Woman holding tiny house

Small Spaces – the Benefits and Solutions or “Less is More”

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Whenever the space that one needs to fill and manage is small, it is always easy to focus on making the environment just perfect. Small and affordable pieces of décor like throw pillows and candles provide a major impact on the general ambiance than they would on a large space. It is, thus, simple to make the ideal vibe one is after when dealing with a small space.

Many people work with smaller spaces than they would like given the high price of housing, especially for the big city-dwellers. Therefore, it is always advisable to come up with ways to maximize the space that one is living in. Although it is important to come up with small-space living solutions, these tight quarters also come with their advantages too.

Advantages of the Small Spaces

Smaller spaces also enable one to get only the useful things that they need since there is not enough space to accumulate things that they rarely use. Hence, it is easy to get organized with helpful and valuable things. If what one needs is not hidden in ‘clutter’ it makes daily living and all associated activities much more efficient.

It may take lots of money to make a large space to appear comfortable, warm, and inviting using lots of furniture and décor. On the flip side, small spaces make decorating simple and affordable. Instead of having many large pieces of expensive furniture, one needs just a few to make their style evident.

Minimalism is fundamental to living modestly without any stress. A major advantage of small homes is that they enable one to adopt a stress-free, joy-inducing style quite easily. The small space is much easier to clean, organize, tidy-up, and maintain. Cleaning takes less time and making the space livable and cozy is not challenging.

Furthermore, cooling, heating, and electricity costs associated with small spaces are significantly small just like the home’s impact on the environment. Space should be a reflection of the homeowner and their style and sensibilities. Since small spaces have limited surfaces and walls, it is much easier to customize them than the large spaces.

Small Space Improves Mental Health

Many psychologists are still discussing the possible effects that living in a small space has on one’s mental health. Although conclusive reports are yet to be revealed, most of the experts agree that small spaces tend to be less visually complex. That could be comforting for most people.

Furthermore, the small space makes the home cozy which is also charming. Since it is also easier to tidy-up a small space and keep it clean, it positively influences the owner’s mental health. A small space provides one with a great sense of control over their environment. It is also less likely to have to play the host to friends compared to friends living in spacious apartments.

People who live in small apartments will most likely spend time outside. It is believed that spending time outside is directly linked to happiness. Many documented health benefits to being outside in nature and physical activity are available. Thus, the small space indirectly and in some cases directly impacts one’s mental health positively.

Relocating is Easy

At some point, people will need or want to relocate or even upgrade to a bigger space. Thus, they find it easy to transport their belongings from a small space since it does not hold a lot of stuff. Less stuff equals less fuss when the time to move comes.

The homeowner will also not need to sell décor or furniture that will not fit in their new space. The highest probability is that everything will fit in the new space when one moves from a tiny apartment or rental place.

Small Space Inspires Creativity

Living in a small space needs a lot of creativity particularly when there is more than one person in the small house. It is possible to stretch creativity to the limits by working out different solutions to challenges like maintaining privacy and storage space. The homeowner can get inspired to make the space trendy and become creative to make it appear brighter, bigger, and less confined.

That also encourages a less cluttered environment and it will enable the homeowner to determine the items that are important versus the ones to get rid of. A lot of creativity is needed when the owner wants to adopt the minimalist approach which is almost mandatory when living in a small house.

Small Space Furniture Solutions

Living in small spaces has become a growing trend for city-dwellers around the world. From the tiny homes to the micro-loft apartments, the small spaces provide a minimalist, streamlined approach with a small carbon footprint. Although micro-lifestyle may seem at odds with various rural traditions of wide-open spaces and big homes, it is gradually gaining popularity.

The challenge of small spaces has caught the minds of furniture designers who now have to create items that transform into something else to save on space. Here are some of the transformable pieces that will make any small space feel larger than it is.

Queen Sized Murphy bed

If the space is too small for one to choose between a comfortable bed and an entertainment space, these convertible beds are the best solutions. Various designers create different furniture ideas for every room and space enabling the homeowner to make the most of the available space however small it might be.

The transformable bed is hidden is a little three-seat sofa and disappears seamlessly within the décor. Moreover, it transforms with hardly any hassle letting the owner switch from a sitting area to a bedroom within seconds. The foot of the bed even transitions smoothly into a shelf that sits above the sofa. Thus, it makes extra storage space without any additional attachments.

Expand Furniture DIY Loft

Anyone living in an industrial loft space with an open floor plan has the flexibility to develop various options for furniture arrangements. If the ceiling is high enough, the overhead space may also prove useful by creating an expanded loft. Using the do-it-yourself space creation more living space is created with a temporary upstairs that one can dismantle whenever they want to.

Although the expand furniture may not turn a loft into a duplex, one can add a bedroom, home office, or some extra storage space. The expansion overhead also helps to define and separate the two rooms. Thus, users can benefit greatly from the available vertical space.

Desk-Bed

Although transformable furniture pieces are ideally designed for small space living, they can also make a larger space appear more organized. Whenever the dilemma arises between choosing an office and a bedroom, the desk-bed comes in handy. This furniture piece ensures that one does not need to choose one over the other.

The desk-bed idea put a queen-sized bed inside a classic-looking, secretary-style writing desk instead of pairing a sofa with a bed. After the desk folds into a bed, the writing surface slips beneath forming under-the-bed storage.

Furthermore, once the bed comes down, a pair of useful shelves that sit over the bed appears. These shelves are great for holding night-time necessities. Thus, the owner is provided with twice the room in half the space when they go for this furniture solution.

Foldable Kitchen

Kitchen space is also important in a small home. A scantily existing kitchen makes the preparation of a full-sized meal highly challenging. However, some designers have come up with an answer to the small spaces. There are fully functioning kitchen designs that conveniently fold up into stylish looking boxes which sit in one corner until one needs them again.

The convertible culinary station has an oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, and a cooktop. The expanded kitchen may also be placed into several different configurations. All these configurations take different amounts of space and later on when not in use, they return to their original, space-saving box forms.

Pop-Up Kitchen

Another ingenious kitchen option is pop-up design. It is well-designed to give a beautiful appearance of a modern and stylish entertainment cabinet. This item can even hold a television on a wall mount situated on the inlet at the front of its cabinet.

When the doors open 90-120 degrees span, a well-appointed kitchen is revealed. The kitchen has a waste disposal cabinet, dishwasher, and an integrated refrigerator. It also has electric outlets, LED lighting, a fully integrated hood, and an open shelf that can readily hold a freestanding microwave oven.

The doors of the pop-up kitchen are 6 inches deep and can store utensils, dishes, bottles, and other cookware. Moreover, the 6-foot countertop offers the owner a sink, faucet, and stovetop.

Parting Shot

Living in a small space might not be for everyone. Anybody who is deeply attached to belongings that take up a lot of space may not be at peace living in a small house. Also, anyone with a big family may find it quite challenging to fit in a small space. However, there are different strategies to work around these challenges.

A person who wants to live in a small space must abandon the analogy that ‘bigger is better’ and replace it with ‘less is more.’ Notably, having less space that needs less stuff to fill it means more money, more freedom, and more time to do the things that matter most. Living in a small space is thereby highly beneficial.