the walls, assemble furniture and mount a projector.

The space showstopper was a curved yellow sofa that looked like an elbow, nicknamed the “macaroni and cheese sofa”.

My total overhaul cost reached about $ 3,500, which was just in the budget. Initially, the space has delivered exactly what the trend has promised – a radiance of happiness.

The colleagues told me how much they loved my history of virtual meeting and my friends said that I had even managed to enlarge my little space.

For a few months, I also appreciated my room.

When dopamine has disappeared, my love for space too

My turn came when I started a new contract work. I had to use the company’s equipment, so I was stuck at my office more often and forced to work surrounded by my colorful choices.

Soon I spent eight hours a day in this room when I saw my decor in my peripheral vision.

Around the same time, I started to build a personal brand on LinkedIn. As my next ones grew up, I developed a sophisticated but funny brand image which clashed with the brilliant dopamine palette of my room.

I intend to film video content, so having a coherent and simple backdrop has become important to me. My dynamic space was not going to work.

Elements that once brought me joy have become frustrations. The pastel checkered wall and the funky sofa give me the impression of working and sleeping in a children’s room.

The space also affects my daily habits. I don’t like to spend more time in my room than I absolutely owe it. Whenever I have no work meetings, I was fleeing another part of the house.

Quite funny, my family, my partner and my friends always love my space – but it is not they who must live there and work there every day.

I plan to be much more careful if I am again a design trend

After a year, I plan to redo the space to feel more classic and timeless. I’m probably going to keep the office and the cabinets, paint the walls (maybe a line-line or a united color) and give the yellow sofa.

My biggest advice for others tempted by interior design trends is to sit on your plans for a few months before going ahead to see if you still love them.

I also wish that I would have made small changes in my space at the beginning, giving myself time to settle before engaging in a major overhaul. This approach may have allowed me to make better long-term decisions on a space that I would spend as much time.

Above all, I learned that a trend that looks perfect on social networks is not always translated into daily life – especially when daily life involves looking at these choices for eight consecutive hours during working calls.