Think big and live small
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There’s a reason tiny homes are popular—people are looking for ways to live more minimally as a way to create simplicity and extract fewer resources by buying and living on less. Whether your home is 700 square feet or 2,000, there are many tips to be borrowed from the tiny house trend that will allow you to live in a simpler way without sacrificing your home’s character or charm.
Tiny home living forces one to reconsider their items and keep only the necessities and ones with deep sentimental value. Consider putting the KonMari method to use and go through all of your things, keeping only the ones that bring you joy and happiness, or those that serve a purpose. Figure out if there are sentimental items that you can digitize, such as photos, documents, and letters, to save even more space and cut down on clutter.
Coming up with an organization and storage plan that suits your life requires some creativity that goes beyond simple floating shelves and a couple of baskets. Here are a few additional ways to incorporate storage solutions to make any size home seem larger and more organized:
Fold-out tables where you need more surface space
Use corner areas as much as possible
Buy under-bed or under-couch storage, or behind-the-door organizing units
Turn some stairs into pull-out drawers
Hang pots and pans from the ceiling
Consider ditching any uni-task items in your home and see how much multi-purpose gadgets can handle to rescue some countertop space (and the time it takes to dig around and find those all those solo-purpose appliances). The Instant Pot is a great example of a multi-tool, an appliance that can tackle several functions, like steaming, pressure cooking, sauteing. In addition, it might be time to break out the gloves and elbow grease and do away with your beloved dishwasher, if you’re after additional kitchen storage.
A messy home can feel much smaller than it is. Take time each day to tidy up and put things in their place to cut back on clutter and create an open, spacious vibe in your home.
A simple, neutral color scheme, heavy on beige, white, cream, and pastels, will always make a space look much larger than dark saturated tones will. Give your house a fresh paint job to brighten and open up the space.
A dining room can be more than a dining room, with the addition of a small couch and television to turn it into a TV room come nightfall. An attic can be transformed with the addition of smart furniture and insulation. You could also consider building a custom cloffice.
Floor and table lamps are only one solution to lighting. Consider string or track lights to take the illumination off the surfaces while maintaining the joyful look of a well-lit home.
No matter the size of your home, having access to and taking pride in your patio and backyard—and actually using it for relaxing and entertaining—will make your home feel larger, by the mere suggestion of access to nature. In addition, if you live in a warm state like Florida or California, you can use your outdoor space as your main dining area, and keep only stools tucked under a small table for indoor eating, freeing up lots of room in your kitchen.
