Cocooning: optimize your living space at a lower cost to feel good

Nafi Rêve is a decorator, columnist and author of a book called “Create your interior while respecting the planet”. “I have always loved decoration and bargain hunting. These passions date back to childhood. I lived as a child near the flea market in Brussels. My mom, who is an artist, sold clothes with her friends. This place was a bit like a kingdom, I found treasures there. This feeling stayed with me. When I arrive at a flea market, my heart beats, my eyes open, something is happening. I’m where I need to be.”

How did she come to decor and a responsible approach? “My background is completely atypical. I studied anthropology and history, fields which have nothing to do with decoration. I had the click a few years ago. I took part in a great mobilization for the climate At this same period, I noticed that those around me were not moving towards recycling and decorating their interiors.

Where to find second-hand furniture?

I said to myself: “I speak, I suggest things, now I have to show them.” I surrendered to the Little Nothings (a Belgian second-hand brand) to prove that it is possible to have 100% recycled interiors. On site, I created layouts (living room, child’s bedroom, etc.) from what I found. The concept caught on very quickly.”

In France, it is also possible to go to consignment stores or to association branches such asEmmaus. There is also an anthology of sites on which it is possible to find second-hand items (LeBonCoin, Reborn…). Flea markets and garage sales remain essential for the pleasure of bargain hunting and the pleasure of finding a unique piece to integrate into your interior.

100% recycled and stylish decor is possible

“In each interior imagined for my clients, whether it is refined, with light wood, dark wood, red, I look for softness. It is my signature. An interior must be a haven of peace, a bubble, even more so when you live in the city. When I go to a client’s house, I need a challenge. Every space has potentialeven a tiled floor with a low ceiling can be warmed. Inspiration comes from customers. It all starts from them. Then I look at the space, the positives, then the constraints I’m trying to get around. The picture then takes shape little by little.

“Every customer is different, some need of renewalreadjustment… We must understand what they deeply need. I am lucky to have friendly clients who are easy to communicate with. We are often on the same wavelength with the same concerns such as ecology, improving one’s interior in an alternative way… My favorite moment is when I feel this peak of euphoria once my arrangement is finished.”

Twist everyday objects into decoration

Once the space has been brought back to the owner’s taste, in an eco-responsible approach, “the magic happens, you can see it on their faces. I have already received thank you videos with the children’s reactions. If I can bring them some sweetness , while they are immersed in an intense and stressful daily life, I am happy.” The decorator invests her time to respond to the desires of her clients and “create coherent and harmonious assemblies.”

The secret you can borrow from him for an environmentally friendly decor that you like? Listen to your desires and inspirations, imagining a second life for favorite objects, even if it means reinventing them down to their primary function. For example, this coffee table placed in the center of the living room, which consists of a mirror frame.

Dare to mismatch and play with materials

Playing with colors can also help vary moods. “Personally, I really like peach tones, coral and sea green. These are my favorite colors, but in small doses, to avoid falling into the child’s bedroom style.” In her striking “before/after”, Nafi plays with colors, patterns and even materials, adapting to the tastes of her customers and their desires. On her Instagram account, Nafi shares her best advice and raises awareness on the subject in her community. She explains her approach and popularizes her approach to 100% recycled decor: “I think that all the rooms in the house can be decorated without buying anything new, even a kitchen.”

The decorator invites you to dare to start shopping for your interior: “It seems “normal” to buy everything in bulk, a living room, a kitchen or even a bedroom […] but if we take a step back to observe interiors as they are standardized, we would see to what extent they can be impersonal. “Decorating your interior with small touches and with objects and materials that resemble us allows you to bring a touch of yourself and create a place that resembles us and therefore does not resemble the interior of your neighbors. A way of feeling good at home, of creating your own cocoon. to hunt for your supplies, when you fall in love and little by little. Any last advice? “Dare to mismatch.” Nothing is stopping you from starting to rethink your interior using this approach to decoration.