So, last weekend, I finally got the last set of curtains for my flat. Custom-made because my lounge has two windows — I needed a roman blind and a pair of curtains that matched. Thank goodness they fit perfectly.

Still got loads of furniture still to get, but with the studio desk and lounge settee in place, and now all the windows sealed too, it’s fully armed and operational.

Here’s how it looked before.

And now…

The Studio

Do you know how long it took me to hunt down a desk with a decent-sized keyboard shelf? … Oh, I moaned about it to you at the time? Okay. Well, I got one in the end. It’s maybe a little lower than I’d hope but it does the job of providing a large keyboard shelf, which leaves the primary desk space open for notepads.

I do need a lot of wall art. Considering maybe a whiteboard in the dead space next to the desk and the window, since I am such a game developer.

I think I will put a picture above the hi-fi. I’ve got a print of the cover of Ultravox’s Brilliant that’s greyscale, which should go nicely with my studio colour scheme.

The Bathroom

It is required by law that bathrooms have a blue and white colour scheme. I figured the black lino made it a bit cosier than pale imitation wood or whatever.

The Kitchen

Did I mention that I like feature walls? I still need to get a second stool-chair for my table, but the kitchen is functional for me alone — not like I’m going to be hosting dinner parties any time soon.

The Bedroom

The bedroom is the true chillout zone, with its soft, pale colour scheme. It still requires a bit of wall-art, but that will be the finishing touch once I have all the big pieces of furniture of all the rooms in place — so I can distribute existing ornaments and objets d’art first.

The Lounge

The luxurious carpet that has actual underlay (unlike the carpets that came with the flat, remaining in the hall, studio and bedroom) makes the lounge very cosy, while the corner-chaise satisfies my need for a corner settee in a room that isn’t really built to suit one. The chaise provides ample lounging area without closing off the entrance to the room.

Chez Robbie

Casa del Rao Dao Zao, then, is ready for action.

I have say, though, that I have all of this at the sufferance of my parents. Had it not been for them letting me stay at home through university, and then employment, I wouldn’t have had the available funds to achieve any of this. Plus, mum did all the painting while dad ferried the furniture around and drilled any necessary holes (luckily a lifetime of building Lego made me well suited to assembling Ikea kits).

No shame in standing on the shoulders of giants, I suppose.