Hello,
I'm Mervi Eskelinen!
An artist, nerd and sorcerer, dedicated to make world softer and better for everyone, and to get you to make more art. Make art, change the world!
Living in a small home
When Toni and I moved in our 24 m^2 apartment lots of people were ready to tell us it's too small. They were laughing for the idea that two people would fit in a small place like this.
Some offered their great ideas on how we could get a bigger home: "Surely you can come up with this and this amount of money in month for an apartment of this and this size." To which I offered my annoyment.
Housing situation is terrible in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland and where we live. Young people being homeless is a growing problem and getting a rental apartment is harder and harder. Especially if you are on a budget.
We were lucky to find the apartment. It's not the cheapest in the world, but fits our current budget. It's at a nice location, 20 to 40 minutes bus drive from the city centre (depending on the traffic) with peaceful neighbourhood and lots of nature.
If we are too lazy to take the bus to the city we've got some basic services right around the corner. There's a small store attached to our building and a bigger one just a walk away. As a bonus there's a pharmacy in the next building and even one beauty salon on the other side of the street. The nearest library is a bit longer hike away, yet not impossibly far.
We have pretty things too.
We've got an open kitchen, nice bathroom with underfloor heating and a livingroom/bedroom/office. Additionally the there are big windows and quite nifty layout.
To set it in a scale, the owners of our apartment told they had lived in this as a family, two adults and a kid, for a while. So there's that.
In this apartment we've lived and worked for 2 years now. Yes, we both work from home.
Sofa by day, bed by night.
The secret of living in a small apartment (for us) has been hoarding less stuff and furniture, using smart ideas, such as bed that turns into a sofa during day (though is not a sofa bed) and the deciding we don't really need more room than this. Additionally we've got the storage space full of stuff we don't actively use, but are useful. Like summer clothes during winter and winter clothes during summer.
When we moved in we gave away or sold lots of extra stuff. Clothes that hadn't been used in a while, big furniture and so on.
Pile-o-books, a fraction of all of them.
Surely there are some problems. We both like books and movies, hence there are piles of books, DVDs and Blu-rays everywhere. And of course the gadgets of nerds like us take some space. I also find the wardrobe situation tad difficult, but perhaps I could give away some older clothes again.
My hair stuff, neatly stored.
We aren't the tidiest of all people, so it's not like our place is in a perfect order at all times. However the size of the home doesn't seem to be the issue with order. Our previous, bigger apartment was as messy, just with more furniture and other things.
Nerds live here.
Living in a small home requires very functional and preferably multi-use furniture. The underfloor heating in a small bathroom saves the day by helping with drying out the space. Smart storage ideas (like storing linen in boxes under the bed) are essential.
Have you ever lived in a small apartment? Do you have tips on how to make living in one easier? Do you think you could live in a small place, why or why not? What takes the most of the space in your home? Please tell in the comments section!
This is a reader supported blog without paywalls and advertisement. If you appreciate my work and want to help me rewild the internet, please consider becoming a free or paid patron today. I can't do this without the support of readers like you. So if you can to contribute financially, I would really appreciate your help.
