Renting a place for two is profitable, but not alwayscomfortable. We talked to experts and found out what needs to be done to ensure that cohabitation does not cause discomfort Are you thinking about renting a place for a couple and are afraid that you will not be able to stand the lack of truly personal space? Or are you already renting a room together and do not know how to solve the problems that arise every day? We interviewed some of our readers who live this way or have had experience of cohabitation in the past, and came to several important conclusions. The main one, of course, is that everything can be agreed upon. And it is better to do this at the very beginning. So, here are some simple tips that will help make cohabitation as comfortable as possible:
Partition or wall
If you are only dividing a room in half, even ifwith a view of the Kremlin, it needs to be divided. Ideally, with a partition. This is the best option for those who like to do everything their own way. One can decorate her part as she wants, and the other differently. Here, no one will be at a loss, except for your wallet. But the problem will go away in an instant. Of course, there is one small minus here - this is soundproofing, or rather, its absence, that is, you will hear each other as before, but you will not see. Since most of the apartments are rented already furnished, it is possible that someone in this version will get a part of the room with a bed, and someone - with a fold-out sofa. And it is still unknown who will come out on top.
Screen
No money for a wall? You can always buy a screen.Installing it is not difficult at all. Or you can simply stretch a fishing line under the ceiling and divide the room with a curtain - the old-fashioned way. Inga Azhgirey, interior designer: - If you have to divide not an entire apartment, but one room, a screen is an ideal option. Only it is better to buy not a simple screen, but one made of thick fabric, so that on each side of the fabric you can attach practical and functional pockets for small items or so that you can attach photographs to it, for example. If you have an entire apartment at your disposal, and we are only talking about "dividing" the kitchen, hallway and bathroom, then here you need to think not about functional zoning, but about bringing a sense of home to the rented accommodation. And you will need to create this atmosphere together: together choose new curtains to replace those that have been hanging for who knows how many years, together buy a rug and a shower curtain, together (if the owners allow) decide what color to paint the wall in the kitchen. So the apartment you rent will become not just a place where you and someone else live, but a place where friendship, mutual understanding, and care live. After all, in fact, most people rent an apartment “as a couple” not to save money, but because it is more fun, more interesting, and there is a feeling that you are not alone. When my friend and I rented an apartment, we spent a long time deciding what color to paint the walls. There were many colors that we liked. In the end, the walls turned out to be multi-colored: some yellow, some red, some blue, some green. And once, when I also rented an apartment “as a couple”, the owners even allowed us to paint the kitchen. And we made a “watermelon” out of it: red with green and black. It was great! In general, the design of a rented apartment should be treated with a bit of irony, if not with humor. Well, when else will you have the opportunity to afford a little interior madness?!
Closet
The room can be divided not only by a screen or partition, but also by a large wardrobe that opens on two sides. Or by two wardrobes standing next to each other, but opening in different directions.
Place to sleep
Everyone should have a proper place to sleep.and personal space. Alternatively, you can buy two inflatable mattresses, they can also be very comfortable. But it is better to have two folding sofas, or sofas on which it is comfortable to sleep without unfolding them. Another option is comfortable folding chair-beds. For a small apartment or room, this is sometimes the only acceptable way to organize sleep. Our opinion: - In Soviet times, a chair-bed was in almost every apartment: in case of a late guest or unexpectedly dropped in relatives. True, their mechanisms were even worse than those of folding sofas, and they broke down quite often. Therefore, a chair-bed was considered unreliable. Also, it was not intended for daily use as a bed. However, modern chair-beds, especially Italian or ours, but made on local equipment, are wonderfully good. Orthopedic mattress, reliable mechanism, excellent quality. The editors have long liked the folding models of the Italian company Futura, which specializes in this type of furniture.
Storage systems
In order not to deal with sorting out relationships anddividing shelves, it is best to have separate cabinets. But if this is not possible, IKEA will help you out with its wonderful floor hangers and additional storage systems that will replace both shelves and drawers.
Marta Savenko, Club of Chief Media Editorsreal estate market: - I was lucky, I rented not a room, but an entire apartment "for a couple". And I brought my own furniture, so some of the issues regarding zoning the space were resolved by themselves. But we still had to solve several problems. Without going into details, I want to say that ideally everyone should have their own closets. At least so that you don't accidentally find a skeleton there when you return from a business trip. But this is not the most important problem. The most important thing is cleaning. In reality, even with agreements on a "duty" schedule, there can often be disruptions. In the end, we decided not to quarrel over this and hired an assistant who comes to us once a week and puts everything in perfect order.
Cleaning
The most difficult question you will ever have to answerto solve in cohabitation is cleaning. However, there are ways to solve the problem without conflict. For example, buying a robot vacuum cleaner that will clean dust at a programmed time every day, regardless of your desire or unwillingness to do anything. We have already published and cited the opinions of users of this miracle machine.
ikea.ru, artdivan.ru, futura-italy.it
