Our family of four moved into a much smaller home last year and we love it. Our new house is cozy and functional.
If you’ve recently moved into a smaller space or you’re thinking about downsizing, keep reading to see how we maximize every square inch and my top 5 tips to make a small home cozy and functional.
1. Create Dual Purpose Rooms
Our 1950’s Cape doesn’t have an extra room for an office. To make things work I was able to add a desk area to our living room and relocated filing cabinets to a nearby closet to keep things looking tidy.
My desk also has a glass top. It looks light and airy in the room as opposed to another heavy piece of furniture.
With the right mix of furniture and storage, even a small room can pull double duty without looking overstuffed!
Looking for more home office ideas, check out my post and an update on how we’re currently handling home schooling and home office space for our family of four: Home Office Ideas for Small Spaces.
2. Add Shelving
Our cape doesn’t have decorative nooks or built-ins to display artwork or even a few books. To work around this, I added shelving anywhere I could.
And, you don’t have to run out and buy shelves either, we made a table and two media shelves (above) out of wood we had lying around after we renovated the 4-seasons room in our old house.
Wood pallets work great too! If you’re handy (or your significant other is) then you can make custom shelves to fit your space and needs.
3. Simplify Your Decor
When decorating a small space, don’t overdo it. Pick just the accent pieces and artwork you love and don’t try to fill every nook and cranny of your space. I gave a lot of my artwork and furniture away because I didn’t have space for them in our new home. This was difficult but it did make me appreciate the pieces that I have even more.
Related Post: 6 DIY Interior Design Tips to Decorate Like a Pro.
4. Get Rid of Stuff Weighing You Down
This point is related to #3. I put this one last but you’ll probably have to address this sooner than later! If you want to be able to function in a smaller space but are still trying to keep everything you had from a larger space, I can tell you it won’t work.
I’m a bit of a minimalist so decluttering comes easy to me but even I still have things I’m holding on to (for now). It’s perfectly normal to hold on to things for a season especially if you’re renovating or getting used to a new home.
If you’ve tried to downsize but are still drowning in stuff and need a few down to earth tips on decluttering, check out my post: 5 Easy Steps to go from Pack Rat to Minimalist.
5. Get Creative
Don’t be afraid to do your own problem-solving. Sometimes even small changes can make a huge difference. Here are a few creative solutions to get you started:
- Open up an entryway by turning a closet into a mudroom. Remove the closet doors, and add a few hooks and a small bench. We did this in our previous home and you wouldn’t believe how this one change opened up our entryway.
- Spend some time planning out your bedroom closets and buy organizer systems to maximize closet space.
- Need more space in the garage? Try hanging bikes and seasonal items overhead to free up floor space.
If you need more small space inspiration try Pinterest, Amazon, or visit an Ikea Store in your area. There are so many great ideas and products out there to make your space cozy and above all functional.
If you have a great small-space solution you’d like to share, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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This Post Has 2 Comments
We built beside our fridge a little area to house our cutting boards and trays and below that our brooms.
We find it very handy.
Our fridge was smaller than the space alloted for our fridge.
That’s a great idea and you don’t have to take up valuable cupboard space for the cutting boards and the broom is always handy. Thank you for the great tip.