Making Space for Everyone in the Home

Have you ever lived in a one-bedroom apartment? Maybe you live in a small home. Or maybe you just feel like you need more space in general, and the feng shui of your home layout is cramping your style or creating problems that do not need to exist in your life.

Living in our small one-bedroom apartment as two grown adults with a cat and a dog was cramped enough. Then we added a baby on the way. And then, somehow, we added an adorable five-month-old kitten who followed us home and barged straight through the door.

That is cramped.

When Kittenhood Hit Full Speed

Once this adorable little ball of fur made herself comfortable, that is when the terrible twos of kittenhood really ramped up.

We found ourselves more pent up than ever, trying to find ways to appease this lovable typhoon that stormed through our home. She ate her food, the dog food, and the senior cat food. She charged across the bed and scritchy-scratched her way like Velcro along the edges of the couch. She pounced on feet at night and knocked things over just to see what would happen.

Typical.

Then one day, our Ring camera was moved.

How could that have happened?

We checked the video feed and, lo and behold, a cute little fuzzy face had found her way up to the slender window above our sliding glass door. There is a small ledge above the curtain banister, just wide enough for a cat to perch perfectly.

But how did she get up there?

At first, we could not catch her in the act. There were nearby opportunities, but surely she could not jump that far.

Never underestimate a cat.

She would climb onto a shelf across from the sliding door and then launch herself in a full-body, flying-squirrel hurl, slamming into the curtain banister, hooking her front paws, and kicking her way up the curtain to finish the climb.

The Problem With the Banister

This was not ideal for any curtain banister. Ours was mounted on top of the existing rack that holds the blinds so we could avoid drilling holes into our apartment walls.

Between the very real risk of the rod coming crashing down onto my partner’s computer and her tendency to leap straight from the banister onto his desk, knocking his mouse and keyboard cover to the floor, something had to change.

Common sense says to move the desk.

But when you live in a tiny apartment with large furniture and limited options, that is not always the first solution you want to accept.

Looking for the Perfect Fix

I scoured Amazon and other sites trying to find the perfect solution. We had a very narrow strip of space between two desks where something could fit. I hoped to redirect her traffic away from the dangerous body slam and the desk incidents.

I looked at tension cat poles and went through what felt like every single option that existed on the planet. I ran into every possible issue.

Our ceilings are nine feet tall. Our floor space allowance was only twelve inches by nineteen inches. We could not drill into the walls. Our kitten is athletic and absolutely not gentle. Reviews mentioned cheap materials, wobbling, and terrifying stories of towers tipping over.

The only item that might work was over one hundred fifty dollars, which was not realistic on a tight budget while preparing for a baby.

That would not do.

I spun myself in circles looking at leaning ramps and small shelves, hoping something would magically be the answer.

What I did not realize at the time was that this situation was not really about the kitten. It was about how we were using our space.

The Solution We Were Avoiding

You know what ended up being the perfect solution?

Taking a deep breath and revisiting the most obvious answer. Moving the desk and rearranging the living room.

I had to be honest with my partner. The best and easiest solution was moving his desk from his beloved spot. I also knew that with some creativity, we could find him a setup he would actually enjoy more while eliminating the stress and risks the kitten was creating.

I did not want to displace him, but these conversations are necessary when you are trying to balance the happiness of everyone in a shared space.

Making Space That Works

We moved his desk to a new location, shifted our large dining table, and relocated the cat tower we had been trying to hide in the corner to a spot directly beneath the banister.

The change was immediate.

The room felt more open. The first thing you noticed when walking in was no longer a workstation, but a cat-friendly piece of furniture that suggested play and movement.

His desk was now up against a safe wall, making it much harder for things to be knocked over or for the animals to treat it like a launch pad. He also gained access to a secondary workstation at the table, allowing him to swivel and use the space more efficiently.

The cat tower now sat directly under the banister, giving our kitten a safe and fun route up. She could run from the couch, hop onto the remaining desk, climb her tower, and reach her favorite perch without risking the curtain rod or expensive equipment.

She now has room to climb, play, and Velcro her way up and down instead of being crammed into a corner where the tower was little more than a feeding and sleeping station.

She still occasionally launches herself like a tornado, but far more often, she chooses the tower.

A Small Change Can Make a Big Difference

Sometimes the solution is not adding something new to your home, but rearranging what is already there.

When you make space thoughtfully and communicate openly, you create room for everyone to thrive. Get creative, have fun, and see what happens. Even a small change can make a huge difference.

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