Third-year Psychology bachelor’s student Sarah Klusmeier (23) doesn’t live in a typical student house. The unusual shape of her room and its antique furniture make for a unique space.
Room: A 10 m² room on Deurningerstraat, just outside Enschede city. She pays €525 including gas, water, and electricity. She shares a kitchen, living room, and bathroom with four housemates.
Lovely place, but not your typical student house! How long have you lived here?
‘Yes, we live between families. It really isn’t your typical student house. I’ve been living here for just over a year now. I came across it on a German rental website. I’m German myself and used to live in Gronau with someone who is now one of my housemates. I tried looking on Dutch websites like Kamernet, but it was really difficult to find anything. It was pure luck that I came across this room so quickly. Luckily, I wasn’t under any time pressure because I didn’t need to leave Gronau straight away.’
So you brought your housemate along?
‘Yes! When a room became available, we let our now housemates know. We’re all studying the same degree and have since become a close-knit group of friends.’
Ideal! And where did you get most of your stuff?
‘My bed and wardrobe belonged to the previous tenant, so I bought them from her. My mum loves restoring antique furniture, so she gave me my desk. I picked up the rest second-hand here and there.’
Are you more of a neat freak or a messy housemate
‘Obviously, I’d prefer things to be clean, but in practice, I’m a bit messy. I don’t have a fixed cleaning schedule. I’m more go with the flow, but it’s usually not too bad.’
What makes your room unique?
‘It has a really strange shape. It’s an elongated L-shape, so as soon as you walk in, you have to turn left into a narrower section. You only reach my bed after that. And, of course, all of my memories, like photos of my boyfriend.’
