Well, it took me about six months to get this post up, but sometimes it simply takes that long to be fully settled in a new place. Truth be told, I’ve actually felt quite settled in our little postage stamp for a while now. But, like in any house, we’re still trying to perfect our set up, maximize our space, and really become comfortable with our home.
This ongoing process made me realize how essential the little “priority spaces” are when creating a home for two (or more) people. Let me explain.
When Brian and I moved into this house, we were naturally able to determine what each of our “priority rooms” were. I think establishing these details makes setting up a new home much easier, especially when the home is small and most spaces will be shared.
For example, Brian requires an enormous amount of technology for his office. Now, if we had a bigger house and we each had our own office, his set up really would’t affect me. But since we share our spare bedroom as our office, we had to plan together to find a set up that worked. Since my office requirements are much more simple (basically my laptop, planner, and crafting space compared to his three computers, camera gear, hard drives, etc.) the office was quickly determined his priority and we set it up accordingly. His desk was placed on the side of the room with more outlets for all of his gear, and mine (luckily) was placed right under a beautiful window. Sometimes this whole priority thing works perfectly for all involved 🙂
Other rooms were the opposite. The kitchen was the big one. While Brian likes to cook, I LOVE it. If I’m not working, crafting, or blogging, chances are you can find me in the kitchen. So while Brian was setting up his office, I made sure everything in “my” space was set up exactly how I’d like it to be. And while I adjusted to the office, Brian quickly found everything in the kitchen.
Fortunately, most of our rooms were pretty neutral. The bedroom, bathroom, living and laundry rooms, and sunroom are all spaces we spend an equal amount of time in. For these rooms, we worked together to find a layout that we both really enjoyed and could function in.
Have you ever used this method when setting up a new house? Which room did you stake a claim to?
