Reassurance needed! Recently bought a 398sq ft (37sq m) flat.

therightdecision

Hi,

Please keep the comments fairly positive as I have already bought to flat & so there is not turning back now! I recently bought a 398sq ft flat as it was close to a station however I'm now worried about how I will live in such a small place. I'm going from a 4 bed house (where i lived with my parents and occupied to loft + ensuite) to a tiny 1 bed.
The bedroom is 11x11 and the living area (open plan) is about 7 x 12.

Has anyone else lived in such a small space? & any tips?

In the future, I would consider renting it out as there are many students in the area and I think it would be a good buy to let (I just need to pay off the Government's 20% first).

Gigervamp

There are lots of videos on you tube about tiny house living. You could get some tips there.

time2deal

I lived in a 300sq ft flat for a few years, my boyfriend moved in for a year or so too. You'll love the independence! Just don't have too much stuff. Only keep things that you are using. If you find yourself thinking 'I need more storage' slap yourself! You don't need more storage, you need less stuff.

Keep it clean, don't let plates etc build up as the flat will quickly feel cluttered and small. Hang your TV on the wall, have 1 bedside table and just try to keep things bright and uncluttered.

And enjoy!

Bossypants

Congrats on your new flat!

Personally, I think you can live very comfortably in such a small place. For context, at the moment I'm deliberately trying to go from my 3 bed house to a one bed flat not much bigger than yours, because I find that on my own I don't really use the space anyway.

I would say the key to the whole thing is figuring out to keep things simple in a way which is comfortable for you. For your initial move in, only get the pieces of furniture you really need (i.e. bed, something to sit on, something to eat off), ditto with stuff. It's much easier and more comfortable to build up from nothing to a comfortable home that suits the space once you're in there than it is to try to cram everything you had in the house in with you immediately. Bringing too much stuff that doesn't fit will make you feel cramped and claustrophobic, and it will be harder to see through that to figure out what you need to keep vs what can go (not to mention the effort of actually getting rid of it once you've decided).

Personally I've always found myself adapting to small spaces very quickly using the above method (even though I am a huge lover of spaciousness in theory). If you move in and find yourself struggling initially, though, try also to focus on what the space represents. It may be small, but it's yours, right? It's total privacy and as close to total freedom in your own space as you can ever come while living in a densely populated community. Also, it's a step on the ladder, and even if this place is small, the money you can save while living there, paying your mortgage off and saving, will hopefully let you get a slightly bigger place next time around, and so on.

(And finally, if all else fails, just remember how very much easier it is to clean and otherwise maintain a one bed flat compared to a family home by yourself. Believe me, that helps!)

lincroft1710

Positives - you will save money on heating, lighting and decorating and possibly Council Tax and time on cleaning. You also won't be tempted to buy or acquire "unnecessaries" as you will have nowhere to put them.

Probably millions of people in this country have survived in similar size accommodation. As a previous poster suggested YouTube is awash with videos on small space living, plus Google "tiny house" for informative websites.

Soot2006

Space maximization -- lots of information online. I'd probably want a big bunkbed (double size), with wardrobe or desk underneath it ... I've always secretly wanted a bunk bed and despite living in a relatively large space, I frequently look at mezzanine bunk options.

LEJC

Do you know what...I tend to think you grow into the space you have and adjust accordingly.
It will give you independance and probably you will learn to be organised and tidy.


There are times that I would love to just ditch much of the stuff ive accumulated over the years....


Enjoy your new home.

PasturesNew

That sounds quite spacious to me! 398 sq feet is like a 40'x10' mobile home and I've lived in one that was 30'x10'. Of course it's all down to bad/poor layout how workable it is day to day.

Living alone you're only ever in one room at a time and soon that extra space will feel redundant.

All you need is to find one good spot to have some good storage. e.g. one entire wall of the bedroom, 18-21" deep wall to wall, ceiling to floor cupboards. I'd leave the interior for awhile, see how you use the space.... but in there you can hide everything and keep everything you'll ever need. Just measure up how deep shelving units and drawers etc tend to be and make it a bit wider.

Fluffi

Congratulations on your first home! 37sqm is more than enough space for 1 person or even a very tidy couple.

Is it a one bed flat or a studio? Ikea Kallax makes a great space divider for a studio that can be used to store an awful lot of stuff!

Ottoman beds are also great for increasing your storage and don't forget that you have space close to the ceiling to put shelves.

GaleSF63

Double up on the use of furniture where you can eg if you have a divan bed, have drawers in it. Have a bedside cabinet with drawers, not a table where the only usable bit is the top. If you have a hallway at all, have a shelf or cupboard over your entrance door. If you need to get a chest of drawers in the bedroom, there are plenty that are that bit higher with an extra drawer.

Don't rush, when you are sitting down looking round, you will see ways that you can utilise space or make the rooms look more spacious. In my bedroom I see a tremendous difference when there is nothing on top of the chests of drawers (a rare event).

therightdecision

Thank you all for your kind replies! It's been hard trying to wrap my head around the feasibility about living in a small space.