Small space living ideas - but add in disability and sustainabiliy

[KatyMac]

Im collecting small space living ideas (hate "hacks" but...)

There are tonnes I've seen but never saved as I havent needed to before now so any links will be welcome

However I'm an ecogeek so I won't be go and buying loads of matching storage or specialised kit (2nd hand for 75% of projects is my aim)

And to make things really complicated I'm disabled so easy solutions like a drawer under the bed won't work as I can't get down that far easily

However I'm sure MN will find fab ideas for me & anything I find ill pop here as a sort of database (until I get my spreadsheet up and running)

Not a massively exciting topic for NYE I guess

Anyone got any tips/links?

I see small space living tips on the diy on a budget, tiny houses and ikea hacks and ikea tips and tricks pages on facebook. If you post with the space you are working with, or the particular issue you're wanting to solve you should get lots of helpful tips. Chat gpt may also be good for suggestions

Im probably starting from an empty slate, designing a garden office type thing for one part then combining a lounge/kitchen and and tiny bedroom - i guess i just want things to browse - I'm on a few ikea ones and there is that lovely voiced man who does feng shut (sp) but I lost his link a while ago

You’d get more responses if you were able to be more specific about the spaces in question. I mean, it isn’t clear to me whether this is a pre-existing space you want to redesign before you move in, or whether you’ll be building it from scratch, using pre-used fixtures and fittings as far as possible?

Possibly both, converting a garage, building a new garden room (although buying a second hand one would be fab)

By the end of the year I'm hoping to have moved, but when choosing a house i need to think about how its used

Eg my current kitchen is all drawers for easy access with all the activity food/ equipment together (tea coffee & toast) all baking together - even if it means duplicate stores of sugar etc
Everything used daily is between shoulder & knee

But that leave space above and below for less used things which isn't (or may not be)very small space friendly

How easy are the beds that lift up to store things in them that way rather than drawers?

How about the wardrobe rails that drop down so they can be accessed at shoulder height so uou get a double.layer?

Steps up to a bed with huge storage underneath dont work as steps are a trigger for me

But now you’re talking about buying a house? Just to clarify, are the space-saving but sustainable disability-friendly measures to be used in the new house, or in the garden room you are buying or building?

both buying a house that may not have enough rooms (multigenerational living plus all adults working from home) so outbuildings, converted garages and garden rooms all feature in future plans/possibilities

I know I have to be all ground floor, and I have a good idea about how my workspace will look (very similar in essence to what I have now) but everything else depends on the house we buy & going in with eyes that have thought about using space cleverly will be a bonus

But if I have short wall hung wardrobes over the bed head with the pull down/foldy out things that might work

although I probably wont want to stand on the bed so maybe not

I’m a big advocate for storing stuff with its siblings and friends (screwdrivers and batteries as examples) and using see through freezer bags in a box (just repurpose an old one). This way I’ve compressed all DIY stuff into half a kitchen shelf in a cupboard. I’m a member of a “library of stuff” so I just donated a load of big items used once or twice a year and hire them as needed. Extra crockery, power washers, power tools etc.

In the kitchen I had a new one put in and planned it meticulously. Shelf sizes are optimised (a larder cupboard with a 2 can height shelf and tall cupboard for big cereal packets especially). But it sounds like you’re on top of kitchen organisation (also agree with multiple stores of commonly used items).

In my son’s bedroom I have garage stacking crates (open fronts/super cheap in b&m) and an old chest of drawers inside. He doesn’t need any long hanging space and his clothes are better organised by smaller categories (school sport tops, general sports tops etc) and it looks much neater within a built in wardrobe. I’d like to do something similar in mine.

also if you store bed linen in sets bundled up in a pillowcase they can be stored in bedrooms or an ottoman freeing up space in a cupboard.

in our family we have adhd, so we think of storage that is functional to use for people who are naturally messy! They might translate as more accessible for limited mobility?

it’s also what is important to you and your family. If you love books, get some amazing shelving, have a big sort and then operate a one in, one out system.

I also like giving all family members a specific space in shared rooms. We each have a basket on shelves in the sitting room and a basket in the bathroom cabinet.

if I was designing a space from scratch (say an outbuilding) I think combining an office space with boot room would work well and could double as mini kitchen for the office?

I'm with you on the siblings/cousins/friends thing - also an adhd thing - if I cant see it, it doesn't exist!

I had a utility/downstairs loo in my last house - if I'd had enough money it would have had a shower too - my aunty lived by a beach and she had the shower/loo utility/boot room and all the kids had to come through there and not dump anything anywhere

We do the pillowcase thing too & have an ottoman at the end of the bed (to try and avoid the floordrobe!) so I struggle with what goes in it - but towels and bedding in the new house might work

We use the crates for somethings but I'll look out for more 2nd hand ones

Found out wooden structures without a bedroom don't need planning permission, but I haven't worked out if brick outbuilding can be converted without PP

A garage is about 2.4-3m wide
My bed is about 1.6m ish plus bedside tables 40cm each x2 2.4m so we need to lose the tables?

How about building a false wall and having wardrobes at 90 degrees back to back, no doors, fab lighting

Have a look at camper vans and boats, they have small spaces that need to be dual function. One that I'm seeing increasingly is the bed on the ceiling with an electric motor to lower it for use.

Can you say more about your disability? As you know it can include hundreds of different conditions / abilities.

In particular is it going to get worse, do you need to future proof your home?

Wooden buildings may need planning permission, depending on size. If you look on the planning portal website you can view an interactive house which shows the rules for outbuildings and other common householder projects. Thinking about it, you might find websites like Tuin useful for outbuildings (most of these are within the permitted sizes so won't need pp) or try looking at holiday lodge or canal boat websites as the layouts can incorporate space saving measures.

The companies that do the wooden buildings seem to have a handle on planning permission (if you go to a reputable one in your area) but yes it isnt always allowed with PP

Holiday lodges/canal boats/motor homes are all really good calls thanks to both of you

I have reduced mobillity so getting things from low down is painful & also nap several times a day or at least rest! So a murphy or moveable bed is a bad plan for me - but a lounge/bedroom is a significant possibility with a screen/curtain

there will be other spaces in the house but I think it's important that we have our own space too

Aaarrrggghhh all the Instagram "small bedroom design" either have beds mid air or one patner of the couple climbing in from the bottom of the bed

Neither are good for reduced mobility or visiting the loo mid way through the night

What words should I use to search for old creaky couple in a small.bedroom with too much stuff?