You’re no longer in college but have found yourself living dorm-style again with your roommate.
Sometimes when you move to a big new city after you graduate, it’s almost impossible to afford the rent prices so you have to find a roommate and live in tight quarters. It can be so tight that you’re literally sharing the same square feet in a studio because apartments with separate bedrooms are rarely cheap.
But that’s why we’re here to give you tips on how to make the best of your studio apartment when you’re living with another person.
Trade Off Who Cleans Up What
In such a small space, it’s hard to be motivated to clean your apartment, especially with a busy work schedule making it easy for things to pile up. The smaller the space, the more suffocating it can become to live in your studio when things get messy. In order to avoid that feeling, each month you and your roommate can switch off who cleans up the bathroom or who cleans up the kitchen.
Become A Minimalist When It Comes To Furniture
You don’t need that much furniture or you’ll find yourself with no room to breathe. That being said, the size of your space shouldn’t stop you from shopping for cute furniture at the nearest IKEA. Just really think about what you want versus what you need. Think to yourself: “Do I really need six cat face-shaped throw pillows of different colors?”
Take Advantage Of Storage Units
When minimizing your furniture, keep storage units in mind. What I mean by storage units are the closet and cabinet spaces already provided by your apartment. If you’re lucky like my roommate and I, our studio came with a lot of cabinet space in the kitchen, which was more than what we needed for our cooking supplies. As silly as it sounds, use the extra cabinets to store any clothes or additional items to keep them from being an eyesore around your place. If you need extra storage space, you can always invest in box units.
Invest In Room Dividers
No matter how much you like your roommate or how well you get along, we all need our privacy and time to ourselves. When you’re sharing the same square feet with someone, investing in something such as room dividers will be a huge advantage when you need quiet time to recuperate after a long day at work. Buy them and cherish them.
Anything Foldable Will Be Your New Best Friend
Along with room dividers, anything foldable will be useful to you. Folding stools, folding tables, and even a folding bed will help you utilize as much space as possible.
Feature Photo via