MNMLSM

An architect friend whom I met in an online forum drew me a floor plan for my condo unit. (Thanks, Freddie!) He rendered the details well and I was instantly impressed. After studying the details and imagining 'being in there', I felt that I needed more storage space. I informed him about it and he said that I have to let go of stuff to make the small space work for me.

He was right. I really need to let go many of my stuff in order to achieve a minimalist lifestyle. Minimalism and small spaces go well together like ham and cheese, Romeo and Juliet, pen and paper... okay, got the picture?

However, I realized I can only be a minimalist to a certain extent so I kept the argument to myself that I still need more storage space. Comparing my friend's design with the one that I have previously done, his work served to confirm majority of the details in my design. Therefore, I tweaked my existing design to incorporate some of the details in his. The outcome was a floor plan with elaborate storage, a smaller bedroom and a mini-office virtually outside the bedroom (I wanted the bedroom solely for sleeping). I also had to let go of the 8-foot distance between the TV and the La-z-boy. My consolation is that I am not really into TV or movies and that I am not a couch potato.

In the end, the new floor plan pretty much reflects my personality and suits my lifestyle. Nonetheless, I still need to embrace minimalism. And here's how I plan to do just that:

• Sell the stuff that I (can) no longer use but others will find useful;
• Throw away stuff that I no longer find useful; and
• Give to others the stuff that can still be used.

I still have a long way to go but by end of January my stuff should be down to just the bare minimum. Every now and then I get somewhat sentimental with some stuff but being pragmatic never fails to get me through the process.

Tools of the Trade

Interior design is not my profession, so I do not own any commercial top-of-the-line tools related to the job.

In designing the floor plan of my condo unit, I started with the use of Microsoft Visio. Pause. Okay, you can stop laughing now. Visio is actually quite sufficient for personal design needs. It has the basic features that I needed although it obviously cannot rival any professional interior design software (that's just my personal opinion and you cannot quote me on that).

I eventually learned of Amikasa: a free, browser-based interior design tool. It took me less than 15 minutes to learn to use the tool (it features a demo) and in no time I was rendering 3D model of my design. It is really cool, you should try it.

Another free tool that I used was Sweet Home 3D. It is a desktop application with more comprehensive features compared to Amikasa. This tool is really worth using. I never thought that free interior design software with commercial-grade features exists. This tool really rocks!

Almost Backed Out

It was not love at first sight or you-had-me-at-hello.

I admit that I almost backed out from buying my condo unit when I first visited the “replica” unit. I say replica unit because it was not the unit that I was going to buy, but it belongs to another buyer. My condo unit was being constructed then. However, I found it imperative to see in person what the 30-square meter unit was like before progressing any further with my plans.

The unit that I saw was in no way similar to the model units that were first shown to me. I have always known that model units are exactly what they are –- just models. They embody only what is good and ideal; unfortunately they don't showcase the reality of things when the unit is finally turned over to its owner. (Lesson to learn: Never trust what you see in model units!)

I told myself that there was no way I could fit all my belongings in that tiny space. I spent the next fifteen minutes inspecting every corner and every detail of the unit. Soon after, I remembered that other developers sell one bedroom condo units having just roughly 24 square meters for a floor area! What is more unbelievable is that those types of units sell for nearly 3 times the amount of the unit that I am interested at.

At that time, I had already carefully studied the financial side of things so somehow I was convinced that it was still a sound decision to buy the unit no matter how small it appears to be. Somehow the dismay was replaced with a renewed sense of excitement knowing that with creative thinking numerous things may be resorted to in order make that tiny space livable. Re-running the calculations in my head, I concluded that it was a good deal. (Lesson to learn: Be objective; don't let negative first impressions cloud your decisions.)

Later that day I was already taking measurements of the unit so I could start to design my own floor plan (more on that in my next blogs...).