I live in NYC, rent is high, morale is low, but you make it work lol. I am renting a place because no millennial in their right mind would pay full rent for an apartment. My boyfriend and I are pretty handy with tools, so we DIY a lot of my room.

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Its not super clear from the picture but I have a loft bed. My room is about 12X9 in total. We used the sides of a broken down IKEA bed and nailed them to the wall to create floating bookshelves.

It’s quaint, but I love my space. Marie Kondo has helped a lot with that, helping me to make sure 90% of my things spark joy!

It’s funny because when you live in a small space, if ANYTHING is out of place it will instantly look messy. Even a scrunchy on the floor will turn your room from cozy to catastrophic. Clever shelving and placement can make or break your space. Also I can’t say enough: UTILIZE VERTICAL SPACE. Build ALL the way up your walls for storage, use Command Strips if needed. If your lease allows, drill holes ( don’t forget to patch them up before you go to get your coveted security deposit back).

I like to read apartment therapy, and watch Japanese apartment walk-throughs on NHK World Japan.

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—TBG