My passion for home decoration started three years ago when I had my own place for the first time in Auckland New Zealand in late 2019, a couple of months before the pandemic started. 

It was a newly refurbished two-storey unit in the suburb of central Auckland. Luckily, it was quite modern already but just an empty house. I was so excited and ready to transform it to a place that can reflect my own personality.

I started doing some researches online regarding interior design, colour scheme, indoor plants, colour psychology and found some references as my main decoration guidelines. I also visited lots of big and small local homeware stores, botanic gardens, art galleries to get some inspirations. Finally, after all the preparation work was done, actually you could never be fully prepared but you just needed to take the first step, I started purchasing home goods from both online stores and local stores: kitchen appliances, dinnerware for the kitchen, sofa, throws, cushions, rugs for the living room, linens, duvets for the bedroom, other home decors, plants, furniture. It did take quite some time and I found the whole process was pretty frustrating. It was quite hard to get everything you wanted just from one place as those stores were selling goods with all kinds of different styles trying to meet everyone’s needs.

‘Hard work pays off’, a couple of months later, I had finally completed all the decorations work. I am not a profession interior designer or whatsoever, but I could still decorate my place the way I loved, it was quite basic and simple and I know everyone else could do the same as well. After everything was settled, I started my airbnb business by renting the guestroom out.

Then in early 2020, Covid pandemic started and the whole New Zealand had been put under one of the strictest lockdowns for quite a few months from 2022 to 2021 and I spent most of my time alone during that time. A lot people suffered from mental health issues triggered by the pandemic, especially for the one who was living alone, I did as well. But living in the place I really loved, taking care of the space I am living in had become a subconscious way to heal myself during that time and it definitely reduced my stress levels and helped improve my mental wellbeing. As with my airbnb business, I didn't continue my own hosting career as I was planning to go overseas but the airbnb journey of my property didn't stop. I found ZODIAK (www.zodiak.co.nz), to help me take care of the Airbnb business now, so I can completely focus on my own business. If you are travelling in Auckland by any chance and would like to stay at my place, you are more than welcomed. 

 By creating OPALAIN, I am wanting to share my own story of how home decoration has improved my mental wellbeing and also to provide a place that people can buy the home goods they like and share their personal stories of how they decorate their places.

If you have any stories to share, please subscribe our website and contact us on contact@opalain.com. We will reward you a Gift Card of NZD $100 once your story has been picked and posted on our site.  If you have any feedbacks on our website or if there is anything you would like to buy but we are not selling yet, you can also let us know by emailing contact@opalain.com.

Sincerely

Chen

Founder and Director of OPALAIN