For a better part of our marriage, my husband Jeff and I lived in 1000 cozy sqft. with six children a dog and a bird. It was small space living at its finest, and every room did double duty.
Bedrooms were shared offices, living rooms were playrooms, and the kitchen functioned as part time laundry room. We lived in that home for eight years, and I thought I was pretty creative... until I met our neighbor from Holland.
EVERY SQUARE INCH
As it turns out, the Dutch have an amazing ability to find usable space. Under beds, in between fences, above cabinets, behind headboards - to my neighbor, no space was to be wasted. He even dug out a full basement which spanned the entirety of his 1930's California bungalow.
After spending some good time gaping at his ingenious uses of space, I threw out all my traditional and conventional thinking and decided "anything goes".
I began looking for spaces where I originally saw none. I renovated our garage and turned it into a bedroom and movie theater. I turned the living room into the dining room, and instead of having the kids spread out in the three rooms, I put five boys in the master bedroom (the largest room in the house - two bunk beds and a twin) and my daughter in her own room. We used the third bedroom as an office.
That little rental house was a blank canvas. While I made improvements, none of those improvements were permanent. For example, in the kitchen I redid the flooring by taping plastic garbage bags on the floor (the old hardwood floors had become pitted and were soft and easily scratched), after I covered the floor in plastic, I chose some peel and stick floor tiles I liked and gave the floors a new and modern look.
Under the kitchen sink I removed the cabinet doors and used a tension rod to hang tea towels as curtains for a farmhouse styled kitchen. My friends thought I was bored and lovingly laughed at me with all my design eccentricities. What I found was that as I was getting pretty good at remaking spaces within a budget and without any permanent alterations.
Check out @thegrayolivebranch for more small space design inspiration, this couple traded it all in for simple cottage (lakeside!) living.
TWO QUESTIONS WHICH CAN IMPROVE ANY SPACE
Before I start any redecorating project I go into the room I am addressing and I ask these two important questions...
What's working?
What's not?
Asking these two questions as you get started redesigning your current space helps clarify what your space needs. Does your living room need toy storage? Does your kitchen need a space for platers and cookie sheets? Does your master bedroom need bookcases?
In the case of "what's working" maybe the rug in the living room is your favorite - but you need functioning curtain rods. In the case of most entry ways, the key hooks are working, but the storage for mail does not.
I believe in living frugally in small spaces. I believe in not wasting anything. Small spaces can be both practical and functional as long as you are willing to ask questions and be honest about the answers. You may need to move, you might not.
Eight years in, we moved. My son started a Cottage Industry food business which required a modern kitchen and after 21 years of marriage we had our seventh baby. It was sad to say "goodbye" to the little old house, but I was excited to start decorating a new home. We are now approaching five years of living in this larger newer home, and even though I decorate and redecorate regularly, I have found I change things much less frequently.
Talk about out of the box! @genuinely.ginger and her husband moved into this renovated airstream - what a dreamy and cozy space! Anything is possible!
STILL OUT OF THE BOX
Even though we added an extra 1000 sqft and upsized the yard to a half an acre, I have still had to be extremely creative in order to make it possible for nine people, two cats and a dog to live comfortably and organized.
Our eldest son lives in our old dining room (which is now converted to a bedroom), our formal living room is our current dining room, and we have three boys sharing one room with our two daughters sharing another.
On the property I have a travel trailer which is being converted into an office and my daughter has a she shed she uses as an artist studio. This week we will spend our time together sharing tips and tricks of living successfully in small spaces as well as sharing accounts with you from Instagram which feature inspiring spaces we could all enjoy regardless of size - it's going to be great!
Comments