Living in a smaller home has honestly made me way more aware of every single thing i own. i thought downsizing would magically make life easier but it has definitely been a learning process. i already donated a bunch of things that i never touched and that felt pretty good. i even swapped some furniture for pieces with hidden storage and that helped more than i expected. somehow i still feel like i am playing tetris every weekend. has anyone here used one of those murphy beds with the built-in desk setup and actually loved it after a few months. i keep going back and forth because they seem really practical. i also have the tiniest pantry ever and it drives me nuts every grocery trip. i tried labels and baskets but they only stay organized until somebody grabs chips. i swear my pantry has trust issues. i feel like there has to be a better system that i am just missing. i really enjoy seeing how everyone here makes small spaces feel cozy instead of cluttered. i am hoping to steal a few ideas before i rearrange everything again for the tenth time. what furniture or pantry tricks ended up being worth it for y'all? i am all ears because my apartment keeps winning this battle

When I first started looking for a garage door company, I assumed the cheapest quote would probably be the best option. After spending some time reading reviews and comparing different companies, I realized there are a lot more things to consider than just the price. Things like customer service, response time, warranties, and whether the company clearly explains the work they do can make a big difference.

As I continued my research, I came across Motion Garage Doors and I spent a little time looking through their website and noticed they offer garage door repairs, installations, maintenance, spring replacement, opener services, and 24/7 emergency support. They also seem to have plenty of positive feedback online, which made me add them to my shortlist.

The more I looked into garage door services, the more I realized that choosing the right company isn't just about finding someone who can fix the problem, it's about finding a company you can trust if you ever need help again in the future.

I would like to know, what's one thing you wish you knew before hiring a garage door company?

Excuse the mess, we are in the middle of moving.

I need storage ideas for this bathroom. We have no linen closet, and no storage in the bathroom. We thought about one of those over the toilet things, but it would cover the only outlet in the bathroom.

I need creative ideas that will allow us storage without taking up too much space in the room.

I want to rent a two bed flat and plan to convert the second room to my work from home office. The landlord is not budging on moving the furniture away from the second room. Please I don’t want to get an unfurnished flat. Please what are my options?

I just moved into a tiny studio apartment, and the space feels so cramped and dark most days. I don't have the budget for fancy furniture, custom storage or a full renovation, so l'm looking for cheap, easy ways to make the room feel more open and bigger than it actually is.
I've already tried moving my bed against the wall and clearing out some clutter, but it still feels small. I'm curious about little tricks like paint colors, lighting hacks, mirror placement or affordable storage ideas that don't cost a fortune.
What's your go-to budget trick to make a small room look more spacious? I'd love to hear tips that actually worked for your own place, not just generic decor advice.

Is anyone else annoyed at this new trend? They adapted bedrooms in large houses as studios. They installed a tap and a fridge and they call it a studio? And price it as studios! This is a joke. You can barely walk around!

The owners getting richer and exploiting the non-owners till their last drop of blood.

It is so frustrating looking for a place to live.

We live in a smaller home (1200 sq. Feet), not tiny but the layout isn’t great. We live in a traditional cape cod style home with no garage. When you open the front door you can go upstairs, living room on the right, and dining on the left. We do have some hooks by the door for jackets. As our kids have grown, there is just more stuff - jackets, backpacks, rainboots, etc. and we live in a snowy climate so snowsuits, boots, mittens, etc.

Our dining area doubles as a mudroom currently but I hate visual clutter. We have open cubbies that are a nightmare. Attaching a pic below. I’d love to do something against the walls where the cabinets are (possibly keeping them, possibly not). The wall space is not the same on either side of those two windows which makes it hard. I do want to incorporate an armoire or something with a door for kid stuff. Open to all ideas! I did ask ChatGPT and I love what they produced but it’s not realistic with the measurements.

Looking to add a queen size bed to my room but I don't want to waste the rest of the height of the room just for a bed. I have 2 options right now:

1. The bed is lifted to a certain with storage underneath

   - This option doesn't allow for comfortable usage of storage since the bed is too wide. So the depth of the storage will be unusable.

2. Keep the bed at the lowest spot and movable while building something on top of it.

   - my immediate idea is to build my desk and chair space on top and have the bed slide out. But the worry is whether the plank will be able to hold the weight.

I am not certain, I just feel if I can make it sturdy then option 2 saves a lot of space.

Any other ideas or viewpoints that you can think of?

so i live in a pretty compact place and the kitchen is the biggest challenge. i've been slowly replacing old appliances but i'm realizing that what works in a normal sized kitchen doesn't always make sense when you're working with limited counter and cabinet space.

i've been trying to figure out which appliances are actually worth having in a small kitchen versus which ones just take up space. a full size fridge made sense when i moved in but now i'm wondering if a counter depth option would free up enough room to actually make the kitchen feel more functional.

for anyone living in a smaller home or apartment what appliances have you found worth prioritizing and which ones did you ditch because they just weren't practical for the space?

currently trying to figure out an after-work unwind setup for my small living room. i'm totally torn between a regular recliner or just going for a full massage chair.
price aside, the real holdup for me is the logistics if things go wrong. massage chairs are incredibly bulky.

if i order one online and the motor dies after two months, or if it just feels like rocks jabbing my neck, what then? i've read too many horror stories of people waiting weeks for replacement parts or fighting with customer support. returning a 300lb box is basically impossible if you live in a third-floor apartment.
i’ve been looking at standard recliners and just throwing a separate massager cushion on top to avoid the shipping risk.

i did see that nouhaus has those compact, living-room-friendly chairs that weigh a lot less, but i'm still paranoid about their warranty. has anyone dealt with their customer support or replacement parts down the line? is it actually a 3-year warranty on the motors or are there a bunch of hidden restocking fees?

Ik so my 2 year old is officially a spider monkey. he climbs the couch, the dining chairs, the dog, literally anything that holds still long enough. I get it, its developmentally normal or whatever, but im losing my mind trying to find one of those wooden climbing triangle things that isnt either:
a) cheap particle board that wobbles if you look at it wrong
b) so bright and rainbow colored it clashes with every single piece of furniture i own
or c) priced like it was hand carved by swiss monks in the alps.

We tried a plastic slide from target and it fell apart in a week. I looked at etsy but shipping takes like a month, what are your suggestions?

Went with Piccalio after someone dm'd me about it. honestly their stuff is way nicer than i expected for the price. Gonna place an order. Thanks for all suggestions, I appreciate a lot.

one thing i didnt think about until recently is that every extra inch the laundry machines take up means less room for shelves baskets and all the random cleaning stuff that has to live in the same area. the space works fine now but a bulky setup would pretty much eat the whole thing.

trying to find that balance where the machines are useful without making the room feel packed. i feel like photos online make everything look way bigger than it actually is too. what kind of setup ended up giving you the best mix of laundry space and storage

i'm still in the planning stage and trying to avoid obvious mistakes. for the people already living in a small home, what caught you off guard after moving in? anything you wish you had done differently from the start?

My 15 y/o son and I will be moving into a one bedroom apartment soon. I'm giving him the actual bedroom (I want him to have his own space, for lots of reasons), and I will be using the living room to sleep in. The living room/dining area/kitchen are open concept and about 13.5 x 28ft in total. I need help with figuring out solutions that maximize space in the living room and dining area.

Living room: The living room will need to be sort of a flex space - somewhere for me to sleep - but also somewhere suitable for guests to drop by. I am looking at sectional sofas that have a pop-up sleeper and storage in the chaise. I would get a mattress topper for extra comfort. I also considered traditional sleeper sofas (but probably too heavy to get up 3 flights of stairs), or possibly a twin daybed with pop-up trundle to extend the bed into a king (but I'm worried about the dreaded gap between mattresses). Any suggestions on the most comfortable solution that doesn't involve turning the living room completely into a bedroom??

Dining area: Any suggestions for dining furniture that is extendable/collapsible to save space? I'm considering a small kitchen island on wheels that extends into a dining table, or one of the buffet tables that extends into a dining table. Let me know if there are any space saving dining area products you love!

Thank you for your time!

Our family of 5 is downsizing from a 3br apt to a 2br apt. The square footage is pretty similar. I’m equal parts nervous and excited. We started packing/getting rid of stuff this past weekend, we get the keys on Wednesday, and the uhaul/movers are set for Saturday.

Pros - we will be walking distance to the kids schools (vs the 25 min away we are now). The kids can go right home after school instead of having to sit on the bus til 4pm (my wife is a school bus driver), AND they won’t have to wake up at 5am with my wife anymore. We have a private entrance to our unit, and a private balcony. It cuts 12 minutes off of my 45 minute commute to work.

Cons - the kids all have to share a room. But we got them brand new super cool loft beds that have a dresser and a desk built in, so we can create their own mini spaces within the room! And the closet is HUGE, and we plan on turning it into a little hideaway.

Any tips/tricks to making a smaller space seem less cluttered (especially in an AuDHD/OCD household) would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi there, just moved to a small studio and I could really use some help optimising the space as it just feels so cluttered atm!

I've got a little budget to make some improvement ($1000 AUD) and I'm quite keen to get a versatile bed and other space saving improvements but I can't quite figure it out.

I was initially pretty set on a loft bed as it seems to be the most straight forward option but thinking it through, I'm afraid it might just end up being a pain.

My dog just had TPLO surgery (ACL rupture) so the only acceptable option would be some proper stairs for it to be suitable (she sleeps with me) but tricky/pricey to find and not really ideal still! So, a day bed maybe?

Most of the furniture seen in pics could be swapped for better alternatives. Oh and lastly, that budget is through some funding which has to be applied by tomorrow.

ANY SUGGESTIONS GREATLY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU:)

Last October I moved into a 700sqft apartment with a closet-sized entryway that became a total disaster zone — shoes everywhere, coats on the floor, and nothing that stuck. I tried baskets, hooks, and racks until I found 10 mud room ideas that actually work in small spaces. From wall-mounted shoe racks that free up floor space to hidden storage hacks you can set up in a weekend, these are practical upgrades that make a tiny entryway feel organized and welcoming.

Full article with details and Amazon picks: https://homeinspodecor.com/10-mud-room-ideas-that-actually-work-in-small-spaces-no-clutter-just-cozy/

Hope this helps anyone else drowning in entryway chaos!

I didnt realize how much noise visual clutter was making until i stayed at a relatives smaller place for a weekend. they had this regular looking side table that secretly held all the little everyday stuff and it made the room feel weirdly calm. i came home and started looking at furniture differently instead of just buying more baskets. now i always ask if something can do more than one job before bringing it home

Hi, I'm renovating a small cottage on the west coast of Ireland so I have a holiday home when visiting the family. The views are amazing since the wild Atlantic is visible from every angle. I would appreciate any feedback on the plan. I don’t want to expand the footprint, just maximize what is there. The plans are missing a washer dryer and he will pencil that in behind the fridge. I am considering having a space planner I follow on FB take a look but I thought maybe start here first.Thanks in advance for any help. Bottom is existing, top is proposed. In the proposed we are attempting to put a bedroom in the loft space. I know it's tight but I'd rather have tight than nothing..

trying to sketch out a layout for a small casita space we are finishing up but i am completely stuck on where to put a dining table. the living area and kitchen share one wall, so if we put a standard table in it completely blocks the walkway to the back door. i'm trying to decide if we should just do an extended countertop overhang with barstools instead of a regular table to keep the traffic flow open. i saw a layout like this in a local Albuquerque showroom (Trussell's Transformations ) where they integrated a drop down counter extension right off the main cabinet run, which seems pretty smart for small spaces. if you live in a smaller footprint do you actually use a dining table or do you just eat at the kitchen counter? i feel like a dining table is better but also im concerned about the space, would prefer of course a normal table..

TLDR; in seek of tips for living in a small space with a new baby.

Edit: thank you all for the responses! It’s nice to have some of what I was thinking confirmed by those who have been there first. Definitely going to organize and make better use of the basement storage with totes. And yes, we absolutely need to declutter - that’s the part I’m most worried about doing successfully 😅 I do think our WFH room will be the most likely candidate for a multipurpose room; it also hold books, plants, a comfy chair, and my husband’s fishtank, but I could get space in that closet for makeup and hair tools.

Love the suggestion for vertical storage. I know some of it is that I need to let go of everything looking exactly how I pictured it - so will definitely be looking into solutions for that. Appreciate all the responses!

Hi all! FTM here.

My husband and I live in a 989sqf house…3 bedrooms, 1 tiny bathroom. It was never meant to be a long term home (I bought it myself before I met him) but life and finances had other plans! We like our house and our neighborhood, and have added on outdoor space, but the lack of inside space has me nervous for when baby comes.

My primary concerns:

\- our closets are TINY. One of our bedrooms serves as our closet/dressing room w/ a vanity table right now, and that’s the one that needs to be a nursery. We bought a bed frame for our bedroom that has drawers underneath, and I plan to purge a lot of my clothes, but still worried about fitting all of our things somewhere else. Our bathroom is not an option for makeup/hair tools/etc - the vanity is too small.
\- additional context: the third bedroom is my office (I WFH) and our bedroom does not have enough room to have a dresser in it + a bassinet.

\- our kitchen is a galley kitchen, and all our cabinets are in use. I’m worried about how much space we’ll need for baby accessories there as well.

I guess I’m looking for tips; what is needed for baby, what could be cut? Anyone living in a small space with tips on how to declutter/organize ahead of a new baby? Our basement is unfinished but we are currently working on cleaning it up for storage purposes. I know people say you don’t need a nursery right away since baby will be sleeping in our room, but I still want a dresser for him with a changing pad & rocker and stuff, if I can.

Thanks in advance!