Organizing in Small Spaces

Tiny houses are the trend lately, and it seems that many Baby Boomers are opting for a downsized lifestyle and more adventure, as opposed to a sprawling dream home with thousands of square feet. Organizing for very small spaces can be challenging, especially if you are downsizing from a much larger footprint. Once the downsizing activity has taken place, there are a few guiding principles to consider when setting up or arranging your new smaller space:

• Think vertically – Wall space and vertical height is your friend in a small home environment. Furniture should be tall, when appropriate, and wall shelving or storage that is mounted from the ceiling will save a ton of space from the floor below.
• Multi-task – Multi-tasking for people has been proven to be unhealthy to our brains, however in a small space, all rooms and furniture should be multi-functional in design. Think about products like Murphy beds with desks, hutches on top of dressers, closets that maintain more than just clothing, and ottomans that function as seating, hold drinks and store things inside.
• Go electronic – Small spaces do not support tons of books and paper very well. All documents that are not critical to keep in paper form can be scanned and saved electronically with back-up systems in place to ensure their security. eReaders make physical book reading a thing of the past, and even libraries are getting on board with the trend.
• Define the space – Multi-function rooms are most successfully arranged when the individual functions are clearly and visually defined. For example, a living room that also functions as a home office and play area should have furniture placed in a way that clearly defines each area’s use. By arranging furniture away from walls, with a couch facing away from a play area for example, we can define the separate spaces without the use of a physical wall. Area rugs are also champions at wrangling in and defining the functions within a space.

• Use the dead spaces – No surface is off limits with a small home or room. Don’t forget to use areas like the back of doors, inside of cabinet doors, underneath of furniture, dry side of the shower curtain rod and empty space between shelves to your advantage.

 
Once arranged, the following guidelines are just a few that can help to maintain a neat and well-organized space:

• Limit purchases – Remember that experiences bring far more happiness and value than things. By using certain rules of thumb, such as the ‘one-in-one-out’, ‘Use it/Love it/Lose it’ or ‘6-month rule’ you can thoughtfully manage your intake and continue to maintain organization.
  • One-in-one-out – Just as this would imply, if you are going to purchase something, something else of similar size and use should be discarded. If you buy a new pair of shoes, one old pair must go.
  • Use it/Love it/Lose it – This rule can be very useful when dealing with the growing size of collections. First ask yourself whether you use the item frequently. If so, it’s okay to keep it. Then ask yourself whether you love the item. Does the item bring you joy, happiness or enhance your life in some way? Why? If so, feel free to keep it. Lose everything else by discarding, donating or selling it.
  • 6-month rule – This is especially helpful for clothing. Every 6 months (or less) you should go through your belongings to look for items that are no longer needed. For the items that are difficult to let go of, give yourself permission to put them back until the next purging session (i.e. 6 months later or less). Mark your calendar, and once that time comes around, if you have not yet used the item, it should be removed from your life.
• Practice the art of moving with full hands – To take control of clutter, practice looking around each room before you exit and picking up any items that need to be put away in the room that you are headed towards. In a nutshell, don’t leave a room empty handed!
• Be diligent – Successfully living in a smaller space requires that its’ inhabitants practice daily organizing behaviors, such as making the bed, routinely doing laundry, doing dishes right after they are used and regularly performing general tidying up activities. Forming new habits take diligence and time, so be kind to yourself as you work to develop them. 

Examples for Bedrooms:

• Limit the size of bed frames. Sled, Chesterfield or other styles of bulky frames are not ideal for small spaces. This same rule should be applied to bedroom sets in general.
• Consider a Murphy bed or sofa bed where space is really limited. Headboards or bed frames that offer shelving and storage above and underneath also work well.

• Use vertically oriented chests of drawers as opposed to horizontally configured dressers.
• If there is no closet, mount shelving, cubbies or hanging bars on the wall to create an organized and visually pleasing space for clothing and accessories.
• Take advantage of and get creative with the use of shelving on the wall. For example, a bedside table or desk can be established by using a simple wall mounted shelf.

Examples for Bathrooms:

• Use the space around your toilet and sink. There are plenty of storage options that can be purchased to fit around the pedestal of a sink that offer great, closed-off space savers. Many companies also offer attractive solutions that stand over the toilet tank.
• Be creative with the use of your shower curtain rod. A shoe caddy or door hanging accessory bag can be easily hung onto shower rings along with your shower curtain, and serve as the perfect spot to stage shampoo, soap and other personal care products.
• Use door space. The inside of vanity doors and back of the bathroom door are perfect places to store everything from your hair dryer to bath towels.

• Work around plumbing. There are many organizing options for shelves or drawers that fit around existing plumbing under the cabinet or vanity sink and maximize the use of all space.

 
Examples for Kitchens:

• Adjust the height of cabinet shelves to fit what is stored inside. Often shelves are too far apart and produce a ton of empty space above dishes and other items. If possible, readjust them to allow for only about an inch of extra space above your stack of plates or row of glasses.
• If shelves do not adjust, use risers, specialty racks or drawers instead. Risers are also great for use in the pantry or refrigerator to double the use of valuable space.
• Just like in the bathroom, door space is ideal for storing almost anything in the kitchen. Cabinet and pantry doors can easily house such items as cleaning supplies, lids for pots and pans, spice racks and storage for rolls of wax paper, tin foil and other films.
• Evaluate whether they are needed, and if so, store seldom-used appliances or cooking tools elsewhere in the home (like a clean shelf in the garage or basement, or an unused cabinet in the dining area).

 
Examples for Living Rooms or Multi-Function Family Rooms: 

• Arrange furniture to act as visual barriers and define each space. A couch turned to face its adjoining chairs, for example, will box in and define a living room seating area.

• Use the right size and shape of area rugs to further define functions.
• Use a TV stand or entertainment center with lots of storage options, as opposed to one that is structured with limited, open shelving or no storage space. Remember that vertical space is your friend!
• Select multi-function furniture wherever possible. For example, you might use an ottoman coffee table that can also be used for extra seating and be opened for storing sheets or blankets.
• Contain those remotes! Find a bin, basket or pocket to manage your remote and gaming controls in one central location so they don’t get lost.
• If there is no hall closet, use a coat tree, storage tree or wall mounted rack for items like coats, frequently worn shoes or the dog’s leash.

​With a bit of creativity, the diligence needed to develop some new habits, and the right storage products, anyone can survive and even thrive in a small home environment.