I was three when our family moved out of a rented space to a house that we could call our own. We were three daughters to our parents and for a family of five to get adjusted into a tiny One Bedroom house wasn’t going to be easy, but we gradually learned to make the most of the limited space that we had.
This post has affiliate links. For more information, head over to my disclosures.
I was nine when my baby brother was born and with the rest of us all grown up, it became obvious that we needed a bigger space. We somehow lived there for another 5 years before getting ourselves a Three Bedroom apartment. As someone who easily gets attached to things, I used to miss my old house terribly but the new one was quite spacious and I gradually fell in love with it too. I was just happy to have a garden of my own, and decorating the house with the best of things became my favourite hobby.
When I joined college, I rented a small paying guest accommodation that was tiny again for two people. There were many rooms in the house and it seemed like we’d gotten the tiniest one. There was barely any space to move around but we loved it there being that we were all very fond of each other and the rent wasn’t too much either. I spent six years living as a paying guest in Delhi and still count them as the most memorable years of my life.
The home that we now live in is more than we ever expected to have and we absolutely love it here. Of course, with all the stuff that I keep buying, the need for space is never going to die out.
Having lived in smaller home for most of my life, I know how hard it can be to organize it. There’s never enough space to put your stuff in and you have to deal with the clutter that keeps piling up every now and then. So I have compiled a list of some decluttering tips and tricks that can help you organize a smaller living space in the best way possible:
1. Purge Often
Too much stuff is harmful irrespective of the size of the house. Lesser the stuff, better the home. In order to build yourself a life which only revolves around the things that truly matter, get rid of anything and everything that you don’t need or love to prevent unnecessary items from occupying the limited space in your house.
I know that it’s hard to part with things that were once dear to you. It took me years to let go of my drawing books that I bought 20 years ago as a kid, but it feels so much better to look around a calm and peaceful living space free of unneeded things. So keep purging your home every now and then to be able to keep it organized.
2. Cut down on the decor
Don’t go overboard with the paintings, wall decor and show pieces in your house. Even if your house looks completely organized, a few extra paintings and wall art can make the entire space look cluttered and untidy.
Remove any item that’s making the wall look crowded or that doesn’t go along with the interiors of the house. Once you take down any extra picture frames and vases while keeping only the ones that you love, you will realize that the house looks much better with the limited stuff living in it.
3. Use Vertical Space
When living in a smaller home, make every inch count.Use the bare sides of those cupboards to hang your keys, cooking pans and culinary tools. Vertical shelves like these can hold a lot of your stuff that would otherwise be taking up space in your drawers and cupboards. These under shelf Organizer Baskets are my all-time favorites during space crunch. I also recently got myself these floating shelves to keep some decor pieces and other everyday items.
4. Use multi-functional furniture
No matter how small it is, a home without furniture can’t be comfortable enough for the ones living in it. You need a sofa to relax, a bed to sleep, a footstool to rest your legs on, a table to work and many cupboards to store your stuff in. But if the house doesn’t have enough space for all of it, your best bet is to try meeting more than one purpose from the furniture.
Why buy a footstool and storage box separately when you can have both in one? How about installing these bunk beds in the kids’ room instead of buying separate beds for them? There’s no shortage of multi-functional furniture in today’s world and the best part of it is that they cost less than their single-functional counterparts.
5. Be mindful about what you allow to enter your home
What really ends up messing up a space, big or small, is the stuff that we keep bringing into our homes every day. I, for one, would lose my heart to everything on display at the stores before becoming a minimalist. Things like vases, unique decor items and crockery are a few of the many things that I bought on impulse without taking into consideration the limited storage space in my house.
I can’t express how important it is to be careful about what you allow to enter your house. Not only will it save you some money, but will also help you organize the existing stuff better.
6. Declutter as you go
The main mantra of keeping your small house neat and clean is to not let the clutter get settled in the first place. You need to be doing at least one load of laundry every day or it will keep multiplying and will end up taking a lot of space in your room. Similarly, do your dishes immediately after eating before they start overflowing from the kitchen sink. Keep up with your daily cleaning schedule and eliminate visual clutter before it takes over your home. Also, make it a habit to put things back into their place after using them to keep your home organized all the time.
7. Do Seasonal Declutter
Seasonal Decluttering was given for our family when we lived in a smaller home and it is something that we still do as it helps us keep the home organized. We pack away all our off-seasonal stuff – clothes, bedding and decor – while keeping only the things that we might need during the ongoing season. It’s just so easy to organize only the necessary things rather than having to manage it all. All you need to do here is to keep rotating your stuff as the seasons change while storing away the off-seasonal stuff until you finally need them.
Living in a smaller home won’t look like a challenge if you can be a bit creative about it. After all, it’s the place that you can proudly call Home and keeping it organized is something that makes you happy.