Congratulations! You’re moving into a Florham Park apartment with your significant other, friend, or roommate. Saving on rent, groceries, and even having company are all positives to this arrangement, but what happens when the walls of the apartment start to loom closer as the two of you realize just how different you are? While it can be tough adjusting to the living habits of someone else, it’s worth it, so make the effort with these suggestions.

Emotional and communication skills will be detrimental to your new living arrangement. Each one of you will need their space and need to try to accommodate the other. While you may not have the most space to work with, arranging the furniture so each of you has their space and space for both of you will help.

Start by drawing up a floor plan of your Florham Park apartment and arranging your furniture in a way that works for both of you. If you live in an open floor plan, separate your bedroom(s) from the living room with a well-placed book case or dresser to create some privacy.

Make sure you set some clear expectations about rent, chores, TV shows and food. It’s possible one of you likes to pay early while the other pays the rent at the last moment or one of you will be neater than the other. Will you be watching the same shows or eating the same food? Strike a compromise in all areas so there are no surprises. Set schedules for shows and cleaning so each of you is happy. Alternate with the groceries or buy separate.

You’ll also need to find a way to merge your styles and I don’t mean how you dress. Decorating your Florham Park apartment can be stressful if one of you loves bright colors and the other is more into neutral tones. Strike a compromise with accent pieces for each of your styles. They may clash at first, but once you test them out you’ll create a style that’s both of yours.

While you want to meld your styles you still need to make time for yourself. Too much togetherness can create friction and while each of you will love hanging out in your Florham Park apartment, you need to pursue your own hobbies on top of the ones you share. If you don’t have any hobbies separate from your friend or significant other, take time to explore the surrounding area and grab a coffee at your local shop. Next time you can bring your roommate. It may be tough adjusting at first, but if you compromise and set expectations, you’ll be fine.