Practical tips for those stuck in small homes for longer than planned

[Olinguita]

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for those us who are stuck in small homes and flats for longer than we would have liked... For practical tips about how to keep smaller spaces organized and pleasant to live in etc.

I'm interested in anything from clever storage solutions to houseplants that are good for air quality to other random life hacks for living well in a smaller home.

For example, we don't have space for a dishwasher at the moment - has any tried one of those counter-top ones that don't need to be plumbed in?

I know there are a lot of folks out there who would like to upsize but are struggling to sell starter homes, or who are staying put because the stock coming on to the market is so utterly depressing, and I would love to talk about ways to stay positive and make the most of what we have.

My third buyer for my flat in London has just pulled out of the sale after stringing us along for months, and DH, DS (2) look like we are going to be in our 2-bed for a bit longer than we would have liked. we were planning to upsize to a small three bed with a garden in zone 4, but the market is so dire that I'm thinking of taking a break from trying to move for a while for my own mental health. We have had tonnes of of interest in the flat since we put it on the market in May (it's very spacious and near a station, and we priced to sell) but we've been really dicked around by three different buyers, at considerable expense and inconvenience to ourselves, and I've got to the point where I need to step off this crazy merry-go-round for bit before it starts to interfere with my mental health!!

All thoughts/suggestions/positive affirmations are SO welcome

if it was me, I would live ok without a dishwasher. Have a washer/dryer instead of separate washer and tumbler dryer. We have an ottoman bed and the storage underneath is huge so we put spare clothes, bed sheets etc. Same for living room we chose not to have a coffee table but a pouffe which has storage. Pinterest is great for this…

I’m not in this situation any more but good idea for a thread. We used to be in a small 2 bed and if your DC are younger than about 4 I’d say don’t be afraid for their room to be multipurpose. Our 2nd bedroom used to have a dc cot in it and a home office space.

I'm in this situation! For anyone with a garden - those garden storage boxes can be a lifesaver and mine have been remained totally waterproof and secure over the last few years!
I also have a few nice looking wooden chests that i got cheaply and i use instead of sideboards/coffee tables.

Could you move your washing machine out of the kitchen and use that space for a dishwasher?

Not quite the same, but we're living in a tiny rental place during our house renovation. Renovation is of course taking longer than planned. Kids are 10 & 8 (girl and boy) and sharing a room. DH works from home. I work from home 80% of the time. It's been... challenging.

Things that help, in terms of the space itself: underbed storage for everyone; we've rented a separate storage unit so any out-of-season stuff (clothes, Xmas decs, etc) are kept in there and collected as and when needed; 2 large outdoor storage boxes for shoes and outdoor games/ stuff (tennis raquets, bike helmets, etc), smart, space-saving storage (e.g. we didn't have enough cupboard space in the tiny kitchen, so we're using a shallow, tall book case to store all our crockery, bakeware, etc); clearly delineating two areas in the kids' shared room as their own space; arranging separate sleepovers for kids with friends when it all gets too much for them; desk in our bedroom for me while DH works at (v. small) dining table; I had a massive clothes cull before we moved out and reduced my 'wardrobe' to bare minimum

One of the biggest challenges has been the laundry. Luckily that's DH's department, but he is greatly missing the lack of tumble dryer. We can't install one as it's a rental. He's a whizz at making the most of drying weather, but we also have electric towel rails in the bathroom, so we stick the drying rack in their overnight, which helps. But at this time of year we're surrounded by wet washing most of the time.

I used to have my washing machine at the top of the stairs.

Fridge freezer chosen so it would fit underneath the stairs.

And yes a table top dishwasher is great.

My top tip is to be absolutely ruthless about getting rid of stuff. Or not buying it in the first place.

I think one of the keys is breaking the habit of thinking x MUST go here or y MUST be done in a certain way. Start thinking creatively about how you can use your space.

When I first moved to the UK one of the biggest things I noticed is that there is a lot of focus on things like number of bedrooms, separate utility spaces, etc even if it's not the most practical use of the space. Where I grew up a lot of smaller homes had a washing machine and dryer upstairs in a closet on the landing (the appliances would either be stacked, or there would be shelves above for cleaning products and linens). I've seen so many houses where the 3rd bedroom can barely be called a box room, or the back room in a terrace has been converted into a very large bathroom, when some of that space could be more useful for another purpose. I know we're talking about small houses, but if you have a spare bedroom does it really need to be done up like a bedroom, or could it be used as an additional living space?

Storage furniture is also useful. We live in a flat and have a large ottoman where we store tablecloths, throws, etc. My in-laws live in a dormer bungalow where the main bathroom is downstairs and they have a large chest of drawers in the entryway for storage, similar to how you might find a large wardrobe on the upstairs landing in older homes. It's been very popular for a while to have sleek built-in storage solutions but free standing pieces can deliver the same results if you're on a budget.

Often you can easily open the skirting board at the bottom of a kitchen - great (and safe) location for important documents or other small things.

We are not in this position anymore but used to have 2 adults and 2 primary aged kids in a 2 up, 2 down.

It's doable, but you have to be ruthless with your stuff. I did Marie Kondo and only kept what we really liked. If we bought something new it was an upgrade or did two things at once. For example, got rid of the slow cooker and separate rice cooker for an all in one instant pot.

Getting rid of stuff will help when you eventually move as it aides the process anyway. Less stuff to move means it's quicker and easier.

Also look at things that annoy you day to day. Have a think about how it could be improved. Things like falling over shoes when you walk in bad getting proper storage or just getting rid of loads of shoes you don't wear. It just makes living in the house easier do you don't resent being in somewhere smaller than you hoped.

Even though it was small, the house was great. As we got rid of so much stuff, it was easier to clean meaning more time for fun stuff.

No longer in this situation but I remember it well, you have my sympathy.

The only tip I have which hasn't already been mentioned is to look at whether any of your furniture has a few inches of clearance underneath and buy some shallow trays that you can slide underneath. Bonus points if it's concealed in some way - e.g. the IKEA Ektorp sofa, the cover hangs over the gap. We had baby twins in a small house and managed to store all their clothes, nappies and wipes underneath the cots and the sofa.

My thoughts, can you move everything you can somewhere else to create space. So move non-seasonal clothes etc either to a storage unit or a family attic and get/ swap them when you need them. Ditto toys- get into the habit of rotating them and only keeping out a sensible amount of things that your DC actually plays with.

Do you have space in the bathroom or in a cupboard for your washing machine- then you can have a full dishwasher in the kitchen.

Do you have, or could you hang an airer from the ceiling anywhere to dry washing - that made a huge difference to me when my kids were smaller.

Also I would set myself a little budget for some renovations, like new wallpaper, paint job, new blind, new rug. This will make the place feel more loved and probably help you sell it eventually.

Finally for your DC what about a play tent or an indoor swing or climbing wall ladder if you feel like he’s running out of places to play in the winter?

We are in the same position. I don't have a dishwasher but have got a tumble dryer second hand which sits on top of the counter above the washing machine! I am dreading Christmas as the kids get given so many toys which I don't have the room for.

We are in a two bed back to back terrace. To make more space we have made the ground floor room (there is only one) a storage room where we keep bikes etc. And it also contains the kitchen.

The bedroom on the first floor is the lounge and doubles as a bed room at night with a sofa bed

Then bedroom 2 in the attic.

We got a table top dishwasher, it's the best thing ever (although it is very small) - saved at least half an hour per day!

I would think hard about how to use storage - cram stuff that gets used very rarely into the least accessible places, and put what you use regularly where you can get to it easily. Marie Kondo is great, even small things like using boxes as dividers in wardrobes and cupboards or folding clothes so you can see what you have.

And don't fret - this is your home, it's as nice as you can make it and your child will not suffer for living in a smaller space than you would like.

A tiny thing but it really helped me in a minsculenkitchen - Morrisons and IKEA do great under shelf racks and little in cupboard shelves which can almost double your riches storage space.

Also if anyone needs a great comfy and sturdy sofabed if they're sleeping downstairs, buy from sofabedbarn.com

*kitchen storage space

Excellent thread currently in this situation and watching for tips !

Its called a plinth