Moving to another city was the reason for a couple to buy their own place. Due to the limited budget, they chose a modest one-room flat with an area of 34 square metres. The new owners did not like the old interior, so they turned to designers to create a unique and comfortable space.
Entrance hall
The walls in the hallway were levelled and painted with light moisture-resistant paint. The floor was laid with porcelain stoneware under marble. At the entrance there are decorative wooden panels with hooks for clothes. Next to it, a wall-mounted console with a mirror and a turquoise pouffe were installed. A spacious storage cabinet with turquoise doors was placed between the kitchen and the room.
Kitchen
In the kitchen, the floor is also laid with porcelain tiles. A refrigerator is installed at the entrance, and behind it there is a dining area with a round table and a cosy sofa. Behind the sofa is an accent wall with a mural and voluminous panels.
Opposite is a corner kitchen set in green and wooden colours, and the apron is tiled in blue-green.
Room
The living room, located at the entrance to the room, has blue coloured walls and laminate flooring. A storage system with a TV is located to the left of the entrance. Opposite is a large grey sofa and a slatted partition dividing the space into zones.
Behind the partition is a sleeping area with a double bed, a bedside table, a TV and a compact dressing table. On the wall behind the bed, a mural with three-dimensional panels reappeared. A bar counter was installed on the balcony.
Bathroom and WC
For the design of the bathroom and the toilet they chose classic white, black rectangular tiles and tiles with a geometric pattern.
The washing machine is conveniently located opposite the sink.
THE DAY I LEARNED WHAT TRUE STRENGTH LOOKS LIKE
The sun beat down mercilessly, reflecting off the asphalt in shimmering waves. Sweat stung my eyes as I wrestled with the last stubborn lug nut. Another long day on the construction site, another day spent pushing my body to its limits. I was used to it. I was a construction worker, built like a bull, and pride myself on my strength. I could lift steel beams that would make most men wince, and I never backed down from a challenge.
Thirst gnawing at my throat, I stopped at the gas station, the promise of an icy soda beckoning. As I stepped out of my truck, I noticed an elderly man struggling with his car. His back was to me, but I could see his shoulders hunched, his hands trembling as he wrestled with a tire iron. Sweat stained his shirt, and he looked utterly defeated.
Something in his posture, the way his shoulders slumped, the way he seemed to shrink under the weight of the situation, tugged at my heartstrings. I walked over, a question forming on my lips. “Need a hand?”
He startled, turning to face me. His eyes, the color of faded denim, were filled with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. For a moment, he just stared, as if deciding whether to trust this hulking stranger. Then, a flicker of something akin to surrender crossed his face. “Yeah,” he rasped, his voice rough with exertion, “I think I do.”
As I knelt down, loosening the stubborn lug nut, he began to speak. His voice was weathered, like an old leather boot, but surprisingly steady. “Name’s Arthur,” he introduced himself. “Never been one to ask for help,” he confessed, his gaze fixed on the ground. “Always been the one doing the fixing, the helping.”
He went on to tell me about his life – a life of hard work, of providing for his family, of always being the strong one. His wife, bless her soul, had passed away last year, leaving a gaping hole in his life. “She always told me,” he sighed, “not to be so stubborn. To ask for help when I needed it. But I… I never could. Pride, I guess.”
As I tightened the last lug nut, I looked at him. Arthur was watching me, a flicker of something akin to awe in his eyes. “You don’t know what this means to me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
And in that moment, I realized something profound. True strength wasn’t just about brute force, about lifting heavy things and overcoming physical obstacles. True strength lay in acknowledging your limitations, in recognizing when you needed a helping hand, and in having the humility to accept it. It was about recognizing that asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
Arthur, in his vulnerability, had taught me a valuable lesson. That day, I not only helped an elderly man change a tire; I learned a valuable lesson about true strength, a lesson that would stay with me long after the memory of the hot summer day and the rusty tire iron faded.
From that day forward, I approached my work with a newfound perspective. I learned to appreciate the value of teamwork, to recognize the strengths of my colleagues, and to ask for help when I needed it. I learned that true strength wasn’t about being invincible, but about knowing when to lean on others and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. And every time I faced a challenge, I would remember Arthur, and the valuable lesson he taught me about the true meaning of strength.
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