Working well so far

I live in a oldish new-built flat, with one other person (a friend).

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In what ways has the coronavirus pandemic changed the way you use your home?

We are used to hanging out just as a pair but suddenly we are together a lot more – she's been furloughed but I'm still working.

We used to eat about a quarter of our meals together, now it's more like 90%. We are also doing all of our food shopping together. We've also gotten into serving each other little treats in tiny coffee cups, particularly mini eggs.

It's working well so far, we've both been cleaning and tidying.

How do you feel about your home? How have these feelings changed?

I love my flat: I'm quite particular about how things look, and I love decorating it to my taste – making colour schemes etc. The bathroom is still a tragedy though. I'm regretting not doing all the jobs I said I'd do last year though, like buying a fold out desk.

How does staying at home affect your relationships?

I'm from a small family but we are very geographically spread out – England, Romania, America, Germany. Usually we get together once a year, that probably won't happen this year, which is a real shame. I'm happy to be doing lots more video calls with family than I usually would – speaking to my sister in Germany every day, rather than once a fortnight.

What do you appreciate most about your home?

The light: we have big windows and are south facing.

The silver birches in front of the building create beautiful ripples of shadow throughout the day.

How is your sense of home affected by your neighbours or those living nearby?

I'm more conscious of what my neighbours are up to because I'm never normally home during the day. Even though my block is quite small, you can go days without seeing anyone else: none of us have gardens or balconies so we've been spending more time in our communal yards and chatting more, which is really nice. The other day my neighbour fixed my bike for me, which was lovely.

The colour scheme is pink/green/yellow but on a white background.

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