Background

This is probably a simple, lazy post but I just feel like documenting it. I live with other 4 people in a 3-bedroom apartment in Singapore. So the arrangement is 2 people in 1 master room, another 2 in 1 common room and the last one in 1 common room. Living together is never easy, especially when it comes to space sharing. Our bedrooms are not big enough to have 2 desks inside each room so we have to use our living room to create our own working/personal space.

I’m very particular about my working environment. It has to be clean, filled with fresh air, bright yet not glaring. For the past 5 years living here, I try and test with different desk arrangements once in a while. I’m not sure it’s the most optimal right now but I’m liking it so far. Below is how it has changed.

My desk story

Legend: Blue rectangular = Window, Yellow rectangular = Wall

1. This was my desk arrangement about 3 years ago. Not ideal. I lived with other 6 people (yes 6) then, so I don’t have a lot of options for creativiy. I bought a coffee table from IKEA (at $50, AS-IS product) as I wanted to have a standing desk, and the actual one is too expensive. I place the coffee table on top of my current desk, but after a while, my back and my leg hurt so I just stopped standing and used the space under the coffee table to be my desk surface.

1. This was my next desk arrangement about 1 year ago. This time, I sat near a window so I had more fresh air. Yet it was so glaring in the morning. The coffee table I bought to make a standing desk was used for storage purposes under my desk. It was okay until I started to do yoga more often. I had to lay the yoga mat behind the desk and it occupied other people’s space. Hence,I felt like I didn’t have my personal space (though I’m in the living room anyway).

1. This is my current desk arrangement. I moved my desk perpendicular to the wall next to the window. It reduced the space for other 2 housemates but they seem OK with it. For the coffee table, I just use the space underneath for storage and leave the surface free. I bought an Ottoman stool from IKEA to use with the coffee table (like Japanese style). This is the perfect place for reading and drinking . The good thing about this arrangement is if I want to do yoga, I can put the Ottoman stool somewhere else and lay the yoga mat parallel to the window. Hence, I feel more personal even though I’m in a common space.

What’s next?

Nothing, I’m gonna chill out in my new corner to read some good books 📖(I just bought a few from Kindle) and drink some tea. 🍵