Independent Living: Making The Most Of Your Personal Space

Posted on Nov 25 2013 - 11:08am by Tiffany Matthews

Personal Space

Friends and family have often described me as cautious and slow to change. This is also probably why it took me a while to branch out and start living independently on my own. Ever since I could remember, I have always shared space with a roommate. Whether it was sharing a bedroom with a sister at home or with a classmate at the school dorm, I have never tried having a room all by myself, until now. Ever the late bloomer, it took me a while to find a room that I could rent and when I finally found one that would suit my needs, I found myself faced with a new challenge–maximizing space.

Sharing a room means you have bigger space and less payment for rent since you will be splitting it with your roomie. Having your own place is the complete opposite. You will have smaller living space and the rent is either the same or perhaps a little higher than when you had someone to split the amount with. When I transferred, another thing that I realized was that I had accumulated a lot of stuff over the years and now there was limited space to store them in. I managed to resolve this dilemma with the help of my friend’s advice.

Less is More

Moving to a new place has opened my eyes to insights about myself. I wasn’t even aware that I was a bit of a hoarder. Looking at all my possessions made the truth a lot clearer. As a writer, I attach a lot of sentiment to things that were given to me by friends or family. I even have trouble throwing away old notebooks even if they have just been gathering dust at the bottom of cabinets. Though it was painful, I had to get rid of a lot of beloved clutter. I gave away old, unused notebooks to fellow writer friends so that they may be put to good use. I also whittled down the volume of my wardrobe by giving away clothes that I’ve had since college and haven’t worn in a while. “Less is more” became my new mantra and at the end of a long day, the clutter was no more.

Size Matters

When you’re living in a smaller space, size matters. Your furniture choices have to adhere to this so that you can create that wonderful illusion of having more space. A single bed is a more prudent choice especially if you are the lone tenant in your room. Just situate it beside the wall so that you will have a little more free space to move around. A small couch would make a great addition to your room, but what would make it better is if it is a multipurpose one. Choose a couch that can double as a bed for a friend or relative who might need to sleepover. If you put your clothes bureau right next to the bed, it can also function as a nightstand. As time goes by, you can gradually add on some other items for your room like a small refrigerator or desk. Just make sure that you don’t buy too many small items because eventually they will make your room cluttered once more.

Do Additional Research

If you need more tips on making the most of your personal space, you can do additional research like browsing through furniture sites United Furniture Industries. An exclusive manufacturer of Simmons furniture, it has an online catalog that can give you ideas on which furniture would suit your room best. If you have a friend studying interior design, you can ask him or her to make your room their next project.

Photo Credit: Flickr/tadekk

About the Author

Based in San Diego California, Tiffany Matthews is a professional writer with over 5 years of writing experience. She also blogs about travel, fashion, and anything under the sun at wordbaristas.com, a group blog that she shares with her good friends. In her free time, she likes to travel, read books, and watch movies. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat87.