I would describe my current room as simple, girly, and shabby chic. Unlike my past room designs, this one is not a result of an impulsive decision or a fleeting obsession with a fictional fairy but of a slow, steady accumulation of things. Everything in this room has survived many minimalism-driven furniture purges–the antique bed that I’ve slept in since I was a kid, the shell chandelier that my mom got at a garage sale, the cork board filled with notes that remind me of the places and people I love. More importantly, everything in my room points to my personality as a Five.
The few posters and knickknacks that I own make my room feel cluttered when out in the open so I keep them in my closet. According to Tamera Young’s article “Here’s How Your House Probably Looks Based on Your Enneagram Personality Type,” my preference for spatial simplicity aligns with Fives’ desire for order and disregard for prestige (truity.com). My minimalistic tendencies may stem from my motivation to possess knowledge and understand the environment (enneagraminstitute.com). How could I get lost in thought if I had a bunch of stuff distracting me? For a Five, clutterless means comfortable.
Sure, I have a few postcards and picture frames but compared to most people’s rooms, my walls and tabletops are fairly empty. But it would take less than a minute to find one evidence of excess in my room–my collection of books. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve hoarded novels and journals like a pack rat. I always spent my allowance at the Scholastic book fair and to this day, regularly check out nine books at a time, even if the library will only give me three weeks to finish them.
Fives’ tendency to be in their heads and not pay much attention to the sensory world explains why my books outnumber my clothes. Unlike my old shoes and photos, my journals and notebooks survive every spring cleaning. I still have notes from AP English and a diary from 2009. The sheer square footage that my novels take up–keeping in mind that that I have three unpictured shelves filled with books–proves that I’m truly an “investigator” with an appetite for knowledge. My book collection a manifestation of my five-sih love of information.
My habit of collecting ideas is also evident in how I always have a notepad and pencil nearby in case I think of something important. Like other people of my type, who are known as the absent-minded professors of the enneagram, I’m so in my head that I’m not always in tune with my body. I often find myself skipping lunch to study and neglecting sleep to research random things like the Russian Revolution on Wikipedia. Because of this, I make self-care easy by keeping my hand lotion close to my bed and my phone far from it.
Aside from the cased violin, everything in the above picture was a garage-sale or Goodwill buy, hand-me-down, or less than $2. This speaks to Fives’ focus on convenience and desire to do things well– just take a second to marvel in how good I am at saving money ;) The violin, guitar, and ukulele behind my chair also relate to my motivation to learn and be achieve mastery. According to enneagraminstitute.com, a Five’s desire to be competent drives her to pursue one or two activities relentlessly. From ages 14 to 18, I practiced violin 20 to 120 minutes everyday for no other reason than that I wanted to master it. Now, I like to place my instruments so that they’re not super easy to access. If they were easier to reach, I would regularly waste a few hours fiddling around with them instead of doing my homework.
My minimalism, collection of books, and strategic placement of self-care items, phone, and instruments point to my Fiveness. I’m grateful to have a space that’s mine and that brings me peace.
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