Isatu Chadborn

Learning support assistant @life_of_isatu

1 ‘Don’t follow trends too much, or you’ll constantly be changing things. It takes a while to find your style. Once I realised I liked warm, neutral colours, I replicated that in every room, including the bedroom, where the scheme makes it feel like an escape.’

2 ‘Use a mood board to pull ideas together before you start. I choose a specific thing as a starting point – for my bedroom, it was a paint colour I loved. I use Canva to pull in ideas from magazines and Pinterest. Planning in this way means you can put more thought into important things like lighting – we decided to integrate sidelights as well as a main light for a more relaxed feel.’

3 ‘The bedroom is a great place to bring natural materials in. I love rattan and jute, and I’m a real linen bedding convert. Plants can also soften a room. I like to find foraged objects – especially from the beach near where I live in Essex – to put on display.’

4 ‘Vintage furniture adds interest and makes your house different to everyone else’s. Shop secondhand for your bedroom where you can; Facebook Marketplace is amazing, and I use Ebay and Etsy. There’s nothing more satisfying than picking up a charity shop bargain.’

5 ‘If you can’t buy the things you want on your budget, think outside the box. We panelled the room ourselves, spacing strips of wood along the room and painting them the same colour as the wall. We also painted the doors, skirting and radiators in the same shade – they work better together until we can replace them. More people upcycle these days, and it costs almost nothing to upgrade a wooden bed or a second-hand cabinet with some leftover paint.’