When moving out to a new town after i got my work contract at the beginning of 2018, the first thing i did was looking for an apartment. I knew it was not going to be easy to find a studio as they are in high demand and quite expensive even if you don’t live in the capital. I found some alternatives but i wasn’t fast enough and by the time i contacted the persons, they were already rented.
Moving after a workplace is not easy at all and the best and logical way is to rent. Buying a place right now is out of the question. As i wrote before, my work situation requires me to move a lot and that’s one of the biggest reason for my minimalism. In the end, i got lucky and managed to rent a studio from a private person. I think this is one of the smallest places i have ever lived in and before i moved, i also wondered myself how will i manage with so little space. I have lived in the same place for over a year now and i can say it went much better than expected. We are taught that the bigger, the better but in my situation this solution was the best. I say in my situation because i know that not everybody can live in a 16 square meters studio. This was the best solution for me given my present situation and circumstances. I also wanted to start my work as soon as possible so i wasn’t picky at all when it came to a place to stay.
I wrote in a previous post that i got rid of around five bags of stuff before moving to my new place and i also had to sell my four persons kitchen table because it didn’t fit into the studio. The studio was already equipped with a wardrobe, fridge and a stove with oven. I took all the furniture i had with me: a one person bed plus a travelling bed for guests, an armchair, a nightstand, working table and chair, a small table which i converted into multi functional kitchen table and a small stool, bookshelf, a shoe rack and a small ladder to reach the upper shelves. The studio has just one room with the kitchen in a corner, a small hallway and the toilet. Shower is downstairs in the basement together with the sauna and the washing machine. Many raised their eyebrows as i don’t have a shower in my apartment but i managed perfectly without as i used the sauna’s shower. As i understood from the plan of the building some apartments are equipped with their own showers and there are only six apartments in the building. Besides, nobody seemed to use the sauna and i wasn’t so crazy about it either.
I managed to get all my things into the apartment and actually have free space which was needed as i practice fitness also at home. Moreover, not owning lots of stuff, the apartment looks clean and simple, distractions are kept to a minimum and the best thing is that cleaning is easy and takes very little time. This way i can use my time and energy to do something else. The studio doesn’t seem claustrophobic as i spend a significant amount of time at work and also outside in the nature when weather permits. My intention with this small place is to transform it into a stress-free place as a home is supposed to be. A stress-free place means a clean, organized and clutter-free environment.
The positives about my place are that it is quite central and i can bike or walk to work and it is just few minutes walk from the grocery store. For me that is important as i don’t own a car and i’m not that much into driving. The studio is placed into a quiet area and nature is very close. It has also its own yard so i don’t miss a balcony that much as i can sit in the front yard and drink a cup of tea in peace. During the winter is very warm but if the summer gets a bit hotter, it tends to be quite hot inside. I also liked a lot that the building has a washing machine because i wasn’t eager to buy one for myself. I think more places should offer these kinds of services because people are moving nowadays more than ever and it is difficult to take big and heavy household machines with you.
The only negative aspect i could come up with is that being so small, i can’t have too many guests and i can only accommodate only one person for the night. I usually invite guests over to the place i share with my partner as we have a bit more space and they can also be comfortable and have privacy. When i chose this studio my first thought was my job and starting it as soon as possible so i did not take into consideration having guests overnight. One good option there is also accommodation offered by several facilities in the town.
The Logical Minimalist 