“I didn't dorm in college so I've never
really had a space away from my parents
up until now. So in some ways, I really
needed that aspect of growing up,”
Magallon said.
Magallon is still in the process of molding
the apartment into something that reflects
who she is now as an adult. She wants to
either donate or stow away more of her
clothing and teenage mementos, for
example.
To keep the space free of clutter, she
frequently sends off unwanted items
to her parents’ new house, which she
affectionately dubs “the family home.”
That’s also a way she deals with any storage
issues that may arise, she said.
“Sometimes my mom is like, ‘Okay, I'm
going home, do you have anything you
want me to put in the attic?” Magallon
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said. When I met Magallon, her mom
was outside the apartment, carrying a
Fisher Price chair to the family home. Now
Magallon has a wooden “big girl stepping
stool” that she rests on in the dining room.
After her parents left, Magallon redid the
entire kitchen.
“When I was growing up, my dad was
the cook of the family and he was very
territorial,” she said. “So anytime I came
into the kitchen, I was like, ‘What are you
cooking, can you teach me?’ He always
saw me as a nuisance because it was
cramped.”
In her new kitchen, Magallon follows
recipes on YouTube videos and in
cookbooks. Ultimately, she hopes her dad
will cook in her kitchen one day with her by
his side, now that there’s ample room for
two people.
Photos: Yelena Dzhanova/BORO
INTERIOR DESIGN