Comments on: Living in small spaces

By: Ethel

Ethel — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:41:31 +0000

“why not just reorganize your closet”

1. If you don’t have a closet (been there)
2. If your closet is so poorly designed or badly located that it only makes sense to store things that are rarely used in it (our situation)
3. If you expect to move soon, and don’t want to depend on your next place having good closets (also our situation)
4. If you like the idea of not having to walk from the bed to the closet to get your clothes, because they are stored right underneath you (yeah, I’m lazy, it’s why I hate dealing with clutter)

I’m going to talk to my husband about saving for a custom platform bed frame. I’m already designing it in my head . . . But it will probably be at least a year before we have the money for it.

By: liezl

liezl — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:50:14 +0000

I just moved to Tokyo from NYC, where I thought I already understood small-space living. But living in Tokyo has me thinking I lived in such big spaces before! I’m glad to have found your tips on living in small spaces – Thanks, its very helpful.

By: Lisa S.

Lisa S. — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:41:45 +0000

As small-space residents, our basic rule is “Keep what we use, use what we keep.”

And while an uncluttered kitchen is a thing of beauty, there’s a lot to be said for uncluttered bathrooms too.

I have found that in our small place, the more orderly and attractive the small spaces are, the more pleasant and accommodating the whole is.

By: The Hagemans

The Hagemans — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:58:31 +0000

We just got married and live in a typical urban apartment. Instead of gifts that we don’t need and can’t store in our small kitchen, we asked our wedding guests to make donations to our two charities of choice in our name.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:52:16 +0000

My wife and I lived in a 500 sq ft city condo for 7 years. We found choosing furniture that permitted the floor beneath to remain visible made the space feel much bigger. For example, instead of a typical slab couch, we chose one that was up on 6″ legs so the floor beneath was visible. The more floor you see, the bigger the space feels.

By: gibbons

gibbons — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:19:55 +0000

I am not a fan of raised or platform beds. They are contrary to feng shui practises and i believe if you need the extra space it will just attract things you should of thrown out anyways. If you are doing it to get rid of large bulky furniture why not just reorganize your closet.

By: Roy Jacobsen

Roy Jacobsen — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:46:11 +0000

When I first read bullet point 1, I read it as “beatnik habits,” not “neatnik habits,” and instantly pictured Maynard G. Krebs (link) wandering around a tiny apartment, saying, “Like, what?”

I’ll second the platform bed idea. We purchased a captain’s bed with 6 drawers on each side (queen size), and got rid of one of the huge dressers taking up space in our small bedroom.

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:46:19 +0000

I recently moved from an 1800 square foot 3BR condo into a 1BR of a little over 500 square feet. These tips are great, and one thing I’d add is to drop hints to friends and family that you don’t have a lot of space for stuff. I had so many well-meaning people offer me household items that I simply didn’t have room for. It can be a tricky situation if someone gives you a housewarming gift that you can’t find a place for–you don’t really want to refuse it, but you can’t keep it, either.

By: amanda lee

amanda lee — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:51:38 +0000

I love the platform bed idea–my roommmate made his own from scratch. I’m considering the same when I move out.