I’ve Moved! The Obligatory Apartment Tour

Koon has moved! He has put on his big boy pants and moved into a one-bedroom apartment all to himself.

After three years of student accommodation, and before that, five years of boarding houses and homestays, I managed to equip myself with enough financial resources and move into a new home.

After months of hunting for a new place to call home, debating whether I should be in the city and pay more, or somewhere in the fringe and pay slightly less, I came to a conclusion that time is money, and I should opt for the city option.

Six viewings, three applications, and two offers later I secured a place at The Docks Apartment. This spacious 45m² unit I got is unique – it’s a one-bedroom unit, but the lounge and balcony is the size of the two-bedroom units. It’s the only one-bedroom unit in the entire complex with such layout (apparently).

Without further adieu, here’s a quick tour of the apartment.

The Theme

I wanted to make this apartment clean and minimal to match the base build. The overall colour palette I chose for the furniture and decor is white, grey, and a little bit of light oak. I also sprinkle some shades of red to spice things up a bit.

The Dining Area

In contradiction to the expensive IKEA sofa in the lounge, the dining area consists of cheap-but-functional pieces of furniture. The $99 round dining table from The Warehouse, and the two $45 dining chairs from Kmart fits the theme of this home perfectly.

On top of the dining table is a houseplant I bought several months ago. The red flower gives an excellent contrast to the minimal theme.

The Kitchen

The kitchen comes with Fisher & Paykel induction cooktop, an oven, and a full-size dishwasher. There is also an island where I put my espresso machine for that morning cup of coffee to get me going.

Other cool features of this kitchen include $9 toaster and kettle from Kmart. Honestly, who needs a $50 kettle or toaster when the $9 ones will do the same job.

Lastly, on the fridge, I put up snippets of me featured in the newspapers back in the days. You can read them herehere, and here.

The Office

Here comes my favourite part of this place – the office! As a graphic/web designer I need a big desk to accommodate all my screens. I also didn’t hold back when it comes to furniture since this is where I will be spending a lot of my time.

The desk is a two-metre-long IKEA LINNMON table top, supported by two IKEA ALEX drawers on both sides. These three pieces cost $439 in total but are worth every dollar. A dollar that makes me productive is not a wasted dollar.

To the right of my desk is a display shelf from Trade Me. This is where I put up tiny pieces of decor, including a model of a MINI, precisely the same one that I drive, and another houseplant that I managed to keep alive for the past year.

The Desktop

On top of the IKEA desk is the computer I built several years back. The setup comprises of three monitors: two 4K monitors (AOC U2879VF) and one portrait monitor to the left, which I use it solely for Spotify. The portrait arrangement means I can see all of my music in a playlist without having to scroll. For those who are interested, you can stalk me on Spotify here.

The massive lamp is also from IKEA. I won’t go into the details of my PC specs since it is due for an upgrade very soon. There will be a separate post for that, so watch this space.

The Bedroom

The bedroom isn’t too big, but my queen bed fits in there perfectly. I wanted to make the room a bit more vibrant, so I threw in a lot more of the red shades. The wardrobe is big enough to house all of my 80+ t-shirts, and other few bits and pieces in there.

The bed frame is from Trade Me, and the mattress is from Ecosa – one of the most popular mattress-in-a-box brands. The manchester is all from Kmart: the 500-thread-count sheet set and the duvet cover set.

The Balcony

The best part about this apartment is the massive balcony – it is about 11 metres long and 1 metre wide. I got some used beanbags out there for the sunny days, and once summer is here, I will hunt for a Weber for some summertime gatherings. For now, the balcony is just where I dry my clothes.

The Bathroom

Last but not least is the bathroom. There’s nothing special about it. It’s where I get my business done (not literally). It’s quite spacious and modern, and there is a washing machine in there.

What’s Next?

The move took weeks of planning and a lot of spreadsheeting, two full days of moving and another week of settling in. I’m happy with the outcomes and couldn’t be any more pleased with the result.

I’m planning to implement smart home technologies. That includes getting a smart assistant like Google Home, and replacing all the lights with smart bulbs so I can program it to different colours.

That’s it for the tour!

Until next time,
Koon

The Journey to Today

Each of us has different stories to tell. Here’s mine.

Throughout my life, I’ve always felt emotionally connected with digital art. Whether it’s taking photos or videos, I have always been that one kid that would capture everything and anything since a young age. I was born and raised in a not-so-small city known as Pathum Thani, not so far away from Bangkok.

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