Small Space Living

If Your Home Feels Cluttered, Do You Need More Space, a Bigger Place? Or Should You Keep It?

We all do it.

Accumulate “stuff”.

It just seems to happen – all by itself.

We start off fine, then gradually, our spaces become more cluttered.

And we think we need more space.

But in fact, with clever design and some planning, we can live extremely comfortably in smaller spaces.

Small space living is fun – and there’s a lot less housework!

What Does it Take?

Often, it takes something drastic like a move to make us re-evaluate our “stuff”.

But in fact, it doesn’t have to be that drastic.

Just taking a step back, asking some questions and re-evaluating what you have, can do the trick.

If you feel a room is cluttered, that you don’t have enough space, then look at the furniture in it.

Focus on Furniture

You can make the process easier by concentrating on one room at a time, and focusing first on the furniture.

• Is it time for a décor change?
• Do I need more space?
• Do I need to do a Spring Clean? (even if it isn’t Spring).

If you answered “yes” to any one of the above, here are 5 important questions you need to ask yourself about each piece of furniture :

1. Does this piece of furniture fit within my existing décor?
2. Can I do without this piece?
3. Is the scale right, or is it too big or too small?
4. Is this piece functional?  Do I use it for its correct purpose?
5. Do I love it?

If you answered yes to all the questions, of course you’re going to keep it.

If you answered no to all of them, it’s time to say goodbye.

If you answered no to some of them, you probably should reduce your clutter.

Small space living is fun – and there’s a lot less housework!

Avoid the Overwhelm

The furniture is pretty quick. “Stuff” often isn’t.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed at the thought of sorting out your ‘stuff’. It can seem like such a big job, that you don’t know where to start.

The best advice?

Start small.

Take ONE drawer. Or ONE shelf.

Throw out what you immediately know you don’t want to keep. Make a pile of the “keeps”. Then sort through the in-betweens, the stuff you’re not sure about.  Ask yourself if you really, really need to keep it. If not, throw it out.

As you start putting stuff back into that one shelf or one drawer, again ask yourself if you really need each item. Try to discard some more.

Disposing of Clutter

Sell or donate your excess “stuff” – here are some places you may not have thought of to sell your stuff.

Then look for functional furniture such as storage ottomans, or tables with expanding leaves that can be stored when not in use. Add hooks or narrow shelves in wasted spaces like above or behind doors to give you more storage space.

I love travelling in Europe.  I always come across the most marvellous ideas for space-saving ideas and great storage.  Staying in apartments and houses in Europe convinces me that it is indeed not just possible but comfortable to live in smaller spaces – without feeling cramped.

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This article was originally published in 2013 and has been updated in March 2023.