Flat living - tips please

[deflatedbirthday]

We are about to move, for many reasons, from a 2 storey house to a flat/apartment. We aren't really losing floor space but we are losing storage (under stairs, loft, garage) and outdoor space. We will be second floor. There are 6 apartments in the building over three floors.

For those who have moved from a house to a flat, do you have any tips?

I will miss my garden. We have a shared outdoor area but it doesn't look like anyone uses it or has any flowers. It's well maintained by the management company.

Storage. Built in or the best possible you can afford. Look or ikea hack type ideas or caravan/mini house style. Shelves up to the ceiling, shelf running around the top of the room, under bed storage. Will you be renting or own? I've never had a garden so can't help on that, but I have collapsible toys for the DC (badminton net etc) as we have to remove it after use and folding chairs to take out there to sit on whilst they're out.

You are about to live in close quarters. Get noise cancelling headphones and earplugs

Canopy beds are brilliant for storage. Also, floor to ceiling wardrobes like IKEA Pax if you haven't got fitted wardrobes.

Thanks all

We are owning. Very luckily the sound proofing is amazing.

I'm already looking at some IKEA Pax wardrobes. We've gotten rid of ALOT of stuff and given away most outdoor bits as we won't need them.

The living space is actually bigger than we are used to, as is the bathroom.

I just don't want the place to look cluttered and rammed full of unnecessary furniture.

Honestly I've not found it much different
I moved from a 3 bed house to a 2 bed apartment
My spare room I have storage and wardrobes and I also use under the bed as well, and the kitchen as it has a ridiculous amount of cupboards!

Floor space is often bigger with apartments than houses as there is no wasted space due to the absence of stairs. It also makes getting around the place easier for both the young (do you have children?) and older relatives.

Storage is compromised as you have no shed, or garage, or loft - so you will have to continue to take the opportunity to declutter and change some habits. The PAX you are getting are great for that. The key is to stay clutter free - easier said than done!

The lack of a garden will be a frustration at first. How are the local parks and communal green spaces? You may need to bike over to a green space as opposed to stepping out the back door, but we all need a bit more exercise so that's not necessarily a bad thing.

We've lived abroad with work a number of times and almost always found ourselves in apartments. With a few adjustments, you'll get used to it!

We moved from a 3 bed flat to a 3 bed house and actually had to get rid of stuff when we moved. It will probably be fine.

Spend money on getting proper built in storage that is discreet but hides a lot of crap

Totally agree with this but, if you haven't yet got the funds for that, go mad on Billy bookcases! You can line two or even three walls with them, put Oxberg doors on to keep it looking tidy, and astonish yourself at how much they hold. They even come in two depths - my vacuum cleaner, sewing machine and assorted other bulky stuff are hidden discreetly in 40cm deep Billys.

Modern flats can have very good soundproofing! And a decent sized balcony with screens at the side (between you and your neighbors) is actually more private than a small overlooked garden.

Get those laundry rack things for hanging things outside (balcony, windows).

Talk to friends and family about gifts, toys and "stuff" and have family conversations about this too. You need to make the shift towards spending more money on experiences rather than "things." The good news is that you don't end up with a garage/loft full of piles of clutter in 20 years time and no idea what to do with it all.

I have a rule with furniture: it has to either a) contain storage, b) be fold-up-abe, or c) serve more than one purpose. So, one of the emergency extra chairs on the balcony serves as a small coffee table for when we sit outdoors. The actual coffee table in the living room folds up and can be slatted between the wall and the sofa. The sofa is a sofa bed (a really good one). The beds are all high-up with lots of storage underneath. And so on.

Be careful about where people sleep and where the noisy stuff is eg kitchen.

I'm in a bungalow and it annoys me that to get to the kitchen I have to go through my living room, from both the front and back door. That means any rubbish also has to go through the living room.

But if I didn't then the only other place for kitchen access is from the hall and that would be opposite one of the bedrooms. I can imagine a child might be woken easily by a washing machine.

I love my clutter free, carefully thought out flat! Its so easy to keep clean and organised. The Futon Company has some great space saving, good quality furniture. I have a side opening ottoman storage bed which is fantastic. In my second bedroom, which is my office but doubles as a spare bedroom, I have a Studybed. (Google it...not cheap but absolutely phenomenal for space saving!) They are a great company.

Amazon has lots of things too, collapsible laundry baskets, behind door storage, overdoor storage, slim bathroom cabinets etc etc. I also, like a PP, try to ensure things are dual purpose. Also got brilliant behind sofa and slim end sofa coffee tables from Etsy. There's a solution for nearly everywhere! (I also treat the car boot as a small cupboard for certain things! 😄