Korean Home Tour: My Bedroom, Kitchen, Living Room and Dining Room

When I hear the words studio apartment, I always think of big white spaces with high ceilings and big windows, lofts and warehouses converted into quirky little nooks for arty people to live in. The reality in Korea is pretty far removed from that.

I remember the first night that we arrived in our new homes, I was pretty shocked that we were expected to live in such a small space. In the past, I've always lived in big, family homes. Even when I lived in a studio apartment back in the UK it was maybe four times the size, had a mezzanine floor and two bathrooms. Maybe I had just been spoilt?

It took some getting used to but I do like this little place that I call home now. Excluding the wood effect and the baseball themed wall paper, it is quite a light and bright room. The furniture is obviously not what I would pick myself, but the school supplied everything, therefore I had to leave it in one piece, knowing that this wasn't going to be my permanent place.

I also felt better after seeing some of the other places in Korea. Some were a lot smaller, or grubbier and older, darker or colder. But in general this is just an average apartment in Korea. What's more surprising is that some families will live in a space this big. It's common for families to sleep in the same room, and also to just sleep on the floor, rather than using a bed. I guess this means they have all of that space to play with in the day time. It's also the fact that they work and study such long hours that they don't actually spend that long in their homes.

I do love the ondol heating in Korean apartments, which is where the heating system is in the floor. It means that it keeps your feet nice and toasty and the heat quickly rises. This is also one of the reasons that families spend so much time eating and sleeping so close the ground, it's the warmest place to be!

Some apartments of my friends who are teachers have separate kitchen or utility areas. I have seen some spaces transformed into amazing apartments because of them spending a bit of money getting furniture that is more to their taste, but I've always been here to save so buying furniture was never an option.

So here is my little apartment, it may be very untidy, small, simple and incredibly uncoordinated, but it's been mine to call home for the last year and a half.





















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