We’ve been living in our Airbnb for two weeks now, and it’s reminded me of our first house as a family of four. I often look back at that house, which was a ranch and about 1500 sq ft, and think of how quickly I could get that house clean. It had 3 beds and 2 bathrooms, was a single story, and not a ton of space.
Flash forward 5 years, and we’re living in our Airbnb while our house is finished being renovated. It’s a 3 bed, 3 bath and 1500 sq ft. We have a small kitchen and a living room/dining room combination. We moved in with three suitcases (mostly of clothes and kids toys), and the urge to purchase all the things we are used to having definitely was strong.
I reminded myself that this was temporary, so we don’t need ALL the THINGS. When we purged items before listing our FL house, we loved living with less. IT made our home feel even bigger when we took away extra dressers, tables, and surface clutter. For us, the biggest impact was in removing items, not adding items for staging, so we’re really hoping to continue that life in our new house too.
Small Spaces Feel Bigger with Less
This seems obvious, but it’s something I have to remind myself of, as someone who loves furniture, design, and decor. Areas that can appear bigger with less:
- kitchen counters – Our kitchen is small here, but we only have a coffee maker and ice machine on the counter, so it feels bigger.
- floorspace – avoid the temptation to buy side tables, consoles, large pieces of furniture unless you really have a need for them
- bathrooms – avoid the temptation to buy containers that sit on top of your sink. Utilize drawers and cabinets for storage instead. I like these under cabinet storage shelves.
- bedrooms – in small bedrooms, maximize your closet, under your bed, and if needed, use a child’s dresser as a nightstand for extra drawers.
Avoid Clutter By Focusing on Consumables
My kids love toys, but they can eat up a room quickly. I also need to keep them occupied this summer, so we’re focusing on toys that are consumable. Things like Play-do, sketch pads, glow sticks, and summer workbooks. We’re also focusing on outdoor play, so balls, racquets, and even squirt guns are a big hit right now and can be stored outside.
If I feel the itch for decor, I’m treating myself to a new candle or flowers, which only take up space temporarily and won’t require a move in a few weeks. Swapping out pillow covers can also make a space feel new, and they aren’t much to store.
A console with drawers and cabinets can be a great storage option.
When Purchasing Furniture, Focus on Multi-Use
It’s tempting to look at furniture all day, and there’s so many pretty pieces out there. I’m reminding myself that pieces need to serve more than one purpose to make sense in a small space. Some examples:
- A TV console that has drawers or doors at the bottom instead of an open console. This can be where we store extra blankets, board games, cable boxes, or even bar accessories. I love this burl wood one.
- A nightstand that doubles as a dresser – You know my love of children’s dressers as nightstands. Especially for a kids’ room, you can use them as the room’s dresser. I also love the nightstands that have charging ports and outlets.
- A coffee table that has drawers or a bottom shelf. We used this one in our Florida house, and I loved being able to store puzzles in the drawers. I also put a decorative box at the bottom, where I could quickly toss odds and ends.
Make Sure Everything Has Its Place
This also might seem obvious, but when bringing something into your small home, make sure that you put it in its place. This requires some executive function that I’ve had to develop personally, but making sure that everything has its place is so important. It allows for:
- Quick and easier clean up. When everything has its place, you know exactly where to put it away
- Everyone to help to clean up. When everyone knows you keep the board games in the console, they can help to put things away.
- Mitigating overspending. Before you buy something, you can see whether or not you truly have space for it.
I loved our Florida pantry because I could see exactly what we needed to restock. It helped me avoid overspending.
