If you’ve ever wondered how you can space-save while you’re living in a small house such as a flat, a bungalow or even a house with limited bedrooms, you’ve come to the right place.
The main thing to consider is to be organised. By being organised, you can be more minimal. Hoarding is a big no-no as well. To live comfortably and feel spacious in a small home, you will need to start making sacrifices and considering what is really ‘essential’ and what is ‘storage.’ Knowing what to do with the essentials vs the storage is what we’re going to help you with now:
Hallway Rack
*I have images for all but having trouble loading them via word doc*
Having hooks and a shoe-rack in your hallway, or if you’re lucky and have a storage cupboard near your front door/under your stairs, make use of this. Organise your most-worn shoes and coats closest to the door so they’re always where they need to be when you leave the house. Amazon, IKEA and Wayfair do a range of shoe racks and hook options for those who do not have storage available, so treat yourself, your home will look so much tidier, and you will be much more at peace for it!
Using Crevices
Utilizing crevices in your home with empty shelving, corners of rooms with no chairs or plants in - buy a chair and a plant, and use your empty shelving as a small study space, you’ll thank yourself for it when you need to sit down, read your emails and unwind – you’ll be super thankful that you’ve made the space to work if needs be, seeing that hybrid-working and working from home is now becoming increasingly popular among companies worldwide, this may benefit you positively!
Versatile Furniture
Having foldable furniture or space-saving furniture can include chairs/stools that tuck into the table, creating more space on the floors of your rooms if needed, as well as the option to expand when you need to by investing in extendable dining tables will benefit you when trying to create space in a smaller home due to the versatility it offers, as well as the fact that if forces to you to be organised and not generate clutter or dust.
Living room unit
Living room units may be something you think we’re left in the 90’s - *thinking Joey and Chandler’s apartment on Friends, with the Barker loungers sitting parallel* but the design of them is incredibly efficient and should not be looked over. Especially if you’re looking to create more space in a living room or bedroom (wherever you may place DVD's, CDs, vinyls and a television, perhaps.)
Futons
You can never go wrong with investing in a futon, whether you keep this as your main living room sofa or in your bedroom, this will come in handy when having friends over to stay, as futons can commonly flip into beds with a few pulls and clicks! This will both save you money on buying beds and sofas separately, as well as adding to the element of space and versatility you may be looking for!
Trolley storage
You’ve probably seen trolley storage, everywhere by this point. Drinks trolleys, book stacking organisers on wheels and so on. Using tiered or levelled storage organisers on wheels will serve you much more of a purpose than a tiny coffee table sat beside a suede armchair. Sure, it looks absolutely lovely, but storage trolleys offer a sense of style and versatility like no other – and its worth looking into if you want to be able to drag your storage around easily, as well!
Now you know what to do to make your smaller, more minimal living situation more breathable and comfortable, why not check out another blogpost we wrote all about upsizing?
By Caitlin Stimpson