I can’t begin to tell you how many times early on I lived in apartments that were not completely decorated. At that time I was a young barrister, with a lot of debt, and no time to look for bedroom furniture, or any other furniture that was missing in these places. The worst part wasn’t that I didn’t have a bedside table to rest a lamp and my law books, but something less technical and more emotional. None of these places ever felt like a home.

When I would visit my parents house, or friends who had committed to fully furnishing their abodes I could feel a peace. Altogether they had that one, very important thing in common. And when I returned to my expensive, incomplete residence I longed for the sense of home. I yearned for a coffee table to rest my feet, and decorate with personal bits and bobs.

However, like many single young professionals, my job never felt locked in. Maybe it was because I had an absolute jerk of an alpha male for a boss, who reminded all of the associates in the firm that they were dispensable, easily and readily dispensable. So, in the evenings after a long day of depositions, and courtroom hearings I would slump into my ill furnished rental and feel that there must be a better way to live.

As I endured those first few years, I learned a great deal both about the law and myself. Regarding the law, I learned that you should save your pennies just in case the boss loses a big case and needs to fire someone to cushion the blow to his ego. And regarding one’s living space, while you do not need to spend a bundle doing it, not having all of the basic furniture will prohibit it from ever feeling like a home.

Luckily I only spent a handful of years going without. Since, I have invested in sofa beds and dressing tables, along with tables and chairs. With those items I have been able to design a place to not only call home, but a place that feels like home. I would never ever consider living the other way again, because it wasn’t truly living, it was existing. Oh, and I also learned, no matter what the salary, it is not worth working with a mean boss. Life is way too short.