How to organize a small home
How to Get Organized When You Live in a Small House
Learn how to get organized when you live in a small house with these simple organization tricks and ideas!
I have lived in a lot of small spaces in my lifetime. During my first year of college, my dorm room was what they called a “converted triple,” meaning that it was actually made for two people, but they stuck three of us in there. Good thing I loved my roomies– it was close quarters!
Right after we got married, Donnie and I lived in the obligatory one bedroom apartment. It was just the two of us, so it wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely cozy to say the least!
By the time Connor was born, we were living in a teeny tiny two bedroom townhouse where we had to push our dining room table back into a corner to make way for a pack-n-play.
Currently, our family of four lives in a three bedroom townhouse, which is where we’ve been for nearly seven years now. SEVEN! Though we hadn’t planned on being here for that long, it has been fun to have the time to transform the space and truly make it ours.
I am so thankful for our home, but there have definitely been times where I have said, “We just need MORE ROOM!!” It’s kind of a tight squeeze with four of us, especially as the boys get older, but we have managed to make it work and we even all still love each other, so I feel like that’s a win! 🙂
After hearing from my readers, it seems like many of you are dealing with small spaces too, so I thought I would compile a list of some of my favorite small space living tips to share.
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7 Strategies for Getting Organized When You Live in a Small Space!After living in a tiny townhouse for many years, I learned tons of helpful tips and tricks for getting organized when space is at a premium, and I share my favorites in this quick guide!
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How to Get Organized When You Live in a Small House
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
1. Purge like crazy. Declutter often.
After years and years of organizing and re-organizing in different homes, I’ve often found that the small space isn’t necessarily the problem.
The problem is that I have too much stuff.
I know. It’s hard to let go of things sometimes because we think, “Well what if I need that someday…?”
I so hear you on this one. I confess: I held on to binders filled with my hand written notes from every college class for 7 years after I graduated. And I’m not even using my teaching degree!
But eventually I realized that I wanted a calm, peaceful, uncluttered house more than I wanted to have random notes lying around because I might need them “sometime.” And you know what? There hasn’t been one thing that I’ve thrown out while I was decluttering that I ended up absolutely needing later.
If you can push past that mental block of being afraid to throw things away, it is seriously so freeing once you’re done!
Decluttering our garage last summer… it had to get worse before it got better!
When I go about decluttering a space, I am absolutely ruthless.
Since we don’t have a ton of space to work with, every inch has to be used well.
When we were in the midst of our kitchen reno, for example, I gathered up all of my kitchen items– gadgets, small appliances, plates, cups, utensils, everything– all in one place so I could see exactly what we had.
Once I had taken inventory, I got rid of items whose job could be done by something else. For example, I had held on to our George Foreman grill for years “just in case,” but I never pulled it out to use it. I always used the regular grill or our range to cook meat. It went.
I had a beautiful blender that I got for my wedding, but in 9 years of marriage we used it once because we have a Magic Bullet and use that to blend everything. I gave the blender to my milkshake-loving dad who was then able to throw out the old, worn-out blender that he had gotten for HIS wedding over 30 years ago.
I had a ton of little gadgets that I never used and was able to get rid of. Sure, there were times I thought, “But what if I need this later?” But I haven’t needed any of the items I purged, and my kitchen is organized and clutter free.
Yay!
I’ve had people ask what I do with the stuff that I get rid of while I’m decluttering. Anything that’s broken, worn out, or unable to be used by someone else gets thrown away or recycled if possible.
I have done garage sales before and sometimes sell items that are worth a decent amount on Craigslist. We donate some things to our local Goodwill. I try to do a major purge before our church’s annual garage sale and donate a bunch of stuff to them. If I’m waiting to sell or donate items, I keep them in a spot in the garage, but I try to only keep them there for a week at the most. Otherwise I’m just creating a new pile of clutter.
Very occasionally I will have an item (like the blender mentioned above) that I know someone else could use, but for the most part I try not to pass on my clutter to my extended family! 🙂
Bottom line: The best way to keep a small space (or any space for that matter!) organized is by decluttering like crazy and only keeping what’s really important! Purge, purge, and purge some more!
2.
Separate rooms into zones.Often times in a small space, one room has to serve many purposes. Rather than just throwing everything together, I like to create “zones” within the room to separate the spaces, define their function, and make it easier to keep them organized.
the living room and dining room “zones” of our main living space
For example, our main living space is actually one big room, so we divided it up, using part as the dining room, part as the hanging out/TV watching space, and part as the Cs’ toy area.
Would I love to have a dedicated room for the Cs’ toys (preferably with a door I could shut!)? Of course. But that’s just not an option in our current house, so we make the “zone” setup work.
There are perks to it too– since there is just one main living space, we all tend to spend our free time together rather than breaking off into different rooms. Family bonding!
the toy “zone” of our main living space
Maybe you don’t have space to designate a full side of a room to a separate function.
My friend Chelsea from Making Home Base was able to create a toy zone for her daughters’ stuff out of a little corner in the room.
Donnie and I definitely didn’t have room for an office in our first little one bedroom apartment, so we put a secretary desk in one corner. It worked perfectly because we could have a work zone when we needed it and close it up when we weren’t using it so that it didn’t take up much space at all.
Rolling carts are another great way to create a little “zone.” They’re small, can hold a decent amount, and can be easily moved out of the way when you’re not using them. (One of my favorite carts is the IKEA RASKOG.)
3. Maximize closet space.
This is something we’ve worked at like crazy in our current house that doesn’t have much storage. We’ve recently started putting closet systems in to really maximize the space (you can see how we’ve done that in our pantry, bedroom, and my craft room), but even if a permanent closet system isn’t an option for you, there are still ways to make the very most of the space you have.
The Cs share a room, and space is tight. In order to fit two dressers into their room, I was able to put one in the closet, and it fit perfectly underneath their clothes, making use of otherwise wasted space.
Before we turned our entry closet into a permanent pantry, I put an inexpensive shelf in there to hold items that our former minuscule pantry couldn’t handle.
Our old neighbors’ entry closet in their townhouse was right next to their living room, so they put a small cube unit at the bottom to store their kids’ toys. If you have a lot of empty space at the bottom of a closet, there is probably something you can put in there to utilize the space to its fullest potential!
4. Look for ways to use space creatively.
Just because the house “says” a room is supposed to serve one function doesn’t mean that it has to serve that certain function. We have an 8′ x 8′ space in our basement that was intended for storage, but since we’ve purged and can fit all of our stored items in the garage, we’ve been able to use that space for other purposes.
Before Caleb was born, I used it as a workout area. I had a small TV and DVD player to put on my workouts, and there was room for my weights, bands, mats, etc., plus just enough space to do the actual exercising.
When Caleb was born and had his own room at first, we moved Donnie’s office into that little basement space. It’s not gorgeous or glamorous, but it creates a “room” that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
In our current house we also swapped our entry closet with our pantry, giving us a much-needed larger pantry space and a mini “mudroom” so we could still hang coats.
our front entry closet-turned-pantry
5. Get items off the floor.
When I asked Donnie (who is actually WAY more organized than I am) what his favorite small space living tip would be, he immediately said, “Don’t put stuff on the floor.” Of course we put furniture or rugs on the floor, but what he meant was to not use the floor as storage space whenever possible.
This was definitely true with the Cs’ toy space. We used to keep all of their big toys in the corner on the floor, but it soon became a dumping ground and looked messy all the time. After some purging (see tip #1!), we brought in some inexpensive shelving units to hold the big toys, and the area feels so much less cluttered!
Our master closet also became way more organized when we were able to get our shoes off the floor. In our previous rental home where we couldn’t install a closet system, we used super cheap pantry bins from WalMart (similar to these) to hold our shoes and keep them organized rather than having a free-for-all all over the closet floor.
We’ve used the IKEA ALGOT system (now called BOAXEL) to organize 3 closets in our home, and we love it!
Not only does having the floor clear help to tame the clutter, it also makes it easier to sweep, vacuum, etc. because you don’t have to move a bunch of items every time you need to clean.
6. Utilize vertical space.
This is probably an obvious one, but when you are constrained by small rooms and can’t go “out,” go up! We especially do this in the Cs’ room with bunk beds, a vertical shelving unit for toys, and even a vertical arts and crafts corner.
We also tried to use as much vertical space as possible on the storage wall in my office, bringing in book cases and mounting a pegboard on the wall to hold craft supplies. It’s pretty too and doubles as decoration! Win! 🙂
7. Be very choosy about what you allow to come into your house.
This one is so key. I know it’s easy to walk down the aisles at Target and want every single thing. I’ve totally been there {like at least twice a week 😉 }. I know well-meaning friends and family members will offer you really cool stuff that is hard to refuse.
I know your kids (or your significant other!) will want all of those awesome toys and gizmos that you don’t have space for. It’s hard to say no to these types of things. But in order to maintain the decluttered spaces that we worked so hard for in #1, we have to be super duper picky about what we bring into our house.
If I’m considering getting something new, I try to make sure it can serve multiple functions and isn’t a duplicate of something we already have. When we bring new items into the house, I also try to get rid of something else. (This is especially true for toys!!!!)
Before I buy something, I think about where it will go. If I don’t have room for it or it will complicate or ruin one of my other organizational systems, it doesn’t come home with me. Be super picky! The clutter isn’t worth it!
Whew! I’m already over 2,000 words and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface! Do you live in a small house? What would you add to my list? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments!
Living in a small space can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible! When we purge often, get creative, and find ways to make the most of our space, we can definitely make it work, even if the situation isn’t ideal. And hey, small spaces have their share of perks as well– it’s less to clean, for one thing! 😉 Let’s embrace our small space!
Have a wonderful day, friends!
This post contains affiliate links.
For more information, see my disclosures here.
50+ Ideas for Organizing and Decorating a Small House, Townhouse, or Condo
Get ideas for organizing and decorating a small house, townhouse, or condo in this helpful post that shows simple and practical DIY and organization projects that can help you maximize your space!
Today I thought we’d take a little walk down memory lane. 🙂 If you’re new-ish around here, you may or may not know that for seven years, we lived in a tiny little townhouse. In fact, the first 3 1/2 years of this blog chronicled the transformation of that small house from drab and outdated to a space we absolutely loved by the time we moved out.
Recently, I’ve gotten some questions about our time in the townhouse, and I realized that I had never compiled all of the projects and updates we did in one place. I thought it might be helpful to others who are organizing and decorating a small house, townhouse, or condo to have a resource for projects we did to maximize our space and make it look beautiful, so that’s what I plan on doing today.
Better late than never, right?!
Grab our free guide,
7 Strategies for Getting Organized When You Live in a Small Space!After living in a tiny townhouse for many years, I learned tons of helpful tips and tricks for getting organized when space is at a premium, and I share my favorites in this quick guide!
SIGN ME UP!
50+ Ideas for Organizing and Decorating a Small House, Townhouse, or Condo
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Before I jump in to a room-by-room breakdown, when we were in the townhouse, I wrote out my best tips for getting organized in a small space in this post: How to Get Organized When You Live in a Small House, so it may be a helpful place to start!
Let’s take a look at each room…
(I apologize in advance for the lack of sources for most of the items in this post! We lived in the townhouse from 2009-2016, so many of the items are no longer available.
I linked the items I could still find.)
Entry
The entry went through a couple of different phases while we lived in the townhouses. It did a stint with a command center to help us stay organized.
And then when we remodeled the kitchen, the entry got a little facelift too!
Bench | Shelf- Hobby Lobby
Get all of the details about our entryway projects in the posts below:
Organization
Creative Coat Storage
Our Family Command Center
Decor
How to Decorate a Small Entryway
Kitchen
Our kitchen was easily the biggest project that we tackled in our townhouse. It started out with hideous laminate cabinets that weren’t in great shape and a very interesting fruit-laden backsplash…eek!
After living with the kitchen for about 5 years, we ripped everything out, took it down to the studs, and put in a brand new beautiful IKEA kitchen.
You can learn more about how we organized it, decorated it, and DIY-ed it in these posts:
Organization
How to Organize a Small Kitchen
How to Organize a Kitchen Pantry
How to Organize a Small Refrigerator
Decor
Our DIY White Kitchen Renovation Reveal
How to Design and Install IKEA SEKTION Cabinets
How to Add Crown Molding to Kitchen Cabinets
How to Install a Marble Hexagon Tile Backsplash
An Upcycled Kitchen Sideboard
Simple DIY Cafe Curtains
Our Kitchen Renovation Plan
Half Bath/ Powder Room
A little paint and elbow grease was all this room really needed to become the cute space we knew it could be!
All of the details can be found in these posts:
How to Decorate a Powder Room for Less than $50
How to Make a Simple Shelf
Dining Room
When we moved in, the dining room had one of the most hideous looking light fixtures I had ever seen.
(And just in case you thought it was charming in its own quirky way, do not be fooled… it was plastic, not even glass!)
Some new paint and updated furniture did wonders for this small space.
Parson’s Chairs | Table | Chairs
See more in these posts:
How Our Dining Room Looked When We Moved Out
A Painted Hutch Makeover
Living Room
The dining room, living room, and the boys “playroom” area were really all one big room in the townhouse, and we spent a ton of time in this space. It started out with stained carpets and pink walls when we moved in…
(These were the previous owner’s furniture and accessories.)
…but with some new flooring, paint, and some furniture, we ended up loving hanging out in here!
Couch | Chair | Mirror- Hobby Lobby
See our townhouse living room projects here:
How Our Living Room Looked When We Moved Out
Dresser-to-TV Stand Makeover
How to Patch and Paint Baseboards
How to Hang Stockings When You Don’t Have a Mantel
Playroom
On the other side of the living room was the area where we kept the boys’ toys.
Since it was a part of our main living space, I had to work extra hard to keep it organized so the toys didn’t completely take over!
White Storage Units | Dark Storage Unit
You can see the strategies I used in these posts:
An Organized Playroom
A Storage Solution for Big Toys
Master Bedroom
The master bedroom was one of the last rooms we tackled (Isn’t it always?!), but I loved how it turned out. We worked especially hard to maximize the closet space since our clothes storage area wasn’t huge!
Closet System
See our master bedroom projects in these posts:
Organization
How to Organize a Small Master Closet
Organizing Clothes with the KonMari Method
Decor
Master Bedroom Reveal
How to Create a Board and Batten Accent Wall
DIY Upholstered Headboard
Fabric Covered Lamp Shades
My Painted Dresser
Donnie’s Painted Dresser
Master Bedroom Plan
Master Bathroom
Our master bathroom was another gut job.
When we moved in it had an ugly plastic accordion door. I have never seen anything like it in any other house I have ever been it. Ick!
Donnie worked his magic, though, and we ended up making the most of that tiny bathroom space and vanity.
All of our master bathroom projects can be seen in these posts:
Organization
Bathroom Vanity Organization
Decor
Master Bathroom Reveal
How to Update a Builder-Grade Vanity
How to Install Board and Batten in a Small Space
Guest Bathroom
The guest bathroom was probably the room in the house that we did the least work in, mostly just because it was the least offensive to begin with! 🙂 We painted and added some simple decor to give it a bit of a facelift.
See the guest bathroom projects in these posts:
The Guest Bathroom Reveal
The Easiest Way to Remove Wallpaper
Kids’ Shared Room
If there is one room that I worked to eek out every single usable inch, it was our boys’ shared bedroom.
They had sleeping space and clothes storage, of course, but I was also able to squeeze in some toy storage and even a craft nook! It was definitely one of the harder working rooms in the house!
Bunk Beds
Get all of the details about the boys’ bedroom in these posts:
Organization
How to Maximize Space in a Shared Kids’ Room
How to Organize Hand-Me-Downs
Decor
Shared Boys’ Bedroom Reveal
A Kids’ Craft Corner
Race Car Growth Chart
Home Office
My home office was my favorite space in the townhouse! I took over the third bedroom when we moved the boys in together, and it quickly became my little getaway. It was simple, but it had great storage and met my needs perfectly.
See all of the home office projects in these posts:
Organization
How to Organize a Craft Closet
Organizing Books with the KonMari Method
Decor
Home Office Reveal
How to Add Crown Molding to Bookshelves
How to Add a Wrapping Paper Background to Bookshelves
A Pegboard Makeover
A Stenciled Chair Makeover
An Industrial Style Standing Desk (Donnie’s Office)
Outside
I didn’t share a ton about our outdoor space when we were in the townhouse, simply because there wasn’t much of it!
Bistro Set- Kirkland’s, no longer available
You can get a glimpse of our tiny deck here, though:
How to Decorate a Small Outdoor Space
Tour the Entire Townhouse
And sometimes a full tour is the best way to get an idea of an entire space, so here are some of the tours of the townhouse that you may find the most helpful:
A Before and After Home Tour (See all of the before and after shots of each room.
)
A Paint Color Home Tour (I shared the paint palette for the entire house in this tour.)
Our Small House Home Tour (This tour has a lot of specific details about how we made our small house work for us.)
Our Classic Christmas Home Tour: Part 1 (These two Christmas tours were from our last big holiday in the townhouse!)
Our Classic Christmas Home Tour: Part 2
It was so fun for me to look back over these pictures as I was putting together this post! The townhouse was so good to us, and I fully credit our time there for giving me the organizing bug and forcing me to think outside the box to make the most of a small space! I am so grateful for that!
If you are living in a small space (or did at one time!), I would love for you to add your small space living tips in the comments so that this post can become even more of a resource for people who are looking to “live large in a small space”!
Thank you for taking a walk down memory lane with me today! Have a great week!
This post contains affiliate links.
For more information, see my disclosures here.
10 Cool Ideas - INMYROOM
Interior Decor
Just the right furniture, lots of light and efficient use of space - we share the secrets of decorating small houses
This small and cozy house in Florida is literally filled with ideas for saving space and competent organization of space. We share the best!
1. Create a neutral background
Light colors are the best choice for small spaces. The walls of this house are painted white both on the outside and inside, and the plywood floor is covered with several layers of light paint.
2. Hide the excess
The plywood frame has become a replacement for the kitchen set, and a burlap curtain has hidden numerous pots, pans and pans from view. Instead of a kitchen island, there is a neat console next to it.
3. How about a bench?
The dining area has a bench instead of chairs. It offers enough seating, and most importantly, it can be pushed under the table and save space.
4. Ditch the Curtains in Your Living Room
Do you really need layered curtains with intricate drapes in your lounge area? Consider: perhaps it would be much better to forego them, especially in a limited space? Let nothing interfere with the penetration of light and do not weigh down your interior.
5. Define functional areas
One of the ways to use space effectively is clear, thoughtful zoning. For example, these few shelves and a pale pink sideboard in place of the previously empty corner serve as a coffee bar.
6. Pick a big sofa
Seriously! A small room does not have to dictate the choice of small-sized furniture. One high-quality large sofa will provide several seats at once and will become the central element of the living room decor.
7. Use versatile solutions
An antique table and an old church pew not only serve as a home mini-office for the hostess of the house, but also become an addition to the dining area when the need arises.
A vintage sign above the workplace, in addition to decorating the interior, distracts attention from the air conditioner located just above.
8. Choose your bedding carefully
Against the background of light walls and floors, bright textiles and active prints would look alien. That is why the owner of the house preferred rather simple bedding. At the same time, neat red stripes on the set and an unobtrusive floral motif on the blanket keep the design of the bed from being boring.
9. Don't be afraid of transparent furniture
It would seem that a transparent chair in the guest room is somewhat far from the chosen interior style. Nevertheless, it perfectly fulfills its main function, while visually “dissolving” into the environment.
10. Look for ways out of difficult situations
Insufficient ceiling height and existing slope made it impossible to install a standard shower enclosure. So the landlord decided to abandon the idea and bought an old bathtub for $100 at a flea market.
After restoration and polishing, it became a real decoration of the bathroom.
10 small house interiors you will love - Roomble.com
2021-03-03T07:30:41+00:00 2021-03-03T11:28:33+00:00 10 small house interiors you'll love 2021-03-03T07:30:41+00:00 Even if you have a very tiny house - it does not matter! The main thing is that everything inside should be arranged comfortably. As here 10 small house interiors you'll love
Even if you have a very tiny house, it doesn't matter! The main thing is that everything inside should be arranged comfortably. How is it
If you really want to have your own house in nature, but it seems that this is a complex and expensive undertaking, we are in a hurry to please you. For a good rest, a very tiny house on a small plot is enough.
But you will have to think carefully about its content so that the whole family is comfortable and wants to come back here again.
There will not be so many options for placing furniture and different zones, but it is the difference in the little things that will help create comfort. Now see for yourself.
15 stylish ideas for your country house
How to expand your country house: an ingenious example
If there is no way to grow in breadth, high ceilings come to the rescue. Yes, a two-story house with several bedrooms will not work, but with good lighting, a bed under the ceiling will not cause you any trouble. Moreover, you will rise to the second level solely in order to sleep. But at the bottom there will be free space for the guest area and the kitchen, where you can comfortably accommodate the whole company.
Even one small window will be enough for your bedroom on the second tier, so that you can relax in it. And while you can't stand up to your full height or find storage space, you can always make your sleeping area special with the little things.
For example, a spiral staircase gives the impression that you are in a luxurious house, where you arrange lavish receptions.
And let there be nothing but a bed in such a bedroom: you shouldn't take up precious centimeters, it will be much more practical to find a place for everything you need downstairs.
The problem of glazing in small houses is acute. On the first floor, walls are needed along which furniture will stand, and extra windows will interfere. And on the sleeping tier, not a single window may fit at all. What to do? Here is the solution: windows in the ceiling, through which light penetrates perfectly, especially when the glass forms a pyramid. If at the same time the door is glass, then windows are not needed at all - you are provided with the necessary amount of natural light.
If a bedroom with a window is not possible, but you still really want privacy, here is an idea for you. It turns out a real separate room under the ceiling, where no one from the first floor will see you.
But you don’t have to feel uncomfortable and feel like you are closed in a closet thanks to such convenient curtains that you can move apart at any time. Lamps can handle lighting. By the way, pay attention to how the ladder to the second tier plays the role of a wardrobe or chest of drawers. The place should not be wasted!
A one-story house with a low ceiling requires special attention, because it should not be crowded. And here, perhaps, you should not refuse glazing, on the contrary, you need to focus on it so that the house seems more spacious. What to do with furniture? It's simple: try to place everything in the lower part of the room. Instead of upper kitchen cabinets - shelves, instead of chests of drawers and hangers - a podium under the bed. The bed in this case can be at the same time a sofa and take up space from wall to wall - do not leave small areas on the sides unoccupied.
You can leave one bed downstairs, and send the second one to the second tier. In this case, it is important to take care of zoning, which is so important for a small interior.
Let the sleeping area have not only a bed, but also a shelf for books, its own lighting, a small built-in wardrobe at the head. Let it be possible to fence off with a curtain or screen. Any, not even the most obvious partition will help you feel more comfortable, even if the kitchen is a meter away from you.
In any small space, the issue of storage is acute - where to store things if there is no way to even arrange a full-fledged bedroom? There are several options, but we especially liked this one. Hangers and chests of drawers on wheels stand sideways and are pulled out if necessary, while not taking up much space. And they do not need to be placed around the perimeter of the house, making room for windows and a dining area. At the same time, all clothes will be stored with the same convenience as in a real dressing room.
A ladder used as a closet is a fairly common storage option. But what if that's not enough? Swap the bedroom and living room - let the living room be on the second tier, and the bedroom on the first, hidden by a partition under the stairs.
The idea works for houses with low ceilings, when the second tier is at a height of no more than two meters. So you will have a separate place to relax, to receive guests, and free up storage space.
Storage podium - ideal if you have a high ceiling, long and large items to store. For example, if you have nowhere to hide your skis, a podium will solve all your problems. A couple of lockers for zoning - and now you have a whole room in which you can feel alone. Whether it's a bedroom or a living room, it will feel just like a large open-plan apartment.
A kitchen can also be placed on the podium. Especially if you want to somehow hide the utilitarian area from the residential and cozy. Forget hanging cabinets and hide everything that didn’t have enough space in the drawers of the podium. So we got a separate and comfortable kitchen.
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