10 Life Hacks for Living in a Small Space
Your home is your haven, where life and love and joy and comfort happen. If you love city living but are feeling cramped due to lack of space, fret not. Here are our top 10 tips for making the most of your small living space so that when you roll in you’re feeling right at home.
Creative storage. It’s amazing how quickly a small apartment can look messy when one simple thing is left around. It’s all about having places to put things and for everything to have it’s regular place. When you know where things go then you always know where to find them. Using creative storage ideas such as a bed with drawers, floating shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling creating height, and baskets or attractive boxes in which to store extra items will help to make your home cleaner and easier to manage.
Regular decluttering. There are seemingly endless books and blogs that support the movement to declutter our lives. Step up to the plate and become your own professional organizer. A good rule of thumb: if you haven’t used it in a year, you should probably give it to someone who will. Regular trips to the thrift shop or library with donations not only help your cause of decluttering and simplifying, but support others, as well. Try and keep it simple, wherever possible.
Indoor plants. From supporting good air quality to adding ambiance, indoor plants are always a good idea. Taller floor plants can also help to redefine living areas, such as a dining area from a kitchen or a small desk from a bedroom to make it feel like it’s a separate space.
Long curtains. Find some attractive rods and some simple, single-color curtains then hang them high up, close to the ceiling. Even if your windows are small, having long, tall, and even wide curtains will create the illusion of height and width.
Large or small, mirrors create an illusion that goes beyond the wall behind it, deepening your space. Find mirrors that compliment your décor and have fun with it.
Wall dividers. Whether it’s a screen, a see-through book case or a fabric curtain hanging from the ceiling, using dividers to separate space will help you to feel like you have more privacy and can transform a single space into multiple rooms. Do keep in mind that you’ll want to choose room dividers that won’t further darken the space.
Minimalistic décor. Consider going minimalistic, keeping your decor simple and neutral with very little clutter, or even choosing a single color such as white or cream. Then see #2 and revisit the decluttering on a regular basis. If there are things that you can’t live without, consider getting a small storage unit and then swapping things out once in a while to mix it up.
Tall & Narrow furniture. If your floor space is small, then reach for the ceiling. Choosing furniture that is tall and narrow will help to make your floor plan feel more roomy. Choose narrow, tall bookcases and high top tables and stools instead of heavier, wider pieces that take up the whole floor.
White paint. Light and bright are two of the more popular requests when seeking a new apartment or home. When you paint your house all white, it also makes it feel bigger while making the space feel clean and airy.
Foldable furniture. Whether it’s a table with wings that fold up or down or a murphy bed, consider furniture pieces that have multiple uses and can be put away when they are not needed.
Looking for a bigger place? We are here to help. Here’s a link to our current available listings.