Small Space Living
For advice on small space living, we look no further than our own small space guru: senior designer, Alanna Dunn, as she and her husband lived for years in a tiny 550-square-foot condo. We truly believe that small space living is a lifestyle. The way you live, shop, organize, and entertain is inherently reflected by the square footage of your home and, when your home is small, it means you have to be disciplined and creative to survive! Before you close the door on this lifestyle, we want to share some of the tips and tricks Alanna used in her own home that can help you live large in your small space.
Pro tip: Simplicity + consistency
To help blur the line between different living areas, keep the finishes simple and consistent. This allows the spaces to visually flow into another, creating the illusion of more space.
Pro tip: Storage strategy
Be strategic in making use of open storage such as the space above upper cabinets. Although the space is valuable, filling it completely will make your space look junky and cluttered! The same principle applies to other areas of your home too — remember to purge every few seasons to ensure you’re not collecting more than you need. Keeping the visual clutter down allows the space to breathe!
Pro tip: Customize + organize
Trust us here, invest in good interior organizers for your drawers and cabinets. These will help to maximize kitchen and bathroom storage while simultaneously saving you from future arguments with your partner! Likewise, the addition of custom built-ins to your space can help create incredibly useful storage in places you didn’t even know you had.
Pro tip: Choose hard-working furniture
Space is at a premium in a small home and quite often your furniture has to do double duty: your coffee table is also your dining table, your living room sofa serves as your guest suite, etc. Carefully select furniture and finishes that are durable enough to hold up to this daily multi-purpose use. Remember that when you live in a smaller space, you naturally have fewer pieces of furniture and belongings, but you do just as much living in your space space as anyone else, so the wear and tear on your home and furnishings is actually much greater.
Pro tip: Understand your limits
This one can be really difficult, but it’s one of the most effective ways to manage small space living: when it comes to shopping, you really have to be disciplined! For example, making more frequent grocery trips and buying smaller quantities to manage your kitchen storage. We know it’s tempting, but try to avoid Costco! Let’s be honest, you have nowhere to store 24 rolls of toilet paper. That being said, you can actually use the small size of your home to your own advantage when it comes to finish selections. Because you need to purchase less, you can splurge on some more luxury options where it counts!
This blog series is called Tips & Tricks, where we’ll be sharing some of our team’s favourite design advice! In the meantime, follow along and stay up to date with the In House team on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
