My New House Is The Size Of A Shoebox

[imsohungry]

O.K.... does anyone know how to decorate a VERY small home containing three people -one of whom is a one year old?

We are so tight in this little house. I'm thankful to have it and everything; please don't misunderstand. But honestly, my living room can't accommodate a sofa. So, we just have a love seat and a TV basically. My husband's recliner sits in front of the fireplace.

I'm selling and donating to charity all of my extra stuff (some of which has sentimental value).

The title to this post was sincere. I really am claustrophobic, and I really do need some tips on what to do with this home (less than 1,000 sq. ft.).

Here is what it looks like: On the outside, a shoe box. On the inside, the floor plan is from the 80's...meaning it isn't an "open floor plan" like most homes today; so, each room is a box, connected off of a long narrow hallway. The kitchen does have a breakfast area, but no dining room. Any ideas?

S.O.S. HELP! (I've googled this topic nonstop). I thought I'd ask here too.

Thanks to anyone who responds.

-Julie

[ptkds]

Mirrors, light colors, not too many pics on the wall all come to mind. Maybe even knock down a wall or two if possible (depending on the floor plan and if you own or rent).

[Green12]

Hi Julie

Do you own your home? If you do, my thoughts are to knock down a wall to open it up a little bit.

I don't know if you have the means, or the money, to do that but it does make a huge difference in a older home like that that cuts the living space up with all the walls.

Other than that smaller scale furnishings are probably the best solution, and space planning- arranging the furniture in such a way that it makes the most of the space.

I watch a lot of HGTV , they give a lot of ides for decorating in small spaces- you might want to check out their website to see if they have any suggestions.

[Green12]

Mirrors, light colors, not too many pics on the wall all come to mind. Maybe even knock down a wall or two if possible (depending on the floor plan and if you own or rent).

Mirrors are an excellent suggestion, if you place them in the right areas they will reflect light and give the illusion of the space looking larger.

[tarnalberry]

I'd also consider getting rid of the loveseat and recliner, and consider alternate furniture options. Anything like that takes up more space than you need. We *do* have an open floor plan, and our living room upstairs has floor seating. (Well, we have some exercise balls and two small ottomans to sit on, and one Poang chair from Ikea (that's our comfy, takes-up-space chair).)

Minimalist furniture (bench seating - maybe a backrest on the bench, but armrests take up extra space - would be the most) gives you more room. Double purpose anything and everything you can - a coffee table should have storage space under it for games, for instance (if you have games!).

[imsohungry]

Hi Julie

Do you own your home?

I watch a lot of HGTV , they give a lot of ides for decorating in small spaces- you might want to check out their website to see if they have any suggestions.

Hey Julie

We are buying this home. DH and I were talking today about knocking down the wall between the living room and kitchen (assuming it's not load-bearing). But we quickly realized the refridgerator and oven prevent us from doing this.

I LOVE a lot of the programs on HGTV. I have really learned so much from them. Just a little background info., we moved from a home that is about 2,300-2,500 sq. ft. It had an open floor plan and 12 ft. ceilings. We have filled this little house up, and we still have a house full of furniture in the garage. I just need to sort, release what I don't have to keep, move past the sentimental, and focus on what's best for this little house. It sure is easier said than done!

I'll keep all tips in mind! Take Care. -Julie

PT,

We're hanging a mirror at the end of the hallway hoping it will reflect back the length of the hallway and deceive us into thinking the house is bigger. I am trying not to use too many pics on the walls. Actually, I am more or less a person who is not big on clutter. I don't decorate "modern," or "country," I suppose I'm slightly eclectic. My friends have traveled the world and brought back beautiful things for me. I love displaying them throughout the house. (seeing as how I've rarely left Georgia).

Your suggestions are really appreciated.

[imsohungry]

I'd also consider getting rid of the loveseat and recliner, and consider alternate furniture options. Anything like that takes up more space than you need. We *do* have an open floor plan, and our living room upstairs has floor seating. (Well, we have some exercise balls and two small ottomans to sit on, and one Poang chair from Ikea (that's our comfy, takes-up-space chair).)

Minimalist furniture (bench seating - maybe a backrest on the bench, but armrests take up extra space - would be the most) gives you more room. Double purpose anything and everything you can - a coffee table should have storage space under it for games, for instance (if you have games!).

Hey Tiffany,

I was on the phone with a friend from NY about the same time you posted, she suggested the duel purpose furniture too. I was thinking we could have maybe one oversized chair (smaller than a loveseat) with an ottoman that has hiddent storage. As luck would have it, we recently purchased a narrow coffee table with storage baskets underneath.

Do we have games? Hee hee. I have a one year old son...yes, I have games. Recently, he has been playing "The pot and spoon game." Directions: Beat pot with spoon and dance. I could store my pot and spoon under the coffee table! (never thought I'd make that statement).

Everyone is such a great help. I'm open for all suggestions. Thanks a million! -Julie

[Mango04]

www.ApartmentTherapy.com will give you some good tips as well as some tours of really tiny yet well decorated spaces.

[Adelle]

There's a yahoogroup called the Small House Society (or something like that). They have a lot of suggestions!

[tarnalberry]

I was thinking we could have maybe one oversized chair (smaller than a loveseat)

I suppose what I never liked about a lot of couches, loveseats, recliners, and "oversized" anythings, is that they just plain ol' waste a lot of space. I mean, most of those big chairs are kinda comfy (though, if you're short like me, you can't sit in them properly, the seat is far too long), and then there's gobs of wasted room around you (to the sides) before you get to the eight inch wide arm rests (which you can't reach and don't need that much space for), not to mention the eight inches of cushion behind you before you get to the six inches of chair back behind you! Then you've got this extravagant looking, semi-comfortable 'chair' that seats all of one person while taking up 12 square feet of space!

Ok, I rant... It's a pet peeve.

[debmidge]

I have the same challenges living in a small apt. I cannot put a couch in livingroom which is wider than 85 inches. My kitchen table cannot be larger than 48" and must be round and I cannot use one with a round base as it'd be too heavy to move it around the kitchen if I need to move the table at times. Everything I see is either large or oversized for the new mc mansion homes....I prefer couch seating in living rm in case someone sleeps over or if either of us need to sleep on couch at night (like the times I have insomina and I go out to living rm to watch TV & fall asleep out there....).

[RitchieL]

The thing that changed my life? Underfloor heating! I didn't realise how restricted I was in how I could use the space in my home until I got rid of the existing radiators and replaced them with under floor heating.

Might be a drag to remove whatever existing heating you've got, it's worth it once the old radiators etc are gone. If you've got the option - if you've moved into a place with fixed radiators, think about it...

Minimalist furniture (bench seating - maybe a backrest on the bench, but armrests take up extra space - would be the most) gives you more room. Double purpose anything and everything you can - a coffee table should have storage space under it for games, for instance (if you have games!).

Okay, so continuing the heating theme, a way to combine heating and seating could be this Open Original Shared Link, but personally... I say underfloor heating! It's the future...

[Sweetfudge]

Everyone here has posted good ideas. I like the mirror idea, and not wasting space with smaller couches (Tiffany's rant ). Another thought I had was to focus outside the house. Especially if you're claustrophobic, see if you can create a living space in your yard/garden/garage. I don't know what you have as far as that goes, but a nice cushioned bench or chairs and table would be great to get everyone together, but outside, for a meal or evening sunset/star/people watching. I lived in a tiny apartment when I first got married, and I had about a 4x4 foot slab of cement in our back yard where I would just go out and sit. I put a pillow out on my folding chair, and it made for a great getaway. Just a thought

[kbtoyssni]

Definitely take your time shopping for furniture. My parents spent six months trying to find a loveseat that would fit in their strangely-sized family room. I saw a good suggestion for a headboard on a decorating show - paint a door or large piece of wood and put behind the bed - it will take up much less space than having a fancy wooden bed frame.

I second the mirrors. Light colors help open a space - white/offwhite cabinets, walls, doors. What kind of doors do you have on the closets? The fold-out doors will make the room smaller because of the space they require to open plus the visual of them in the room. I took the doors off my bedroom closet and was shocked at how much bigger the room looked. I'm planning on doing the same with my entry-way and pantry closet, but I'll be hanging curtains on those so I can close them when people come over. Try installing really great shelving units in the closets so you can get rid of dressers. Install ceiling lighting so you don't need floor lamps or table lamps. Glass furniture helps (glass coffee tables and end tables) so the light flows through them and doesn't give the visual of being a large object cluttering the room (not sure how good this is with a 3yo, though).

How do you store toys? A few toys lying around will make the place look very cluttered. Have a bin or basket the kid can put the toys back in when done playing that can be set on a shelf.

Getting stuff out of the house will help. What's the backyard like? Can you store thing in a shed or in the rafters of the garage? Buy small stuff: replace your desktop computer with a laptop, buy a smaller microwave.

[Green12]

Hey Julie

I just noticed the show Small Space, Big Style on HGTV (6pm est, 3pm pst, not sure though if they air it everyday)

It gives a lot of ideas for decorating those small spaces, with big style of course

[imsohungry]

You all have given such awesome tips!

I added a mirror at the end of the hall...it looks great. We are planning to add chair railing along the length of the hall to draw the eyes forward (make it look longer). Our small coffee table works well; the top pulls up (on hinges) and becomes a table, and underneath is storage room. I just went out and purchased three rectangular weaved baskets to slide on the shelf built in under the table...very stylish and takes up little room for all the functions it performs.

I'm purchasing very light, tab-top panals (no valance or anything) to provide a cozy (but not cramped) look...plenty of light can get in b/c the panals will be pulled open and I'm not hanging sheers.

My doors do open out into the room, I like the fabric/rod idea...especially for my son's room.

The hubby built a privacy fence in our backyard, and I can't wait to get out this summer and make my little sanctuary, and possibly get a shed for the back yard!

We are very tight on money right now. But I have jotted everyone's ideas down; we've been purchasing one thing at a time. My hubby finished the guest bath last week (grand total: $50). I took advantage of every nook. I bought a narrow, tall, silver shelf unit to take up little floor space and take advantage of vertical space!

Julie and Tiffany, you would be so proud! No big furniture and very minimalist.

Julie, I haven't watched that show in a long time. If it comes on at six, I should be able to though! thanks for the idea.

Well, everyone, I'll post pictures as soon as I get the house in order...you would be surprised at how many of your ideas I've already used! I'm printing out the new ones you all posted from this week.

Happy dreaming and decorating. -Julie

[kbtoyssni]

If you are looking to save money on curtains for the closets, I bought a spring-loaded shower curtain rod at Target for about $10 and bought a top sheet (about $5) for the curtain. I did have to hem the bottom up a bit, but using sheets for fabric is so much cheaper than going to the fabric store. Plus sheets have that nice fold-over top that you can use to put over the curtain rod so you only have to sew the bottom seam.

[imsohungry]

Nice idea! I have a spring-rod (for the kitchen window) from our first home. I'll have to see if it is wide enough for my son's door. Sheets!.... cool We have a chain store nearby that has very good deals on sheets...kind of makes me want to go tonight! But I won't (sigh)... the hubby and baby need me worse than the doors

Hugs for the idea! -Julie

[Green12]

Good idea about the sheets. You can also look for clearance cotton or other material (besides vinyl or plastic) shower curtains for drapes or closet covers, or divider panels to save money.

Any pictures yet Julie, I am anxious to see what you have done.