Small Space Living Primer

Small space living is the way forward for many of us in urban communities. It’s one of many solutions to overcrowding.

It’s a greener, brighter (cheaper), more sustainable living arrangement with a positive impact on society and the planet. And, we’d argue, your soul!

But, how do you live in these spaces effectively without finding yourself drowning in stuff?

That’s where our small space living primer comes in! It’s a set of useful tips that can help you get to the heart of living in a small space and having a great time of doing so.

Once you get used to living with less, it becomes incredibly freeing.

Just wait and see!

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Keep Things Tidy

Look, as soon as you let the mess get out of control, it will.

In a small space, everything needs to have its own space and for it to stay there when it’s not in use.

It takes a little effort but once you’re organized and you know where things should live, it’s really easy to keep your space clear for living in.

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Dual Purpose Furniture Is The Win

You don’t want to buy furniture unless it can do two jobs for the price of one. It’s taking up space and that means it needs to work for it.

A bed with a drawer system underneath it, for example, gives you extra storage but takes up no more room than any old bed would.

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Choose Colors With Care

We love bright and colorful rooms, but you can easily overdo the color schemes in tiny spaces and that’s not what you want to do.

Try and keep things bright and fresh and stick to a small handful of colors, think about ways to use the light to open the space up and make it feel as big as possible rather than going dark and closing things down.

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Let Your Windows Bring The Light In

We like to ensure that you get lots of light in small spaces because it keeps them from feeling claustrophobic.

So, ensure your drapes let in the light (go with nice bright white fixtures) and then try and situate a mirror nearby to help divert more of that lovely light into the room.

Also, make sure to give the windows a wipe every now and again.

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Take The Doors Off Your Closets

As soon as you open up a closet door, it’s taking up space in your room – space that it absolutely doesn’t need to occupy.

Take the doors off the closets and either recycle them into other things or if you live in rented accommodation, get the landlord to take them away and pop them in storage for their next tenant.

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Make Music Soothe The Savage Beasts

Look, it’s inevitable that every now and again when you’re living in a small space as a couple that everything feels about too close and in the heat of a row – the rage can take up all the available space.

Head that off at the pass, play music that talks of love that you both love and you’ll find that you both soon calm down and remember why you wanted to share space in the first place.

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Get Your Walls Working For You

In big places, walls are just for looking at and maybe hanging the occasional piece of art on.

In small spaces, they’re work horses and you can stick shelves, cabinets, racks, etc. all over them and ensure that you’ve got way more storage space without taking up any extra floor area.

If you’ve got lots of stuff, you’ve got to get the walls pulling their weight for you.

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Don’t Try To Live Like A Doll

Yes, you live in a small space but unless you got shrunk along with the space – tiny sized chairs along with a tiny sized dinner table might sound like a good idea.

In reality, it just makes everything uncomfortable.

It’s better to learn to live with less than to live with less big versions of things you’d own in bigger homes.

Trust us on this – tiny chairs are no good for ordinary sized behinds.

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Make Furniture Light

Not in terms of weight (though that can probably help keep you from getting a bad back) but in terms of color.

The lighter your furniture is, the less cramped your home is likely to feel.

And aim for designs that carry as little material as possible – free space up wherever you can. It’s the way to be.

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For more inspiration on designing your ideal tiny space you need to check out Apartment Therapy.