When we moved to Austin in the summer of 2011, we rented a small 1-bedroom apartment (about 700 square feet). I didn't think too much about living in such a small space at the time, and expected us to move into a 2-bedroom once we had a baby. When we found out that we were expecting last year, I immediately thought we would move when our lease renewed in March of this year, and we talked about it occasionally, and that seemed to be the plan.
Then, about two months before Fox was born, we were talking about how we were going to fit him in our apartment until March, when our lease ended, and somehow the idea of staying in our 1-bedroom came up. I am not even sure why it came up, but it stuck fast in our minds and we couldn't let it go. We talked the idea to death for about 2 weeks, and then decided to move forward with it.
We had several reasons for doing this:
1. Cost - obviously rent is less for a 1-bedroom apartment. Also, it costs less to heat and cool a smaller space.
2. Adam loves tiny houses, and the idea of living very intentionally. Everything has a place, and you purchase specific pieces to fill the space you have and make it work, even if that place is small.
3. I wanted to see if it would work. (honestly, I wanted to see if we could actually live like this and not go completely crazy)
4. We love the apartment that we currently live in. Our balcony overlooks a beautiful little green space. There is lots of parking in our part of the complex, we are close enough to walk to the trash compactor, the pool and the mailbox, and when we moved in to our apartment, they had just replaced the carpet and repainted the walls, so it looked brand new. It may not look quite as new now, but we have taken good care of the carpet and walls, and I worry that if we moved into another apartment, it would have dirty carpet, or less than lovely walls.
So, all that being said, here is a little tour of our new 'closet' outside of the 'closet bedroom' that Fox sleeps in:
Love it! We're working toward a minimalist lifestyle, too!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I just love not having as much around. With a baby, this has been a bit of a challenge, but we are up for it, and always trying to minimize the amount of stuff we have!
Deletei love this. I'm with Adam - small places filled with purposeful (and beautiful, of course!) items are the best! We live in a 2 bed, 650 sq ft flat (sorry, I'm English and couldn't bring myself to write 'apartment'!) and it's been fun choosing furniture and layouts that make the most of the space we've got. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to Part 2!
ReplyDeleteRuth,
DeleteThe word 'flat' is a much cooler word than apartment, so I am glad you used it :) I would love to see some pictures of your space. A two bedroom with such small square footage definitely has to have a good layout! I bet you have done a great job making it work! It is a challenge, but kind of a fun one!
I love this! We were planning on living in a one bedroom when we had our first but then moved at the last minute (38 weeks pregnant) for job reasons and wound up in a two bedroom, but it can totally be done and we really loved the time we spent in our one bedroom!
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think it is the solution for everyone, but I am really glad it has worked out for us! I love a one bedroom, too! Less to vacuum :)
DeleteI'm definitely interested in hearing more about how you're doing this! We're expecting our first later this year and though we live in a 2 bedroom, we're going to have to do some serious de-junking! D.I. is about to get a lot of stuff! When we first moved in, I didn't know how we'd use all the space, but 6 years later .... well, that's a different story :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie, isn't it crazy how much stuff you accumulate over the course of just a few years! We moved here in our car (a 4-door Camry), and now we would need a moving truck to move out, and we are constantly purging and getting rid of stuff! You have inspired me to plan an entire post about this! Hopefully it will be helpful as you prepare to welcome your little one into your home! Congratulations! Babies are the best!
DeleteI love this post-- because while looks at huge elaborate nursery are definitely eye candy. Most people don't have a ton of space. My first shared her bedroom with our office for the first 6 months. My second child lived in my bedroom for 18 months. He had an area of the room with a few decorations to make it "his" but still small. I'm reading backwards-- so your transformation looks great.
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