A reader shares the part of her home she enjoys spending time in most
Yasmin Fatollahy (@homeatheathfield), a financial services analyst, lives with her partner, James, a financial crime manager, and their long-haired dachshund, Cyrus, in a two-bedroom Edwardian terraced home in Tyne & Wear ‘The second bedroom was the last room we tackled. It had become a dumping ground and nobody ever stayed over, so it felt like wasted space. I wanted more storage rather than just a bed in the middle of the floor, and since James sometimes works from home, it made sense to have a desk on one wall as well as a chill-out area. There was a lack of personal photos around the house and after getting inspired by gallery walls on Instagram, I decided to create a grid of nine black and white photos that all mean something to us. I like it being uniform as it’s more of a statement, and painting the wall in Rich Black by Dulux draws more attention to it. I’ve added metallic accents with the black Ikea coffee table I upcycled with Wilko gold spray paint and a floor lamp from Houseof.com. I didn’t want this room to be too in your face with colour, so I picked a velvet sofa in green – my favourite colour. My uncle gifted the Persian rug to my dad when I was little. They’d ended up parking their car on it in the garage! I knew it would go with the sofa after a good clean. Some of the tassels have come off but it’s got character, and it’s nice to have a family heirloom. I’ve solved the storage problem by getting an ottoman bed and vintage wardrobe for my bedroom next door so clothes don’t get dumped in here, and I bought a big mid-century sideboard. This room gets used a lot more often now, and we love getting the projector screen out for movie nights with friends.’