How the dopamine decor trend helped this influencer get out of bed

How one influencer used the dopamine decor trend to help her get out of bed in the morning.

It’s the feel-good home decorating trend lifting moods around the country — and helping some people get out of bed in the morning.

When influencer specialist Emily Lawrence took a look at her drab home office, she decided to spruce it up with a fresh and colourful style.

Emily Lawrence took her dull home and found ways to give it new life: through thrift stores, arts and crafts. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

With the help of her ‘dopamine decor’, she turned her uninspired workspace into an exciting interior art project, giving her a fresh look for her home on a budget.

“Before I injected pops of colour into my space, I would have sluggish mornings, and it’d take me much longer to get out of bed,” she said. “Injecting colour into my space gave me a reason to get more creative, more excited to find second-hand decor, and honestly gave me a whole new lease on life!”

Ms Lawrence moved into her apartment just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and struggled to adjust to her new place during lockdowns. She told rug company Ruggable she was inspired by her parents’ antique collecting from her childhood home, and used nearby op-shops and Pinterest boards to make her new place pop.

Before Ms Lawrence redid her home, during the Covid-19 pandemic … Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

And after, when she started to inject new life into her place. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

Her home is now littered with unique decorative items. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

“I was sick of seeing beige, grey, Kmart filled homes online and realised there was a way to achieve your own style on a budget,” she said. “Thrifting allowed me to get creative, while not adding more to landfill at the same time. It’s opened up so many doors for me, and now I can join in on the home decor trends in my own way.”

Now, Ms Lawrence has a group of friends who go thrift shopping with her in Prahran, Victoria: looking for new odd items to customise with her own unique paintjobs.

“There are a ton of things I either DIY’d or upcycled, such as my plant stands, and frames which were all handpainted by me,” she said. “It made my colleagues really happy to see my Zoom background get more colourful over the years – I’d always get compliments in meetings!”

Many of the items in her home were found for cheap in nearby thrift stores, then modified by her back home. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

Some of the things she found in op-shops are worth a bit of money now. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

Director of Insights and Trends at furniture store Temple and Webster, Lucy Sutherland, said she’d seen a recent rise in energising homes with new and exciting interiors.

“This is highly personal and based on what boosts an individual’s mood,” she said, “whether it is the use of bold colours and patterns, or whether it is simply introducing tactile textures and curves to living spaces”.

Head of Design & Product Development Roger Wei suggested small additions, such as candles and towels, can make a big difference to changing a room’s mood.

“Lighting with floor and table lamps is also a great way to add warmth and mood to a space,” he said.

If you’re looking to do the same to your home, go for the small touches – a lot of little things add up. Picture: Emily Lawrence/Ruggable

So, how do you use ‘dopamine decor’ to give your home workspace some life? It’s not just checking your local op-shops, and keeping an eye on Facebook marketplace.

“Be open to new styles and ideas,” Ms Lawrence said. “You never know what you might find.”

Originally published as How the dopamine decor trend helped this influencer get out of bed