Photo evidence of how a small house works for you?

[xixstar]

I would love some visual examples of how you make a smaller house work for you. I've read threads of people talking about square foot per person and such but that comparison doesn't work well for me for lack of spacial awareness and the realization that some houses are just poorly laid out. I'm really curious because we currently have 3 children and part of me would love to have 1 or 2 more but I feel cramped in the space we have but maybe I just need an outlook adjustment.

 

I think our house probably has reasonable amount of square feet but it is poorly arranged. Our living room is our primary play and social area and it barely seats 4-5 people now with a tiny play area for the littles - they don't have their own bedroom, so this is their only play area. When I think of adding another body or of my kids just getting bigger, I start to panic a little at how small it will feel. We never have friends over to play because I just don't feel like there is enough room to add more bodies.

 

I do have a large craft room that will double for schooling space. I used to run a sewing business and it is the second largest room in our house (behind our bedroom) and it could make for a better living room-social space, but as a family we feel like we like having the space to make-create-learn-do more than sit on our tush, so we're happy with how it's arranged, for now.

 

But anyways - I find inspiration in real-life photos of how other people make their spaces work. Now, I drool over minimalist blogs too but we're never going to be at that point, so it's not as inspiring as seeing someone else with realistic clutter and chaos making do with what they have. Anyone willing to share?

[xixstar]

And to play along, just don't mind the clutter and laundry but this is the living room space we have.

 

Untitled by xixstar, on Flickr

 

Though the loveseat has been replaced by a futon couch that allow 3-4 people to sit instead of just 2. It's laid out differently now, because I constantly change things in hopes of feeling like there is options (?) and in the winter we block off that door (we only open it in the spring/summer to get air flow in) because we don't use it for getting in/out the house.

 

But this is what I feel like our primary living space consists off, off to my right where you can't see if the entertainment center and tv (and there are two doorways into this room, so where I'm standing is not usable space in terms of activity). Oh and next to the loveseat isn't a table, it's a wood-burning play stove -- thing we'll find a new home for it soon because it just takes up too much space and doesn't get as much play lately.

[Χά�ων]

Have you looked at tiny house blog?

[Mom in High Heels]

Oh, I love looking at houses! Please post more!

[jeninok]

I would put the sofa in front of the window, then get bookshelves or cubes that go as high up the wall as possible. When in doubt, go up in a small space, I had tons of wall shelves and hooks in our old house to hold misc stuff.

 

If there is room I would put the chair in the corner next to the sofa kind of at an angle.

 

I would also consider one larger low square table for the center of the room, that kids could sit on pillows and play at.

[jeninok]

Oh, I love looking at houses! Please post more!

 

 

So do I, real ones, not the staged stuff all over the internet!

[Parrothead]

That really is an oddly shaped room, with the door diagonally from the stairs. What are you standing on to take the photo? Why do you have two play tables in the room? What is the cubbie thing under the window? What are the dimensions of the room?

[Momof3littles]

Yeah, any wall space for vertical bookshelves? We love our Expedits. Can you fit any upright so you can use the vertical space? Does your end table have storage?

 

Maybe look at pics of smaller European or city apartments. There are families living in small spaces in NYC, etc. Have you ever checked the apartment therapy website? Lots of stylish small spaces there. They also feature larger homes, but it may give you some ideas.

[xixstar]

So do I, real ones, not the staged stuff all over the internet!

 

 

I agree - all I find online is mostly stuff way more formal or decorated or just not our style of 'whatever works for now' living. I dream of a minimalist well furnished house some day, but since it's not at the top of our priority list, I really appreciate just seeing more real-life examples from other people. Though I do realize plenty of people are a nice and neat and organized as some blogs point out, I like seeing those that might be a little less so.

 

That really is an oddly shaped room, with the door diagonally from the stairs. What are you standing on to take the photo? Why do you have two play tables in the room? What is the cubbie thing under the window? What are the dimensions of the room?

 

Totally odd space for sure. I'm standing between two doorways (one is next to the loveseat) and one on the perpindicular wall next to the entertainment center right behind me - so it's really dead space (well it's a walkway not just empty space). I don't know the actual measurements but it isn't especially big. :)

 

The cubby shelves hold toys/activities for the girls. If I put it vertical, they won't be able to reach everything. And two tables because with a 2 and 4 year old and I need my sanity, they needed their own space to do things like coloring/puzzles/etc. I usually set out several Montessori like activities that need done at a table - those tables are only big enough for 1 child at a time. I keep minimal toys out so it doesn't get overwhelming.

 

It's not laid out this way now, actually, because I change it often. :) At the moment, the cubbies are along the wall by the door and the tables are in front of the double windows. With the chair and couch across from each other - gives them more floor space but a bit cramped for those sitting on the couch-chair.

[xixstar]

Forgot to add, I am not really looking at way to improve my space though I'm sure it could be done. Just more for visual examples of the smaller spaces others are living in for inspiration that it can be done.

 

Talking about square feet just doesn't really connect in my mind -- seeing actual spaces does a better job. :)

[Susan C.]

Can you go to an IKEA? There are a lot of small living spaces to see there.

[Stacia]

Using the photo that you're showing (on the wall where the loveseat is), could you accommodate something like this? See photo here. Basically bookshelves w/ a recessed area for the love seat or futon? Rather than a custom build, could you buy two narrow bookcases to go on either end of the couch, then hang one sideways or do a shelf above the couch to make something similar to the photo? Wall sconces vs. lamps on tables will free up some of your table/flat space. The low shelves could hold things for your dc (where they can reach it). Could you add a hinged surface to the bookcase or under the window so there is fold-up table surface that can be flat against the wall or bookcase when you're not using it? (Kind of like the front surface of a writing desk that opens/folds down to be your writing surface, then folds up to be a cabinet door.) Something like shown here.

 

Or perhaps a fold-down table such as this?

 

In front of the window, I'd get an Ikea Expedit bookcase, put it on its side, add wheels, & use it as a window seat/storage area/play surface. Something like shown here.

 

Or, similar idea as a window seat here.

 

(I tried posting the photos here, but was having troubles w/ them.)

[Wheres Toto]

I can never get photos to work on here but I'll keep trying.

 

We have a living room that is about 15 x 15. The main problem is there is a huge fireplace on one wall, with windows to either side, two doors on the next wall, a door and a heat vent that can't be blocked on the next one, and the last one has a door and the opening into the entry way. We do have cathedral ceilings with a skylight, so it has a bigger feel until you are trying to actually fit furniture. It's actually way too cluttered because we have too much in it, but the bedrooms are too small to move things in their.

 

We took two Billy bookcases, removed the backing on the top half and put them to either side of the fireplace. They look like built-ins and light comes through the top shelves (we have a sky-light as well so it's not too dark even with the windows blocked).

 

The wall with the two doors has a folding table against the decent length of wall left with only about two feet between the edge of the table and the Billy in front of one window. There are no doors on the bottom half of the Billy so it's easier to get to. The kids each have a computer on that table.

 

The long wall with one door has two narrow Billy bookshelves with shelves running between them, starting just over the top of the vent. The couch sits about a foot in front of the bookshelves/vent.

 

The last wall, the shortest, has a bookcase that is wedge right up against the other Billy in front of a window, and my recliner chair sits at an angle in front of it.

 

To either side of the fireplace opening (but still in front of the stone fireplace) are two folding tables that the kids use to do school.

 

We have a shelf all the way up at the ceiling to hold infrequently used stuff.

[Mergath]

Our home has about 800 sq ft. Or in other words, very very small. :p I put some pictures on my blog of the living room and kitchen/dining area a year or so ago. Nothing much has really changed, except that we now have a different entertainment center, and the table next to the old one is now on the other side, and dd uses it as a school table.

 

http://enchantedwinterhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/05/where-we-homeschool-tour.html

[Mergath]

 

The house I had when DS was born was 700 sq ft. Other than being only a 1bd, I really, really miss it sometimes. It just seemed so....efficient compared to a "grown-up" house :) Can I trade you? :)

 

Lol, nope. I can barely keep my 800 sq ft clean. I'd be cleaning 24/7 with anything bigger. :p I honestly don't know how people with 2000 sq ft houses do it.

 

Though I wouldn't mind a bigger bathroom. Ours is so tiny that the side of the sink pokes you in the shoulder when you sit down to pee. I wish I was kidding.

[Wheres Toto]

Okay, here's some pictures. I didn't straighten up before taking them because if I took the time to do that we'd be late starting school and I'd probably forget to take them at all. :-) I won't say it's usually a lot better but I am working on decluttering and finding ways to hide things in bins and buckets so it looks like less stuff. The reality is we have 4 or 5 people living here, doing school here, and home all day so I doubt it's going to get much better. The couch and my chair are on their last legs, and I'm going to push for a love seat and a chair, or just three chairs when we go to replace.

 

This is the view walking into the living room from the entry way which leads to the kitchen. The tv sits on the mantel, you can see the one billy in the corner and the computer desk. Against the fireplace are the kids two work desks. Their computer chairs go in front of those tables during school time and the blue folding chair is where I sit between them. The bulletin boards are actually hanging from the front of the mantel so the tables can be pulled out and used by the couch if we are doing a project together. The pink crate on the floor holds work collated by day and the plastic drawers hold supplies and the books I use frequently, and some manipulatives and games. The white strip just above the boards is our timeline. The open door next to the computers is my son's bedroom. You can't see the door but it has our Spanish vocabulary on it right now. Our large dry-erase world map is above the computers and our smaller US map is next to them.

 

 

View of the opposite corner. The small bookshelf is where I put my laptop when not in use, the books I'm currently reading and the bottom two shelves have craft supplies that the kids have open access to - paper, colored pencils, glue, scissors, stickers, stamps. You can see the high shelf. Tucked between the two bookcases are charts and maps that we don't use all the time. The top two shelves have bins that hold what is being used for our current History, Science or Geography including all books and project supplies. The door is my bedroom door and has our Native American chart on it at the moment.

 

 

My bookshelves. I told Dh I wanted my books in out of the garage and he built me this. Two Billys with 4 foot shelves stretched between them. This is all my books, including some teaching guides, plus all our DVD's. You can see we have some shelves that are recessed in the walls too. I haven't found a good way to use these since the shelves aren't adjustable and they are pretty shallow. In the corner, the door to the left is the bathroom and has our NJ map on it, and the door to the right is the other bedroom - that the girls share when oldest dd is home. It has our body poster on it right now. In the space next to it (between the two bedroom doors) is a magnetic dry-erase board.

 

 

The last corner. I forgot we had a file cabinet there too. The hutch outside the gate is an antique that belonged to my grandparents. The top holds a display of some of our nature/science stuff - mostly rocks, shells, and fossils at the moment. The flip-top is household stuff, and the drawers hold some of my supplies - post-its, binder clips, etc. The gate was there originally to be able to give the dog a break from the kids when they were little. Now it keeps the dog from chewing or peeing on things when he can't be watched closely, the kids can both open it with ease.

 

[Guest inoubliable]

We have a small house, and we're minimalists. I've often been asked for pics and I think today might just be the day to do it. :) I'll be watching this thread and I'll be back later with some pictures of our itty bitty house.

[mytwomonkeys]

here are a couple of videos i made for my sister a while back. i just uploaded them to youtube for you. we live in a mobile home currently & it is pretty tiny!

 

this is my son's bedroom. this is my kitchen and den (i plan to paint the den & hallway a darker camel color). here is a picture of our guest bathroom. my daughter's bedroom and my bedroom and bathroom aren't on here.

[RoundAbout]

here are a couple of videos i made for my sister a while back. i just uploaded them to youtube for you. we live in a mobile home currently & it is pretty tiny!

 

this is my son's bedroom. this is my kitchen and den (i plan to paint the den & hallway a darker camel color). here is a picture of our guest bathroom. my daughter's bedroom and my bedroom and bathroom aren't on here.

 

Very classy.

 

I love the hidden sofa table shelving idea.

[Guest submarines]

Okay, here's some pictures. I didn't straighten up before taking them because if I took the time to do that we'd be late starting school and I'd probably forget to take them at all. :-) I won't say it's usually a lot better but I am working on decluttering and finding ways to hide things in bins and buckets so it looks like less stuff. The reality is we have 4 or 5 people living here, doing school here, and home all day so I doubt it's going to get much better. The couch and my chair are on their last legs, and I'm going to push for a love seat and a chair, or just three chairs when we go to replace.

 

This is the view walking into the living room from the entry way which leads to the kitchen. The tv sits on the mantel, you can see the one billy in the corner and the computer desk. Against the fireplace are the kids two work desks. Their computer chairs go in front of those tables during school time and the blue folding chair is where I sit between them. The bulletin boards are actually hanging from the front of the mantel so the tables can be pulled out and used by the couch if we are doing a project together. The pink crate on the floor holds work collated by day and the plastic drawers hold supplies and the books I use frequently, and some manipulatives and games. The white strip just above the boards is our timeline. The open door next to the computers is my son's bedroom. You can't see the door but it has our Spanish vocabulary on it right now. Our large dry-erase world map is above the computers and our smaller US map is next to them.

 

 

View of the opposite corner. The small bookshelf is where I put my laptop when not in use, the books I'm currently reading and the bottom two shelves have craft supplies that the kids have open access to - paper, colored pencils, glue, scissors, stickers, stamps. You can see the high shelf. Tucked between the two bookcases are charts and maps that we don't use all the time. The top two shelves have bins that hold what is being used for our current History, Science or Geography including all books and project supplies. The door is my bedroom door and has our Native American chart on it at the moment.

 

 

My bookshelves. I told Dh I wanted my books in out of the garage and he built me this. Two Billys with 4 foot shelves stretched between them. This is all my books, including some teaching guides, plus all our DVD's. You can see we have some shelves that are recessed in the walls too. I haven't found a good way to use these since the shelves aren't adjustable and they are pretty shallow. In the corner, the door to the left is the bathroom and has our NJ map on it, and the door to the right is the other bedroom - that the girls share when oldest dd is home. It has our body poster on it right now. In the space next to it (between the two bedroom doors) is a magnetic dry-erase board.

 

 

The last corner. I forgot we had a file cabinet there too. The hutch outside the gate is an antique that belonged to my grandparents. The top holds a display of some of our nature/science stuff - mostly rocks, shells, and fossils at the moment. The flip-top is household stuff, and the drawers hold some of my supplies - post-its, binder clips, etc. The gate was there originally to be able to give the dog a break from the kids when they were little. Now it keeps the dog from chewing or peeing on things when he can't be watched closely, the kids can both open it with ease.

 

 

 

Can I just say that I love this space and your photos of it? I love how everything fits, I love how it has this feeling of creativity and *Life*, how flexible it is, and how well it suits your lifestyle (rather than rigidly trying to fit into the idea of what a living room should be.)

 

We have a slightly smaller living room, and less "wall space", but we are getting there, in terms of creating a cozy, functional space that is unique to our family's needs and wants.

 

Thank you for sharing!

[MistyMountain]

I'll post pictures of when we lived in my 1050 sq foot condo later. We did have a garage with a small storage room though which helped.

[mytwomonkeys]

i love this blog of a family living in a tiny house, and here is a

tour that is my favorite.

 

here is another

that i absolutely love & the "update"

. it is a family that purchased a storage type barn & turned it into a home.

 

i agree with pp that shared the link to tinyhouseblog. i love that site too!

 

no one lives in

house - but oh the possibilities!

[jenangelcat]

What do you consider small? There are 5 of us living in 1000 sq feet at the moment. We have another 1000 upstairs but it won't be usable until we reno.

 

Here's our living room. It's 16x16 with large entry ways on two walls and windows on the other two.

 

 

The coffee table and the ottoman (x2)holds board games.

 

 

The tv stand holds the wii and all the miscellaneous tv/computer wires, cleaning stuff for the living room and my camera. I need another little stand to hold the ps3 as it's too wide.

 

 

The bookcases hold all the books, movies and whatever miscellaneous stuff that's in the baskets.

[mytwomonkeys]

jenangelcat, to say that i love your home is a complete understatement! it is amazing!!! i absolutely love the design - every aspect of it!!! truly beautiful!!!!

[jenangelcat]

jenangelcat, to say i love your home is an understatement! it is amazing!!! i absolutely love the design - every aspect of it!!! truly beautiful!!!!

 

Thanks! It's the only completely reno'd room in the house so I spend a lot of time there looking at it...lol. My kitchen is like an old camp kitchen and the bathroom is equally gross. My fingers are crossed that I can finish the office/homeschool room and get started on the upstairs bedrooms this year.

[Stacia]

Here's our living room. It's 16x16 with large entry ways on two walls and windows on the other two.

 

 

Love! Gorgeous, jenangelcat!

[justamouse]

Lol, nope. I can barely keep my 800 sq ft clean. I'd be cleaning 24/7 with anything bigger. :p I honestly don't know how people with 2000 sq ft houses do it.

 

Though I wouldn't mind a bigger bathroom. Ours is so tiny that the side of the sink pokes you in the shoulder when you sit down to pee. I wish I was kidding.

 

 

I thought I'd be cleaning all the time, too, and everyone warned me how hard cleaning all that space was, but what I've found is that when everything has a place, and things get put back, you spend less time cleaning. I actually clean my larger house less than I did my tiny house. When one thing is out of place in a small house, it makes the whole room seem messy. Not so with more space.

[justamouse]

What do you consider small? There are 5 of us living in 1000 sq feet at the moment. We have another 1000 upstairs but it won't be usable until we reno.

 

Here's our living room. It's 16x16 with large entry ways on two walls and windows on the other two.

 

 

 

The coffee table and the ottoman (x2)holds board games.

 

 

 

The tv stand holds the wii and all the miscellaneous tv/computer wires, cleaning stuff for the living room and my camera. I need another little stand to hold the ps3 as it's too wide.

 

 

 

The bookcases hold all the books, movies and whatever miscellaneous stuff that's in the baskets.

 

 

 

That is just gorgeous, and I'm not a minimalist. You have such an eye for color. (In a small space, I think there's no other way to go, honestly)

 

But, you have one problem...I'm seeing some bare bookshelves there. :D

 

 

My old house was such a good example of poorly planned spaces, there is nothing it can do but serve as a warning.

[Momof3littles]

Have you ever seen this family's site? They have lived in a few small spaces and an RV for a while. They now have a home that looks a little bigger (haven't followed them in years, but they came to mind when you said small space).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/happyjanssens/collections/72157622958743825/ (all of their homes, sizes vary)

[Cosmos]

Have you ever seen this family's site? They have lived in a few small spaces and an RV for a while. They now have a home that looks a little bigger (haven't followed them in years, but they came to mind when you said small space). http://www.flickr.co...157600025082938

http://www.flickr.co...58743825/��(all of their homes, sizes vary)

 

Oh, I like this one. You can really see their individuality shining through. That's something I've never yet managed with home decorating. Our house, however well organized or well decorated (though most of the time it isn't either), never seems to look like it's ours. Or anybody's really. It just looks like some stuff here and some more stuff over there.

 

The other big problem I have in a small space is radiators. We have baseboard radiators taking up two full walls in our living room. Same thing in the kitchen and bedrooms. One even has THREE full walls of radiators. That sure makes it hard to arrange furniture. Sometimes I see rooms where they are able to fit a TON of stuff in (like dottieanna29's house!) but I don't see where the heat is. Maybe the trick is to live in a warm climate? LOL. I need to see how people do it in a small space with baseboard radiators.

[swellmomma]

about to leave for dance classes but wanted to be sure to come back to this thread. I won't post pictures of the whole house because well, it's a disaster. But I will post livingroom pics either tonight or tomorrow when I get a chance. Have the floor ripped up right now to replace some boards but they should be in place tonight and then I can take a picture of the current set up (which is not 100% accurate since I still have to move some more furniture back in once the baseboards are in, but it will give a basic look. hmm, I might have pictures on my blog of my old set up, I will have to go check and post back with those too.

 

Our livingroom is our primary play space too, so in the past I had all the toys in there, but with the reno many toys are going to be stored in bedrooms but then brought out to play in the livingroom since there is no space in the bedrooms, it will just make it look less like a playroom at the end of the night when things are cleaned up to have them stored elsewhere.

[Wheres Toto]

Oh, I like this one. You can really see their individuality shining through. That's something I've never yet managed with home decorating. Our house, however well organized or well decorated (though most of the time it isn't either), never seems to look like it's ours. Or anybody's really. It just looks like some stuff here and some more stuff over there.

 

The other big problem I have in a small space is radiators. We have baseboard radiators taking up two full walls in our living room. Same thing in the kitchen and bedrooms. One even has THREE full walls of radiators. That sure makes it hard to arrange furniture. Sometimes I see rooms where they are able to fit a TON of stuff in (like dottieanna29's house!) but I don't see where the heat is. Maybe the trick is to live in a warm climate? LOL. I need to see how people do it in a small space with baseboard radiators.

 

I don't consider us decorated at all. Unless early elementary school is a style. :tongue_smilie: We've had plans to tear this place down and build new for years so we avoid any major changes.

 

We are not in a warm climate at all. The out vent for the heat/central AC is on the wall above my bookcases. The intake is behind the couch, which sits about a foot in front of the bookcases. The house originally had an in-wall propane heater under one window but dh had to remove it and put in a furnace when he bought the house.

[Cosmos]

I don't consider us decorated at all. Unless early elementary school is a style. :tongue_smilie:

 

I hear you. I think our style is "modern cheapskate with a touch of slob". :blush:

[jenangelcat]

Here's the office space. It used to be the dining room but we're merging that with the kitchen/sunroom reno.

 

 

 

The woodstove is going on that empty wall. I want to get a low shelving unit to go under the desk (which is a hack of a kitchen table) so I can get the computer equipment off the floor. I'll probably replace the shelf with some art.

 

 

 

This is currently the toy corner. There are art supplies under the window. The windows need replacing, the book cases need repainting and the trim needs finishing. Some day when the upstairs is done we'll move the toys up there. In their place I want two comfy reading chairs and some storage ottomans or a coffee table.

 

The room is about the same size as the living room and as you can see even though we have a decent amount of stuff in the two rooms (even if hidden) there's still a lot of empty space. I'm big on built in bookcases. They look nice and you can fit a lot of stuff on them without intruding into your room too much. In our old house we had two walls of them in the living room with a space in the middle for a tv.

[Guest]

I love looking at pictures of people's homes as they actually live. I always thought there should be a magazine called, "For Real Homes," depicting nicely-done but normal homes set up as they are actually used, not perfected for the photos.

 

I would put up pictures, but I have not mastered it since the board renovation.

[ElizabethB]

I would move the 8 cube thing to your craft/school room and replace it with either a window seat like a few people have posted or little square/circle combined seat/storage things. Some have lids that also flip so they can be either a seat or a table. My kids each have a few in their rooms, they are great for providing additional seating while doubling as storage. The benefit of these over a window seat is that they can be moved individually and children can move them. (Although a storage window seat will look a bit nicer.)

 

My daughter has hers in her current room arranged 3 in a row to make a window seat, 2 square ones and a round one, the round one makes a table or a seat, her square ones only are a seat or storage. For their rooms, they have pink and blue. You would probably want black or brown for a living room.

 

Then, have little pull out bins of toys that they can bring in to play with. They are stored in the craft/school room but allowed to play with them in the living room.

 

In our current house, the bedrooms are fairly small, we got rid of my daughter's dresser and she hangs up everything but her underwear and socks. Those, she keeps in 2 small plastic drawers in her closet. It made a lot more room in her bedroom.

[AngelBee]

Not sure how to post pics.

[MistyMountain]

The storage behind the kids held a lot of stuff

 

Coffee tabe has lots of storage and a train table side

 

 

Kids room

[GSOchristie]

We don't have a small house, but I have a hard time functioning with a lot of stuff, so I have learned to "hide" it. One thing I have used a lot are those foam boards from the dollar store, I mount any posters/charts I want to use on them, then slide them behind the bookshelf, that way I don't have to see them on the wall. At our former house (1600 sq ft), we put bookshelves in the attic and that is where I kept all my books. We also stored all of the kids toys in their bedrooms and only allowed them to bring out one toy "set" at a time, this kept clutter in the living room at bay. I liked the idea of the bookshelves that encased the sofa, that is really cute! I have seen some really cute bedrooms with bunk beds enough for four kids per room.

[GSOchristie]

http://www.google.com/search?q=two+sets+of+bunk+beds+in+a+room&hl=en&client=safari&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=j1gxUcqkFpHW8gSyqIDgDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=768&bih=928#biv=i%7C0%3Bd%7CchEIaeBQYaz6hM%3A

 

Here you go, pile on the kids :).

[xixstar]

Our home has about 800 sq ft. Or in other words, very very small. :p I put some pictures on my blog of the living room and kitchen/dining area a year or so ago. Nothing much has really changed, except that we now have a different entertainment center, and the table next to the old one is now on the other side, and dd uses it as a school table.

 

http://enchantedwint...chool-tour.html

 

 

Thank you for sharing, looks like you make a smaller space work well.

 

Okay, here's some pictures. I didn't straighten up before taking them because if I took the time to do that we'd be late starting school and I'd probably forget to take them at all. :-)

 

 

Oh thank you - the pictures paint a far better pictures than explanations for me, it looks different that I had imagined and I really like seeing it. Thank you for sharing, really brightens my day to see more examples of how people live in their spaces, especially with a lot more stuff. I need to do major decluttering too (have a semi-hoarding like husband) but I also have to just work around stuff a bit as well. So I find this far more inspiring than staged home photos or friends who insist they have a cluttered house and I visit and they own minimal furniture and no clutter anywhere in sight.

 

 

......

 

Okay excited to scroll down and see more examples! :)

[xixstar]

here are a couple of videos i made for my sister a while back. i just uploaded them to youtube for you. we live in a mobile home currently & it is pretty tiny!

 

this is my son's bedroom. this is my kitchen and den (i plan to paint the den & hallway a darker camel color). here is a picture of our guest bathroom. my daughter's bedroom and my bedroom and bathroom aren't on here.

 

 

Thank you, that's great! And also super happy to see projects in process too, I get too caught up on feeling like I need things done and nice looking now and reality means would could work on more progress if in smaller increments.

 

 

Have you ever seen this family's site? They have lived in a few small spaces and an RV for a while. They now have a home that looks a little bigger (haven't followed them in years, but they came to mind when you said small space).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/happyjanssens/collections/72157622958743825/ (all of their homes, sizes vary)

 

 

Love this actually! I've seen some tiny house living and it wasn't as inspirational as this space to me for some reason. And I love the table by the couch too - makes me think about hosting a small birthday party here (adding 5 more adults to our space - I never host for lack of space).

 

 

 

The storage behind the kids held a lot of stuff

 

 

Thank you! I really like the idea of concealed storage.

[xixstar]

I would move the 8 cube thing to your craft/school room and replace it with either a window seat like a few people have posted or little square/circle combined seat/storage things. Some have lids that also flip so they can be either a seat or a table. My kids each have a few in their rooms, they are great for providing additional seating while doubling as storage. The benefit of these over a window seat is that they can be moved individually and children can move them. (Although a storage window seat will look a bit nicer.)

 

Maybe I'll take a new living room photo since it looks different now (and will probably change in 6 months too) - but I am happy with how the shelves organize the play toys for now. I really hate bin style storage because then everything just gets thrown in and I don't like how it isn't easy to get what you want or mixes things up too much. But adding more children does still make me wonder if it could work out because I don't see that space getting any bigger.

 

Here is my craft room space, it has a shelf to hold the toys and activities in rotation for the schooling area and living room play. And then bookshelves for learning specific and art activities. Plus I have a bit too much in terms of craft supplies and business supplies still, but this is a major improvement over where it was a year ago. But adding more to this room isn't really feasible anymore.

 

Photo Description: Storage shelf for games/activities and shelf for fabric. To right is the bookshelves for available activities and books and such. The table here is the one for the kids to use.

 

Fabric and Kid Stuff by xixstar, on Flickr

 

Photo Description: Broader photo of the same area -- the shelves aren't as empty anymore. As if that would last long like I hoped. But I do love being able to sew or work at my table with them in the same space.

 

Fun for everyone. by xixstar, on Flickr

 

Photo Description: This is looking from the above point in the other direction - my main sewing area. Cutting table and sewing tables and all the machines. It's never actually this neat.

 

Sewing Area by xixstar, on Flickr

 

Photo Description: And this wall is fabric and craft and business storage - it's been decluttered a lot to get down to this but I still have some more I could remove...

 

Storage Bins by xixstar, on Flickr

 

I think I've done a pretty good job of making this space useful and accessible but it can't handle more stuff in there either. It used to just be my space one until we re-did it to add activity space for the girls too. I don't use our dinging room for anything because most of dh's hoarder storage stuff is in there and the space overwhelms me, so we just eat in there. That means all of the "living" in our house is done in either the living room or this room (and the kitchen for all the food prep too).

 

ETA: To clarify, other than our bedroom, the craft room is the largest room in our house and I don't feel like it is a small space. But since we maintain it for crafting/making/doing/schooling, I still feel a little cramped in our whole house because I feel like I define my house as this room and the tiny living room.

[aggieamy]

 

 

 

We had a secretary just like that when I was a kid. I mean exactly the same. What a blast from the past seeing one like it! I just got hit with some sentimentality.

 

What do you consider small? There are 5 of us living in 1000 sq feet at the moment. We have another 1000 upstairs but it won't be usable until we reno.

 

Here's our living room. It's 16x16 with large entry ways on two walls and windows on the other two.

 

 

The coffee table and the ottoman (x2)holds board games.

 

 

I love this room. It looks like a perfect place to curl up with a book and a cup of earl grey.

[beaners]

We just redid the room my daughters use because their bunkbed broke. We replaced it with an Ikea Kura, and I love how the lower profile makes their room look so much brighter and more spacious. I'm still not sure how I'm going to make up for the storage space I lost with the mattress laying almost on the floor now. If we wanted to put a third child in this room, we would have gone to Ikea for a set of bunkbeds and a trundle bed that goes underneath the bottom bunk. There's no way to fit another bed in there without covering a window or a door. The toddler bed used to sit pointing out from the wall where the desk and fishtank are now. You had to push the bed aside to get into the dresser, then back in the other direction to get into the closet.

 

The first three photos are how NOT to organize things in a small space. ;) This was the mess I needed to sort through after we took out the old bunkbeds, a toddler bed, and the bins underneath them.

 

 

 

These photos are the semi-finished project. Only about half of the toys they're keeping made it back into their room so far. I need something better for the toys in their closet. Right now the toys are sitting in boxes on the floor in their brother's room because I don't know where to put them. The toddler bed is in my room, along with a crib and my bed. :bored: I'm not taking pictures of that because it's too embarrassing!

 

 

The entire bottom bunk is covered with large and small stuffed animals. These are left after I got rid of about half of them. There is a bookshelf next to the entrance to the room that you can't see. We could eventually put something there that would go up to the ceiling. The shelves won't hold all of their books, so we ought to start considering that.

[Guest inoubliable]

I think this link will work.

http://flickr.com/gp/93078131@N08/p59NZ1

 

DS12 helped me to take some pics of the living and dining room just a bit ago. The camera is awful and we're awful at taking pics, so they're sorta grainy and the lighting is... eh. They're up. More should be up tomorrow, gotta charge batteries.

[xixstar]

The toddler bed is in my room, along with a crib and my bed. :bored: I'm not taking pictures of that because it's too embarrassing!

 

Are they being slept in or just stored for the moment? One of the other no-more-kids arguments is having the 2 littles in our room, they're in they're own bunkbeds and it does feel a little like two rooms with the divider. And we could put a crib back next to our bed - I know that set up sleeps 2 adults and 2 babes alright since we did that for almost 2 years before adding the bunkbeds. But well, there is only so much sanity of having small children in your room, right?

 

Part of me thinks that if/when oldest moves out, we'll just move into her room and then the kids get a giant bedroom/playroom (we could even add a wood-burning stove to the room - if it was more playroom). Otherwise, it'd be kicking dh out of his office and putting them in a room (with no closet - joy of old houses) that is only big enough for the bunkbeds and nothing else.

[xixstar]

I think this link will work.

http://flickr.com/gp/93078131@N08/p59NZ1

 

DS12 helped me to take some pics of the living and dining room just a bit ago. The camera is awful and we're awful at taking pics, so they're sorta grainy and the lighting is... eh. They're up. More should be up tomorrow, gotta charge batteries.

 

Oh wow, thank you, shows a great use of making the space work for both functions!

[beaners]

Are they being slept in or just stored for the moment? One of the other no-more-kids arguments is having the 2 littles in our room, they're in they're own bunkbeds and it does feel a little like two rooms with the divider. And we could put a crib back next to our bed - I know that set up sleeps 2 adults and 2 babes alright since we did that for almost 2 years before adding the bunkbeds. But well, there is only so much sanity of having small children in your room, right?

 

Part of me thinks that if/when oldest moves out, we'll just move into her room and then the kids get a giant bedroom/playroom (we could even add a wood-burning stove to the room - if it was more playroom). Otherwise, it'd be kicking dh out of his office and putting them in a room (with no closet - joy of old houses) that is only big enough for the bunkbeds and nothing else.

 

The crib is being slept in. The toddler bed is being stored for now, with some things I need to unpack stacked on top of it. Once I take care of those things, it's going to be a temporary bed for when the kids get nightmares.

 

We have a third bedroom that my 2 year old sleeps in which is very similar to the one my girls are in. I don't think we could fit more than a bunkbed+trundle in there either. Right now we have 2 boys and 2 girls. Theoretically we could fit 3 and 3 plus a baby in my room, but I'm stumped about what we'd do for clothes and toys. Our last house had a weird skinny L-shaped room that was what was left when a bathroom was added long after the house was built. You could have fit a bunkbed the long way, and a second bunkbed perpendicular to it extending past the corner. I don't know where we could have kept clothes though, because there only would have been enough room to walk through.

 

I keep telling my husband we need to build our own house. I want a large bedroom for girls that will fit one of these beds, and a large bedroom for boys. Then we can have a master bedroom with a nursery for the little kids. The house could even include novel features like a linen closet!

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/bunk-bed-building-nested-bunk-beds-make-room-for-playtime-sleep-20.html

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

We aren't currently in a small home, but I just LOVE looking at people's homes and the way they live, the real thing, not magazine stuff. Anyway, we are probably moving soon, and it will probably be a smaller place, so this is inspring! :) I just wanted to thank everyone that posted pictures, very helpful!