Making: Space

I moved out of my childhood home at the ripe old age of 30.

I wish I could say that was a joke, but I'm being earnest.

In the years since, I've discovered I liked making my spaces...mine. Dear reader, this millennial discovered the joys of decorating her space for the first time.

I found out that I actually had preferences on things like furniture and appliances. That I liked matching duvets. That I'm partial to clean, minimalist styles. That I had a style preference at all!

Maybe this is what happens when you've never had a space of your own 🥲

Everything in our big family home was shared: rooms, wardrobes, beds. I've never really occupied or personalized a space until I moved out of my parents' house.

So this need to decorate? Perhaps it's just me relishing the fact that I can do whatever the heck I want now. Maybe I'm making up for lost time and agency. Maybe I just like nice things.

But! I digress.

The point of this post was to share some of the spaces that I've occupied since moving out. Please enjoy:

The OG

In December 2019, I finally convinced my parents to let me get an apartment in the city. It was a hard-won victory and a very short-lived one, but it opened my eyes to the wonders of having your own space.

My rented room was a shoebox — just a small airconditioned room with its own CR and a single bed — but I loved it so much. It was the first space that I truly had on my own and I decorated it accordingly: I got matching linen for the bed, battery-powered fairy lights, and a pineapple-and-sage diffuser from Miniso to complete the vibe. I hung art prints on the blank wall and collected a small pile of books on top of the small study table. I bought a small LED lamp that also doubled as a Bluetooth speaker. I filled the tall cupboards with snacks and didn't have to share them with anyone!

I was living the life...for a grand total of 3 months. *sad trombone*

I had to move back home and eventually forfeit my lease when...well, you know how 2020 went. It broke my heart to leave, but I cherish the memories I spent in this tiny room.

(I share my experience at length here. Warning: it's kind of sad.)

Condo home "office"

Fast forward to 2021: pandemic restrictions have let up somewhat and I'm ready to move out again — this time with the person currently known as my husband.

As we made plans to move in together, my husband and I found a gem of a space: a fully furnished one-bedroom condo inside my favorite neighborhood.

This was a very lucky find: it was an east-facing unit with lots of natural light, it was centrally located, no one has occupied it before, and — this was the kicker — it was listed at a huge discount because of the pandemic.

This was our first home together. ❤️

After moving in, I wasted no time staking my claim to build a "home office". I bought a desk from Mandaue Foam and on it dumped my laptop, an "aesthetic"' lamp, and some dried flowers. The art prints continued to make an appearance on my wall. My parents gifted me a couple of potted plants, which livened up the little corner.

It was a simple setup, but as a girlie who grew up in a whirlwind of Filipino maximalism (which bordered on hoarding lol), I loved its clean and minimal vibe. The natural light and neutral walls were also great for taking "studio" photos and Youtube videos.

Look at her, Little Miss Youtuber

The only downside to this space was that it was right next to our bed — not the most conducive setup if you want work-life balance.

So when it was time for us to move out, my husband and I decided that our next home should have a separate home office space. Which leads us to this:

The real home office

As much as I loved my first home office, I think our new office is better. For one, it's now an actual, separate room! Having physical boundaries from work does wonders for one's mental health.

Second, more space! Aside from the desk and ergo chair, the room can accommodate a cabinet, a printer, and maybe even more plants. If you clear out the chairs, you can even lay out a small sleeping mat or bean bag for when guests sleep over.

She's a mess, but we love it

Lastly, it also has a lot of natural light. I feel like this is a common denominator among all the spaces I've occupied. As a person who needs to photosynthesize, natural light just makes me super happy.

Our cozy sala

Our new home came with an actual living room, dining/kitchen, garage, and a service area. This was a huge jump from our cute one-bedroom apartment. On one hand, more space. On the other, more upkeep.

It took me a hot minute (read: 8 months lol) to make these spaces our own. Moving, it turned out, was a super stressful and expensive affair. Decorating was the last thing on my mind during those first few months.

But after getting my footing — and after spending hours scrolling on Pinterest for minimal Japandi inspo — I finally turned our sala into this cute and cozy living space. It's amazing what a lamp, a plant, and some funky prints can do to liven up a space!

Here's a side-by-side comparison of what it looks like now vs when we first moved in. Isn't she cute? It's still a work in progress, but I am taking the win. Adulting achievement unlocked!

Our dining area

Lastly, let's take a virtual step into our dining area. This was a real challenge to set up because of its odd L-shape configuration. I had to move furniture around multiple times — and even watched a feng shui video for good measure— to find the right set up.

My biggest pet peeve was this huge blank wall. It just looked so...empty. My hands physically itched to hang something on there — turn it into a gallery wall, hang pendant lamps, maybe add an accent wallpaper — I don't know. Something!

Unfortunately, I didn't want to risk losing our deposit over drilling holes on the wall. So, while waiting for my command strips to arrive, I've settled on — you guessed it — art prints. I was pleasantly surprised to find them on sale at Mandaue Foam. I think I can do better with bigger prints and more contrast, but for now they serve their purpose. At least my wall doesn't look like prison cell anymore.

I also got a new shelf (still from Mandaue Foam) to replace the old "breakfast trolley" that was sagging under the weight of all the random things it carried. I think it looks super clean and cute.

It took an entire day of cleaning and assembling furniture to achieve this look — and it's still not done! — but I'm happy about how it turned out so far. This configuration opened up a lot of floor space and made it more hayahay. I can't wait to show it to my parents, who have long lamented that my dining area was too small. 🤣

That's the story so far

In the near future, I'd like to build the house of my Pinterest dreams. Until then, I'll continue to have fun decorating the places that I currently occupy.

More than making up for lost time or relishing my relative freedom, I think I enjoy decorating because these places hold meaning for me. They represent comfort and belongingness. They're safe spaces for me and my family — and that's something that I truly value. ❤️

So ayun, as usual, I don't know how to end this blog post. Thank you for reading all the way here!

Until the next one,

Kx