Small Space Living in the Philippines, a Personal Story
Twelve square meters, and what a tiny room taught me about home.
I used to watch documentaries about families living in spaces this small and wonder how they managed. For more than two months now, I have been finding out for myself.
The documentaries I never forgot
When I was younger, I watched documentaries about people, sometimes entire families, living in spaces as small as the room I live in now, or even smaller. I remember sitting in front of the screen asking the same question over and over. How do they survive in a space like that?
Back then it felt like a distant reality, something that happened to other people in other places. I noticed something else too. In those stories, people spent much of their day outside, at the mall or anywhere air-conditioned that did not cost them anything to stay. Maybe that is why so many people prefer to be out rather than stay in a small, warm space that cannot hold them. The home becomes a place to sleep, and life happens everywhere else.
I never imagined I would one day be living a version of that story myself.
One room that has to be every room
I live alone in a room of about twelve square meters inside a ladies' boarding house, where the kitchen and the CR are shared with the other boarders. Here is what that looks like.
I am surviving. I want to be honest about that, because the room works. I sleep, I work, I eat, I rest. But surviving and living comfortably are not the same thing.
I grew up used to a home where the living room was its own space, where the place you rested was separate from the place you worked, and where walking from one room to another was a small way of switching modes. Here, cooking and bathing happen outside my door, in a kitchen and a CR I share with the other lady boarders. Everything else happens within these four walls, and there is no walking from one room to another. The bed is also the sofa. The desk is also the dining table. The place where the day ends is the same place where it starts. Even with only myself to share it with, the room rarely feels like it gives me space to breathe.
You can survive in a small space. The real question is whether a small space can be designed so that people actually want to come home to it.
The question this room left me withWhat would make a small space feel like enough?
Living here has made me think less like a tenant and more like someone who might one day build. Affordable housing does not have to feel cramped. These are the ideas I keep coming back to.
Zones, not just floor area
Even a partial divider or a change in flooring can separate rest from work, so the mind can switch modes.
Light and air first
A good window and cross-ventilation make a small room feel larger than any amount of extra square meters.
Build upward
Lofted beds, wall shelving, and high storage free the floor for actual living.
Furniture that folds
A table that tucks away or a bed that lifts gives one room the ability to change shape through the day.
A little outside
A small terrace, balcony, or shared garden gives residents somewhere to go without having to leave home.
None of these ideas are expensive on their own.
What they require is intention, designing for how people actually live, not just for how many units fit on a lot.
That is the difference between a space people endure and a space people are glad to return to.
A hope I am carrying forward
The child who watched those documentaries and wondered how people survived now has an answer. You adapt, and you get through each day. But I have also learned that adapting should not be the goal. Comfort and affordability should not have to be a trade-off.
One day, I hope to create spaces that prove it, homes that are small enough to be within reach, yet thoughtfully designed enough that the people living in them feel at ease. Until then, this little room is my reminder of why that work matters.
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Send a Property InquiryHave you ever called a small space home?
I would love to hear what made it feel livable, or what you wished it had. Every story helps shape the kind of spaces we hope to build at GoRA RES. And if you are searching for a space of your own, we are here to help.
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