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Friday, April 12th, 2019
Protege Upholstery Miraval Cube
Instagram is brimming with pictures of tiny yet beautiful homes. These photos make small square footage look cute, premium and seemingly easy. But easy is the least thing that these homes are going to be, challenging, yes.
So let’s just have some real talk here. Where will you put your clothes and accessories? How will you fit your furnishings? Instead of it being cute and lovely, what you will get is a string of stressful situations.
So, how should you decorate your home when it’s on the small side?
Up You Go
Look from the floor and all the way up to the ceiling. That is how much storage space you actually have. You could have hanging shelves there or you could place wardrobes against the walls so that you maximize the space that’s actually provided to you.
The height of your wardrobes will also maximize that vertical space. Also, do not forget that small spaces make good use of available storage so it is best to keep clutter at bay.
Two or More
Smaller homes can also benefit from furnishings that come with two or even more functions. That daybed can now be used in your tiny home as a lounging seat during day and a bed at night.
A C-table can be used as a spot to put your computer on. Now remember that every piece of furniture that has more storage (hidden or not) will make living in a smaller home much more bearable.
Never sacrifice the aesthetic appeal of your furniture pieces, though.
Look At Me
Said the mirror; let mirrors become your new best friends. Line them up to create an interesting gallery or have them hung adjacent to the windows so that they make your tiny home appear brighter and much larger.
Never think that mirrors have little effect on the way that your home looks. A well-placed mirror, even just a single framed one, will have a huge impact on the way that your interior design will look.
Be Purposeful, Be You
Become an editor by connecting to your living space and recognizing the purpose of each and every room there. And every little element that you add should represent who you are, else, it doesn’t make sense that they are even brought into your home.
Keep Things Tonal
If you want to open up any space, make sure that you keep things tonal, meaning, you use several layers of colors instead of just one, eternal white wall.
Know the colors that you want from the outset. You could pick just one color and then either use the shades or the tints of that hue. This will make your interior design look dignified and collected.
And as you plan your color palette, be sure to infuse polished palettes of combined neutrals. These will further open up the space.
And Then There Was Light
Lighting will always be an important part of interior design. This is the element that has the ability to alter the mood of a room, even its perceived size. There are certain kinds of lighting that are suitable to a smaller space.
As you stay away from dark colors, make sure that the walls are light-colored so that your space becomes brighter. These walls also become more reflective, which, in the process, opens up your space.
Sin Not
Don’t commit any of the designers’ most common mistakes such as ignoring accidental architectural features. A long unused fireplace could be repurposed as your book collection’s new storage and display space.
The right lighting for vanity is also a common problem when in smaller homes. With just a small patch of space, it becomes a huge mistake to put overhead lighting in this situation. When faced with this, opt for slimmer sconces instead. Find the cigarette-shaped ones so you could still add layered lighting later on.
Tags: living in a tiny home, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, small apartment, small house, small space design, small space organization, small spaces, tiny home, tiny house living
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Tiny Homes | Comments Off on Creativity for Small Spaces
Sunday, December 30th, 2018
Uttermost Living Room Connor Elm Accent Stool 24814: Decorate your tiny home with dual or multipurpose furniture such as this accent table and storage unit in one.
There are many reasons that many homeowners are now choosing to downsize their homes. According to popular finance guru and author Dave Ramsey, moving up the financial scale does not necessarily mean that you have to buy a larger home. In fact, more and more American families are choosing to downsize their home and adjusting their lifestyles.
Just take a careful look at the numbers – the average home comes at 2,600 square feet. This is according to the US Census Bureau. This has come a long way from the 1950s when the average size of homes is at 1,000 square feet or even less. And to think that families were way bigger then.
Considering the long-term effects, transitioning to a smaller home does have its benefits. Bigger is not always better especially when smaller homes become the more logical option.
Here are the top reasons when downsizing is the best option –
When You Want Increased Income
Just imagine monthly when you pay less on your mortgage payments. What a wonderful world it’s going to be since you’ll have increased money that’s leftover. This amount can now be allocated to your other needs. You even get to keep some savings even after buying a smaller home from the proceeds of the bigger home that you sold.
When You Want More Time
A smaller house comes with smaller rooms. This means that there are fewer rooms to clean. With fewer household tasks, you will have more time to spend with your family.
When You Want Lower Utility Costs
A smaller house has less heating or cooling necessities. Since a tiny house has literally no wasted space and zero square footage that’s unused, every nook and cranny is also utilized. Less square footage means less energy is used and where there is energy reduction, you are sure to save on money.
When You Don’t Want to Get Stressed
A smaller home means you have less responsibility. There is also a smaller workload so you become more flexible on your schedule and also your stress levels are greatly reduced if not totally eradicated.
It has been proven that homeowners who switched to smaller homes tend to become happier since they are no longer overcome by the demands of a bigger home.
You’re Retiring Soon
Retirement is one of the major changes that a person goes through in his or her life. For a lot of retirees, this means leaving their current homes – and for a good reason.
Moving to a downsized house is now a popular move among retirees. After all, what are they going to need their big houses for when all the kids have already gone? Taking care of a bigger house is also a huge hassle because of the maintenance and repair needs.
There are only two ways to go when you’re about to retire – stay put or pack up. And just like the other reasons already mentioned, being a retiree and downsizing means you get to eliminate a huge chunk of the usual mortgage.
Why owe money when you can significantly lower the housing cost, right?
Becoming a retiree also means you can sell your current home and then pick a place where the cost of living is way cheaper than what you’re already spending. You can actually move to a state that does not have Social Security tax (e.g. Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, and many more).
But are there also disadvantages to downsizing?
The Downside
Moving to a smaller home may save you money in the long run but the actual move still incurs a lot of expenses. Be sure that you are prepared for this. And when you’re not truly ready, you could end up having regrets that you’ve moved to a much smaller home.
So when you’re downsizing, make sure that you’re mentally, emotionally, physically and financially prepared.
Tags: downsizing, downsizing your home, living in a tiny home, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tiny house, tiny house living
Posted in Home Buying, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Should You Downsize Your Home?
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