Realestock Blog

With property prices going up and the push to denser, more urban living, the baby boomer dream of living in a sprawling suburban rancher is not only out of date, it’s undesirable for many people. Small space living has many benefits – less cleaning, cozier, more intimate spaces and central locations, but it can have many drawbacks too. Too much stuff can make a home look cluttered, overstuffed, dark and messy, but not everyone wants to live in a sparse, ultramodern condo where the only “colour” is grey. Small spaces don’t need to be empty, they just need to be organized!If you’re blessed with a small space, there are plenty of resources online to help you create a home that’s harmonious, well decorated and inspiring. We’ve compiled the ultimate list of small space tips that will help inspire you, no matter what your personal taste might be. 

1. Lighting REALLY Matters:

A dark room can be cosy – or it can be claustrophobic. When you have small rooms to work with, bringing in light can really open them up. Soft light from lamps (keep your shades scaled to the room) and windows can fill a room with light, and recessed and track lighting makes the most of limited space. 

2. Colour:

Many people will say dark colours are totally inappropriate for small spaces, but for everyone who tells you not to go bold in a small space, there are two examples that will refute that rule. The important thing to remember in a small space is that a little goes a LONG way, and no matter how you decorate, and what colours you choose, the look should be consistent throughout the space – this tricks the eye by making all the spaces blend together, giving the impression of one larger space, rather than many small ones. While dark colours and intricate designs can overpower a small wall, a large bold piece of artwork, or bright accents on pillows and rugs can make a room pop and add much needed personality and visual interest. A house of white and cream may look larger, but it won’t be very interesting to many people.

3. Kill your Clutter:

As a person on a one-lady quest against needless clutter, this is a personal topic for me. Too many small things crammed into a space makes you think that the room just can’t hold everything in it. Cutting clutter doesn’t mean you can’t display the things you love – it just might mean you can’t do it all at once. Try:

o Rotating you collections. Change up what you have displayed according to the season, or even your moodso Storing out of site. A neatly labeled box holds DVDs and video games just as well as a shelf. Bonus – storage doesn’t have to be plain – choose bright boxes to inject fun and colour into your décor.

o Edit! Consider replacing three small knickknacks with one large décor piece. There’s nothing wrong with only keeping pieces your really love for your small space! Even if your aunt did give you an expensive (but not particularly nice vase for Christmas) there’s no reason to display it if you don’t actually like it.

o Review all your possessions twice a year to make sure you’re only holding onto the things that you actually use or love. There is no shame with selling unwanted things on craigslist or donating them to a charity if you want them out of your house.

o Ditch artificial flowers. They look tacky, they pick up dust and are better replaced with real plants or flowers.

o Say goodbye to having too much stuff! Cramming too much furniture into a small space can make it seem like a storage area instead of a home. Remember that stuff is just stuff – it’s not memories. Evaluate everything you have in your home and see if you could possibly live without it. Chances are you could!

4. Create Openness:

Many small apartments maximize space by having large mirrors on the walls. They reflect light and create an illusion of a much more open, much bigger space. Consider splurging on some mirrors for your own space to copy this effect. If you can, remove doors you rarely or never need to close – the door itself takes up space, and cuts the flow of the room. Something as simple as replacing heavy curtains with lighter ones in the spring and summer can make a room look lighter and more open.

5. Learn to Love Double Duty Furniture:

Small spaces mean that rooms have to serve double, or even triple purpose. Consider a sofa that pulls out so your living room can double as a guest bedroom. Use a vintage sideboard for an entertainment unit and use the drawers to store media and other items you don’t need to use every day.  Create a bench with storage underneath to double as seating and storage.

6. Maximize what you have:

Instead of filling your house with 6 small bookshelves, consider taking an entire wall and turning into into a storage area with floor to ceiling bookshelves, cubbyholes and places for everything. You’ll get rid of unnecessary furniture, and create more space for the things you want to hold on to.  Go vertical by putting up high shelves to store books and items you don’t need often.

7. Scale Furniture and Appliances appropriately:

Not enough space in your tiny kitchen? Consider buying a small fridge or stove, or even ditching the microwave to open up space. Bigger isn’t always better in a small space – furniture that’s too big or crammed into too small an area just looks muddled and hinders your ability to physically move around it.

Photos & Inspiration: Apartment Therapy; Re-Nest

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Now that Halloween decorations are packed away, but it’s probably too early to haul out the Christmas stuff (anyone caught putting out Christmas decorations before December 1st in my home is summarily flogged), your home might look a little empty. Is there a way to change your decor for winter in a way that doesn’t scream “CHRISTMAS IS COMING!”?

Fortunately, there is. Here’s some easy tips to make your home a cozier, winter-ready wonderland without the cheese factor.

Citrus Fruit

Not just for stuffing in stockings! A bowl of oranges or satsumas can make a stunning, edible centerpiece that’s a step away from a traditional winter display.

Fuzzy, furry & Warm

Switching out pillowcases, blankets and rugs for fuzzy covers and rugs with a longer pile can make everything seem so much more snuggly, which means warmer, softer and more seasonal. Cozy knitted throws draped over sofas and armchairs add texture and winter appeal by brining to mind sweaters.

Switch Accessories

Take out seashells, straw, and light coloured vases and switch them for pottery, earthenware or dark coloured brick-a-brac for a dramatic look. Or, go the opposite way - go all white and pick up the crispness of the season and keep your home looking fresh

Lighting

Everyone assumes candles are the perfect winter decor, but they can make your home feel even darker than it is if you’re not lighting the rest of the house properly. Light some candles to make you feel cozy, but keep the lights on too - it’ll brighten up your rooms at the time of year you need the extra wattage the most.

Mix up Colours

Forget forest green - echo the colours found in nature to add some seasonal punch to your decor. Mustard, pomegranate and earthy browns can look rich, warm, inviting and seasonal. Pile nuts or pinecones into glass jars, bring in some winter branches and add some touches of gold to your decor. It’ll look rich and seasonal, not tired and cliche.

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Maybe you live in a dreary rental that you can’t do much with. Maybe you’re dying to change something about home, but you don’t have much of a budget. Maybe you’ve got the time to embark on a weekend home improvement project, but you’re lacking inspiration. Or maybe you just like to dream?

No matter what the reason, going online can be a huge source of ideas, inspiration, daydreams and super practical advice for anyone with the decorating bug. I certainly have one... so here are a few my favourite places to find inspiration when I’m online! 

Apartment Therapy: One of the most popular online design sites, and a personal favourite of mine. Apartment Therapy works hard to be a fantastic resource - it’s constantly updating during the day with a great mix of DIY projects, design showcases from around the world, interviews with artisans and designers and even photographic tours of Apartment Therapy reader’s homes from around the world. If you like homes and design, it should be in your bookmarks folder.

Freshome: Skewing much higher in the budget range than Apartment Therapy. With plenty of pictures and information about some of the most stunning and inventive architecture in residential homes today, reading Freshome is a fantastic way to fuel your daydreams if you’re a fan of architecture. If that’s not entirely your speed, don’t be deterred - there are still plenty of great articles and inspiring ideas on the site.

Design*Sponge: This site is almost the polar opposite of Freshome. Where is the former is about offering up high end inspiration, Design*Sponge is all hands on, affordable and ever so slightly twee. There is a great focus on putting up fun, practical DIY projects - so if you read Design*Sponge, you’ll never be bored and wishing you had something to do on a dark, wet winter afternoon! Also not to miss: the period under $100 product round ups.

Ikea Hacker: Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s amazing, occasionally you’ll want to do it yourself, but a lot of the time, you wonder why anyone would ever do that to perfectly good furniture... It’s Ikea Hacker - the blog where readers from all over the world showcase their (occasionally misguided) efforts to improve on the products from the world’s most popular design store. Whatever the outcome, the owners of the furniture in question are happy, and usually it’s structurally sound...

And there you have it - a round up of some of my favourite websites for design inspiration. Got suggestions of your own? Share them in the comments!

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Most people and realtors will tell you that summer is the best time to buy and sell real estate, no matter what kind of property you have – condo, house, investment property… The popular assumption is that with enough sunshine streaming in, and with a well kept garden, the house will practically sell itself.  The problem with lazy thinking like that is no amount of sunshine or flowers will elevate a property above others – summer, as a whole tends to be pretty indiscriminate. So what can be done to make a property appeal over all others during the busiest real estate season of the year?

Image: I See Modern Britian, Flickr

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