Do you live in a tiny home or small space and are looking for ways that you can make the most of your space? Read on!
Before you start, have your goals in mind. Maybe you are moving into a small space to downsize and live with less? Maybe you want the freedom to travel? Maybe you want to focus on experiences rather than things? Maybe it’s financial?
Whatever the reason, keep it in mind to keep you motivated whenever you get stuck, because you will have to downsizing and minimize your possessions before you can live in a small space like a tiny home!
Tips for downsizing:
1. Only keep essentials that you use, and things that you love (and even then, you may need to change your definitions of “essential” and “love” to pare down appropriately).
2. Only keep items that are going to serve you in your small space, and not be in your way, and that will serve your reason for doing this
3. You will need to set boundaries with friends and family members that you no longer want STUFF
Whether you live in a tiny home or a larger space, the key to fitting your items in your home is to maximize the space you have available.
1. Go vertical!
Use your ceiling, entire length of your wall, tops of cupboard/closet spaces, and make sure to keep a step stool handy to reach all the areas
2. Scope out ANY area that could potentially store items!
Backs of doors, under beds/cupboards/stairs, doorways, under floor boards, in between appliances and cupboards. Fill all the nooks and crannies with storage!
3. Try not to have anything customized for 1 specific item (unless its absolutely essential).
Customization doesn’t allow for flexibility and eliminates the possibility of updating or replacing something later on (which is tricky when things are updated all the time)
I’m not usually an Organizer who likes to talk about organizing products, but there are circumstances when they can be really handy, especially in a small space. However, keep in mind that you don’t need to purchase brand-new organizing supplies. You can find them second-hand, take over from a friend or family member, or upcycle something else for the same purpose!
1. Hooks
There are so many different kinds of hooks, but in a small space you want the most customizable – which means single hooks rather than racks of multiple hooks. With single hooks, you have the flexibility of placing them anywhere, rather than a pre-determined placement on a rack of hooks. And you will probably have better luck if you avoid over-the-door hooks, as they never seem to fit quite right over door frames and actually let the door close all the way. Instead, opt for ones you can screw in or that are adhesive.
2. Storage Containers
When shopping for containers for a small space, you will want ones that are modular and take up the least amount of room possible. Find ones with thin walls (no fancy wicker baskets), and that are as square as possible so that you don’t have wasted space because of the angle – you can check this by placing 2 next to each other, and see how much space there is wasted between them at the bottom. You can lose precious inches if the bin is wider at the top than the bottom!
3. Drawer Organizers
They help keep things from rolling around in your drawers, but make sure you are using ones that are not thick or cumbersome, and don’t have little nooks of room that aren’t being utilized fully. You can also make custom ones out of cracker boxes in a crafty upcycling project!
4. Magnetic Knife Racks
Not just for knives, but for anything that is magnetic! They allow you to use your vertical wall space, so you can save drawers for small things that need to be contained.
5. Vacuum Seal Bags
These are good in theory to help you cut down on a ton of space by sucking out the air in items like clothing, pillows and bedding. But they always seem to leak, so make sure you have tape ready!
6. Curtain Rod Clips
If you don’t have room for classic clothes hangers, use curtain rod clips hang from your closet rod or tension rod, and then “clip” your clothes to hang off them. These clips don’t stick out like conventional clothes hangers, and are a great option to store items that don’t fold very well or get wrinkly easily!
Other tips when organizing a small space:
1. Avoid keeping any single-use items (eg. apple slicer – a knife takes up less room and has multiple purposes), and borrow from friends/family/tool library if you need to use something that you don’t use often.
2. Prioritize things that have multiple purposes, especially furniture! Beds that are also couches, tables with shelving underneath, benches with storage etc.
3. Get rid of packaging whenever possible (eg. food or gadget packaging). Plastic packaging takes up so much more space than the actual item it is containing. Just keep the cardboard/paper piece if you need anything at all!
4. Go digital whenever possible! Digitize your files and photos and discard (or give away) originals. Just understand what you actually need before you begin, so consult your accountant.
Who’s ready to declutter, downsize and move into a smaller space?! Please reach out if you need any help, and check out some other blogs for more inspiration.
