Living Room

So I'm all moved over to the new apartment -- not unpacked, so it looks like a U-STOR storage locker gone to hell, but at least all my crap is in a new place now. Anyway, my search for the new studio got me to thinking about living space and how my conceptions for it have changed in the past year.

And now, faithful readers of 901 posts, I share this with you.

See, in my last apartment, there wasn't any real reason I needed the 12坪 (431sqft) I had, except to put all my things in it. I mean, dammit, 12坪 is pretty damned big for just me. It's not like I actually used the space during living; I just need a good place to chill and watch TV and surf until I go to sleep. The rest of the time, I'm at work, at the gym, or out eating.

And now, I've moved into another 12坪 place, and it's a little bit bigger, because there's another 2坪 on a second half-height level (like a loft).

Right now, most of you North Americans are gasping at the closet I call an apartment.

If you weren't shocked enough, I'll say that I would have been okay even with something like 8坪 (285sqft), if it were a loft with a partial second level (for the bed, e.g.).

See, 431sqft is "big" here, because they design things to be compact and efficient (though sometimes, it's just cramped). In North America, 431sqft is "small" because they make the hallways a little wider, the rooms a little bigger, etc. That takes up room.

But understand that the designs are different: it's all about layout and design. I've seen some places where the design is just awesome (like my friend's place). In 14坪 (500sqft), they have a living room, tiny den, open kitchen, and a bedroom (open loft style) with a walk-in closet under it. It kind of feels spacious, with tons of storage space built into the walls and in every nook and cranny. With sufficient storage and a decent design, it's actually quite a lot of room for a single person, even a couple.