May 27, 2009
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How's your bedroom?
Have you ever watched those TV shows where people are shopping for new homes? One of the most common criticisms about why they don’t like a house is the small bedroom. Sometimes I hear comments similar to:
“I can’t live in this room. How can people live like this?”
“This will not fit our bedroom suite.”
“There’s no storage for all of my clothes and shoes.”
“There’s no ensuite bathroom?”
Sometimes the newer homes will have massive bedrooms. Some of the walk in closets are so large they dwarf my room. The ensuite bathrooms in some of these houses will fit my bathroom and bedroom. Some of the bedrooms that are small are like the ones my parents lived in. They had one small closet that they shared along with a dresser. They did manage to squeeze in a couple of chairs and a book case. But it’s a very tight fit.
For my entire life, I never had a big bedroom. My current bedroom has room for a bed and a dresser. It has a closet. I can squeeze in a night table and a lamp. That’s about it. There’s no way a king sized bed will fit in here. The tradeoff is that I have a bit more living space.
When I lived in my parent’s place it was the same thing. I shared the bedroom with my brother. There wasn’t exactly a lot of elbow room or breathing space. We shared a reading light too. There were quite a few arguments because of it.
Do I want a bigger bedroom with a walk in closet and ensuite bathroom? Of course I do. But it’s not the end of the world if I don’t have it. It’s also not a big priority right now. Maybe someday I’ll enjoy those luxuries. In the meantime, I’m not going to get into a bedroom measuring contest.
Comments (22)
For me, I can tolerate a small bedroom. If it can fit in at least a queen sized bed I'm happy. However, I need large closet space since I have a bad habit of collecting clothes. In terms of bedroom vs. bathroom, I'd rather sacrifice some space from my bedroom to make a bigger bathroom- I spend a lot of time in there.
i think as long as the apartment is comfortable and i can fit the essentials, i can be flexible with a small bedroom. if anything, i think the two most important rooms in an apartment/house are the kitchen and the bathroom!
hmmm I'm happy with our bedroom ... it has an ensuite and a built-in closet and remains in all its white zen simplicity, our sanctuary from the real world ... and that's what a real bedroom should ultimately be, despite all, a sanctuary no matter its size or contents
As long as I have room outside my bedroom, I can have a small bedroom. Rita has lived in bedrooms that are the sizes of closets for most of her life which is exacerbated by the fact that she's messy lol
Who wants to live in a bedroom? That's what the world is for. If I want privacy, I can sit in my living room and not answer the door or phone. On the other hand, my wife is a bit of a pack rat, and my small bedroom is full of wall-to-wall crap. That is a little annoying.
I'd wager most of us grew up in smaller bedrooms as the trend seems to be towards ever-larger houses. Tawn and I make do with a condo that is about 68 square meters in total - pretty small by North American standards for two people. We'd like to expand into the studio next door, but even then we'd still be at less than 100 square meters.
You and your brother shared a bedroom? That must have been quite crowded, especially for a pair of boys. I always wondered what it was like to have a brother...
@ekin - my bathroom is pretty small too although I have a fairly decent size shower stall.
@kunhuo42 - my bathroom is small and storage is always a challenge.
@AppsScraps - I know some folks have a desk to work in the bedroom but that seems to defeat the notion of a bedroom as a sanctuary.
@SeanYee - I think I've seen a picture of her sleeping in a closet once.
@Esbartman - I've got a lot of books and magazines that seem to find their way to the bedroom.
@christao408 - 68 sq metres? That's 200 sq ft? Or is my math wrong... hmm... yeah, there wasn't a lot of elbow room. Let's just say sibling rivalry didn't exactly help either.
@ElusiveWords - It's not every one you've ever owned though, right?
Oh gosh, no.... I just cleared everything out except for a couple of books that I'm reading.
Hm, I enjoy my bedroom but I have a bit larger one I'm re-painting and getting ready to move into. It's taken me much to much time, but I'm not in a big hurry. Growing up there were ten of us in a three bedroom house with one bathroom. Come to think of it, I've never lived anywhere with more then one bathroom. I like our home, we have more room then we need and it fits well around us.
Cheers, *~matthew~*
@bleuzeus - oh wow, I grew up with one bathroom too! But there were only 5 of us.
There's something to be said about living in a small and compact place. In fact, I quite enjoy it. GIves me less to clean and doesnt give me place to collect clutter!
@brooklyn2028 - I think I need to clear out a lot of my clutter. Time to get the shovel out! You're right about having less to clean!
I rarely sleep in my bedroom...I always give it to my guests. My office might as well be my bedroom. LOL
@ElusiveWords - Yeah, your math is wrong. 68 meters = about 200 feet, but 68 square meters equals about 730 square feet. You don't talk about your brother much. Is the sibling rivalry still there?
@CareyGLY - the innkeeper doesn't have his own bedroom? lol...
@christao408 - last time I try to do math at night. Oh... the sibling rivalry is pretty well gone.
I needed to read this Mattie. I love the way you have written this and brought your feelings out and compared them to the simplicity of a cultural tradition of your parents. Every thing beautiful comes in small measures and packages. The largeness of the place takes the beauty of simple pleasures away from it. I am vain and I always wanted a huge bed room and a large bathroom and a walk in closet. Reading your post makes me feel ugly inside.
I had to recommend this.
I have two bedrooms just for me so I am lucky to have space. My bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and two large closets (both mine.. summer and winter closets) It's not my dream bedroom but I cannot complain. The second bedroom is the computer and arts and crafts room plus guest bedroom this one has a walk in closet with all my junque in it as well. What I would like is more space and less junque. So now my aim is to simplify.
I have a big bedroom. It loses the cosiness though. I like to feel cosy when I sleep I guess.
the bedroom can be small, but i need a big closet for all my stuff. right now i have a walk in in my apt so i can store all my clothes and stuff.
i prefer a small one. more cozy that way. but then i also a large walk-in closet. not one of those only-fits-one-person walk in closet but big enough to fit 2-3 people easily without bumping on each other. no, i don't have many clothes but like the idea of a separate room for clothes and stuff. bedroom is a place for sleep, not for storage.
@ZSA_MD - oh no... the post wasn't meant to make anyone feel bad. *hugs*
@slinky - wow... you got tons of storage! *jealous look*
@storyslut - hmm... cosy can sometimes lead to clutter if my experience is an indicator.
@icebladz - walk in closet... nice. Well, maybe in my next condo.
@rudyhou - you walk in closet is gonna be huge. I do like the idea of having the storage area separate from the sleeping area.
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