Months before I moved into my new place—a studio apartment tucked behind my brother-from-another-mother’s house—I thought I had the floorplan nailed.
In my head (and on paper), it all sounded so simple and straightforward: the “big” room would be my bedroom and living room, the “small” room would be my home office and kitchen, and the bathroom would be my bathroom and closet.
But six weeks in, my new place was a total disaster area. Instead of feeling like a home, it felt like a storage unit filled with bags and boxes.
I was overwhelmed and paralyzed, so progress was slippery and slow. I couldn’t quite understand why the small space was proving to be such a big pain in the ass.
NOTE TO THOSE WHO KNOW ME (TOO) WELL:
I KNOW, I KNOW…I’M THE BIG PAIN IN THE ASS!
Eventually, I realized the problem wasn’t the apartment—it was my plan. Long story short, I was trying to force the space to fit the ideas in my head instead of being open to better options.
Take the kitchen. I convinced myself I didn’t really need one. If I wanted to cook, I could just use the kitchen in the main house. Except I never did. Not once.
Instead, the “small” room quickly turned into my home office (and streaming studio). Technically it worked, but in reality it meant spending most of my waking hours in the tiniest, warmest room of the apartment. Far from optimal.
So last night, I finally decided to shake things up.
After several false starts and many trials and errors, I finally found a simple floorplan I like…and maybe love. The kitchen is turning back into a kitchen. And the “big” room’s becoming my all-in-one space: bedroom, home office, and living room.
As soon as I stopped trying to control the space and let it be what it wanted to be, everything started clicking. For the first time since moving in, I can picture myself living here for a long, long time.
Now when I walk in, I don’t just see clutter and compromise. I see spaces I actually want to spend time in—morning, noon, and night. Personally and professionally, it’s starting to feel balanced…and blessed.
The thing I like about small spaces is that they keep you honest. You can dream up the “perfect” floor plan, but you won’t really know if it works until you live in it.
Once I allowed myself to be wrong and rethink the setup, the apartment stopped feeling like a storage unit and started feeling like a home.
Thank you for being a friend (of Dorothy)!
Clint 🌈✌️
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PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
"Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards."
Willem Arondeus
Flexibility; square pegs, round holes. Plans and spaces are in your head but inanimate objects have their own plans. Their ideas are solid, inflexibe, rigid. It is not in their nature to adapt or compromise. You as a living creature must make the changes in your plans.
There you have it Clint, you've gotta break many eggs to make a good omelette 😁😎😝 either that or go to your IKEA store and study their fantasy(?) 30/40/+ square metre studio/small space apartment mock ups. Cheers DougT 🇫🇴🇬🇧