If you have an uncomfortably compact home but aren’t in a practical position to move to a new, larger residence right now, rest assured that your existing one doesn’t have to limit your options as much as you might have assumed.
Here are some reliable strategies for using a low amount of space efficiently…
1 Declutter
“All you need to do is take the time to sit down and examine each item you own,” the famed organizing consultant Marie Kondo has explained as quoted by Tom’s Guide.
In her book To Spark Joy In Your House, Kondo further explains how you should treat each of your items: “Decide whether you want to keep or discard it, and then choose where to put what you keep.”
Admittedly, the second of those instructions can remain tricky to follow in a small home — hence the following point…
2 Give each leftover item a specific storage space
In a small home, it can often feel like there just isn’t enough storage space to go around. However, upon closer inspection, you could find that when it comes to storage compartments you do have, perhaps including bins and baskets, you are not quite using them as well as you thought you were.
You could therefore address that issue and even add new storage units — such as by investing in a set of mini fridges if having just one regular fridge is hampering efforts to use space efficiently.
3 Do double duty with furniture
You could be surprised how effectively you can free up extra storage space in your home just by adding an array of multipurpose furniture to it.
“Ottomans are a great way to sneak in some extra seating in case you get people coming over,” T.K. Wismer — a Louisville-based interior designer — has told TODAY, adding, “but then you can throw a tray on it, and it’s a coffee table.”
Other good examples of multipurpose furniture pieces include dressers that contain drawers and sideboards that can act as work tables.
4 Use wall space
The Spruce explains that walls are “great for hanging pictures, but in a small space, they should be used for much more.”
In this spirit, you could assemble some bookshelves that extend as far north as the ceiling — or, if you would prefer, install individual shelves in a series spanning that same vertical distance.
If you have a bicycle, you could even hang that on hooks attached to the wall. Meanwhile, if you are into gardening, why not put up a living wall planter that would allow you to put plants on display without them needing to take up any space on a table or floor?
5 Fit custom shelves into awkward spaces
Good examples of such spaces you could possibly have in your home include walls that jut out and corners not quite large enough to accommodate furniture.
Unlike what you might have assumed, custom shelves would not have to be expensive or made by a specialist tradesperson. These shelves can be assembled in a DIY fashion.
