If you have recently purchased a new house or apartment and find yourself having to downsize and go with less space than you were previously used to, you may be wondering how you are going to fit everything in and make the homework for yourself and your lifestyle. With these four tips, it may be easier than you think!
Purge First
Knowing that it is a smaller space, you already know that you will have to get rid of some items and that not everything you own will fit into your new home. While you could pay for a storage unit, instead, take some time to get rid of items that you don’t use very often. Go through your closets, your kitchen, your current storage cupboards, and the garage. Complete this for each room of the house before you move out and then only take the necessary items with you. Once you move into your new home, it will be easier to find a place for the reduced amount of items that you are bringing with you.
Think Storage and Organization
While you will have fewer items after your clean out, making good storage and organization decisions early on in the move is going to be critical to your long-term functioning in your smaller space. Get creative with your storage: get under-bed storage boxes, buy cube boxes that fit into bookshelves, or use your items such as books, bags, and shoes as partly decorative items in the appropriate room. Once you have a place for everything, be sure to always return it there and keep things organized so that your small space doesn’t start to feel cluttered.
Color Carefully
The color of your walls, furniture, decorating scheme, and linens can have a big impact on how big or small your space feels. When you have less physical space available, you want to maximize it by making the room feel larger than it is. You can do this by opting for neutral-toned colors on your walls and avoiding loud accent walls in bright colors or patterns. Refrain from wallpapering any of your rooms, and when it comes to patterns for furniture and artwork, smaller is better.
Make it Multipurpose
In a small space, it’s time for spaces and rooms to start doing double duty! You may not have a room that can be specifically devoted to a study or office, but you can take a corner of your main living area, add in a corner desk, some inspirational quotes, and house plants, and it will look and feel like a small working space. Likewise, combine the living and dining area, keeping the space open so it feels larger, but putting in a dining table so that it is clear that the space is meant for sharing meals together.
Don’t dismiss a visit to a piece of real estate in San Diego just because you think it seems small. Once you see it, you may be pleasantly surprised!
