Moving into a small space: tips and hints
You’re territorial and you like large space but, all of a sudden, you find yourself moving into small space. It’s tight, cramped, and often disorganized. Turns out, there are ways not only to get used to it but also to thrive in such an environment. You do not want to sacrifice your comfort, but you know that sacrifice is part of daily life. That is true, but not this time. When moving into a small space, you want to make sure every square inch (or centimeter, depends on where you’re from) counts. Here’s the intake from One Moving & Logistics on how you do that:
When moving into a small space, organize yourself
This means that you must plan ahead. You’ve seen the space you’ll be moving into, and, considering it’s empty or almost empty, it looks larger than it actually is. You can also remember the place looking a bit larger in pictures. Well, now the reality is going to hit you like a brick. You will be moving your stuff in piece by piece, and you need to have a general idea where you want to place your stuff. For example:
- Put your furniture in first. Moving into a small space means that you will start to appreciate space. You will find that furniture takes the most space, so be ready to discard some old chairs or even tables;
- Acquire a double duty bed. Beds are huge, and a couch that doubles as a comfortable bed will do you much good in the long run;
- Get a floating shelf above the bed. You will be able to show off your favorite literature or even your Lego collection if you’re into that;
- Get the big books out of the way. If you’re a bookworm, you will want to place your book collection in separate spaces. That 10-volume Encyclopedia of Philosophy is something you want to place somewhere first – preferably in numerical order;
- Before moving into a small space, you also want to organize your clothes. Those can create quite a mess. Here’s the thing: you want to categorize clothes into everyday home wear, job wear, college wear and a few formal attires.
Go all the way to the ceiling
A small space has its limits. Those limits usually relate to surface, but not the height of the apartment. This is why you must go all the way up if you want to use the maximum that your new living space offers. Get a taller shelf, preferably with a stepladder. Don’t be afraid to stack things on top of a said shelf. Wall space has endless customization potential, and there are many things you can put there, not including books. For example, you may want to store your electronics there: your smartphone, charger, USB memory stick, laptop or even spare parts, such as coolers, CPUs, etc. And if you find yourself overwhelmed, there is always the option of storage units in Brazil to consider.
Avoid dark colors like the plague
Unless you’re trying to make your small space look like a torture dungeon, you don’t want to paint the walls in dark colors. This isn’t actually a method to save up space, but this will brighten your mood. Moving into a small space will make you feel trapped and constipated – especially if you have a propensity for claustrophobia. This means that you will want to brighten up your apartment any way you can. Bright colors are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to do it. You will want, for example, to paint your white or grey shelves into a light green color. You will also want to put some brightly colored – light blue, for example – curtains on your windows.
Make it easy to maintain
Do not let stuff clutter up in the corners. Do not make it easy for a mess to create. So, how do you do that? You can start by getting some cleaning tools that are smaller – for example, a small vacuum cleaner that runs on water and electricity will help you reach spots that are tight to reach. While small living spaces are generally easier to maintain, you should also know that they tend to get disorganized very quickly. What you can do to make it easier is, for example, to place furniture wisely.
Stacking to shelves near the bed is bound to create a system that is very difficult to clean. Leaving enough space – as much as possible – between large furniture objects will help you maintain order on your territory. When moving into a small space, you want to have a designated place for everything. And don’t forget to, you know, maintain it. The trash won’t take itself out.
For the sake of your well-being, try to enjoy the upsides!
It’s not all doom and gloom. Seriously. Trust our expert packers Brazil – living in a small space can be both easy, fun and comfortable. When you organize your space and spice it up with some interior decoration, you can marvel at your own ingenuity all day long. Turns out, humans form attachments to small spaces they live in very quickly – we’re like cats in that regard. I know it seems like a claustrophobic nightmare at the moment, but moving into a small space and living there can actually be a very enjoyable experience. There are other upsides too, you know:
- Cheaper living: this is an obvious advantage. It doesn’t matter if you want to rent it or buy it, it’s cheaper either way;
- Easier maintenance: there’s less space to vacuum, less dust, and overall clutter. If you aren’t fond of cleaning all day (which nobody really is), you’ll find this a very useful advantage;
- It’s eco-friendlier: smaller home means less electricity wasted, minimal trash accumulation, less heating needed, etc. So if you’re environmentally conscious, you may find a small home to your liking;
- It encourages bonding: be it your pet, partner or family, a smaller living area will make you bond more than you usually would. If you enjoy forming lasting emotional bonds, a small apartment might just be your shtick.
As we mentioned, there are negative things about small space, especially if you don’t like feeling shut in. However, this can also be an outlet for your inner interior designer, so, by all means, please do not be sad!