Maximizing Space: 5 Ideas for Decorating & Organizing a Small Home

Posted on July 22, 2021

Tiny homes are extremely trendy, and that’s because they’re efficient and follow one of the hottest trends for a few years now, minimalism. But they do come with certain challenges.

One of the most testing aspects of living in a tiny home is storage and avoiding clutter. That’s why organizational skills and smart storage hacks can go a long way in keeping a tiny home clutter-free. What’s more, certain design and décor options will help enlarge the space and give the home an airy feel. Here are 5 small home ideas to help you out:

Minimize Clutter

Frequent decluttering is a must when you’re living in a small space. The fewer things you own, the easier it’s going to be to keep them all in place and have an organized home. Especially if you’re downsizing, take the time before you make the move to sort through all your things and only keep the essentials. Donate or sell the things you no longer need and throw away or recycle what is no longer usable. Try to also do this exercise once you’ve moved into the new place, at least once every few months.

Additionally, try to have a home for all your items. When you know where something needs to be, it’s going to be much easier to clean and organize your home. Try to avoid having “everything” cabinets or “junk” drawers. Instead, organize your junk, and if you can’t find a home for it, ask yourself whether you really need it.

Maximize Storage

To have a home for every item, you need to get smart about storage. In a tiny home, vertical space is king, so try to take advantage of it. Install floating shelves for the items that can be displayed; this is going to also reinforce the idea of not keeping junk around. Use ladder-style storage to elongate the space and to store items. You can keep bulkier ones at the bottom, even in storage cubes, and use lighter items the higher the ladder you go.

Also, double-function furniture is a must-have in tiny homes. Get ottomans that function both as seating and as storage for blankets, throws, or toys. Utilize the space under the bed and invest in a sofa that has built-in storage. For heavier items such as suitcases, you can improvise with hidden storage space over your wardrobe or fit them under the bed, if possible.

Try to incorporate an area that is specifically designed for storing cleaning supplies, such as a tall hallway cabinet. Use hooks for the door so you can hang your broom and mop and use separators to neatly organize your cleaning products and supplies. Having them all in one place is going to make it easier for you every time you want to clean, as well as keep eyesores away from central areas. This will also open up space in the bathroom and the kitchen, which you can use for other purposes.

Choose the Right Colors

Color can have a huge impact on how you perceive a space. With smaller areas, lighter colors will help create an illusion of a larger space. That is not to say that all you should rely on are light, neutral colors. Whereas those work best as background and as a base, it’s important to create contrast and definition, because that will make the space feel more dynamic.

So, you could go for a light beige, eggshell, or a general off-white as a base, and work on a complementary color scheme that involves a second neutral in a different hue (a dark neutral grey for an off-white base, for instance) and a bold statement color.

Allow Light In

Light is essential in a tiny home, and maximizing it is important. However, the way in which light flows into a room is also crucial. Very harsh lines created by blinds or the frames of windows can actually work against you. Instead, use very thin curtains, with a low opacity factor, that filter the light and help diffuse it throughout the room.

A good trick to maximize light (or the illusion of light) is to use shiny surfaces and mirrors. They reflect light and help it bounce in the darker areas of a room. Mirrors also help create the illusion of more space, so a properly placed mirror can actually re-frame a room.

Not only natural light is important. Artificial lighting and how you place it can change the feel of a room. For example, layering light sources vertically can create the illusion of a higher ceiling. Ambient lighting is also great, and you can use LED strings or fairy lights to create more dimensions, especially in places like behind a couch, under the kitchen cabinets, or behind a headboard in the bedroom.

Use Sharp-Edge Designs

Clear-cut designs in furniture and décor pieces create a feeling of cohesion and rigor. Especially in a tiny space, you can use the edges of your furniture to help direct the eye towards central elements. You can also use sharp-edged décor pieces to complement your room layout; for instance, a rectangular landscape-oriented painting can provide the illusion of a widened space, while a tall artwork can create the feeling of an elongated wall.

Of course, sharp-edged does not mean you cannot incorporate rounded elements. A bit of contrast can help create depth if you choose the right placement for such objects. You can create a more whimsical corner in a room, such as in a place that does not get a lot of natural light. You can add artificial, diffuse lighting, as well as rounded or soft-edged pieces, for a more bohemian feel.

By combining these ideas on organizing and decorating your tiny home, you will surely maximize the available space and make the home feel larger than it actually is. Most importantly, though, you need to make it your own to truly feel like you belong. Even if minimalism is a great design option for tiny homes, you should still add some personal trinkets and mementos to lend the space your own personality.