Condo owners, how do you deal with limited space?

[zoebartlett]

We live in a 1015 sq. foot condo -- 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, eat in kitchen (that we don''t eat in), and living room. I like it but it''s feeling really crowded already and we''ve only lived here for 1.5 years. Since we can''t do anything about the layout of the condo, I''d love to get a few suggestions of how to make it feel bigger or less cramped. The obvious answer would be to throw out anything we''re not using and we''re working on that.

How do you deal with space issues?

 

[neatfreak]

Your condo sounds absolutely spacious compared to the 600 sq. ft we're living in now!!! But we're moving in 2 weeks and then will have a whopping (to us) 1300 sq. ft plus a basement. YAY!

Anyway, to answer your question, I try to have things that have dual purposes. I have decorative baskets on the bookshelves that also hold magazines and odds and ends. We have storage under alllll of our furniture. We try to keep things really clean because it feels bigger that way. We each have our own section of house that is "our space" so that we can keep it as we want it and not drive each other batty (this is mostly for FI who isn't as clean as me!).

Those are the things we do. We also try to find furniture that fits well in our spaces and is scaled for smaller apartments. We also pack up anything that isn't being used currently and put it in storage.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Pottery Barn makes a line of furniture for small spaces. Some of them seem like great ideas. Do you have a storage unit where you can store stuff (like off season clothing)?

 

[UCLABelle]

I have thought about the same thing, and you have a much bigger place than me I am moving into a 600 1bed/1bath condo we just bought (you can see my thread)!

I grew up in a 3500sf+ home all my life, but got used to small space after living in Manhattan for a year. We lived in the exact same sf as the condo we just bought. Although it was small, I loved the layout, and really enjoyed organizing to max. the space. I had a coffee table with storage, and sofabed for guests, a large table that also was used as a desk, a bookshelf/t.v. stand with storage...little things like that!

I bought Ikea and Target pieces which were typically smaller (I would love the Pottery Barn, but it is a bit much for our price range)....and I am now doing the same thing for our new condo...I am not worried about space too much for us, but for you I would also suggest to multi-purpose use of furniture, storage, and using your outdoor space as additional living (if you have it)....

 

[jcrow]

getting rid of clutter was key for me. the less stuff out the bigger, more open it looked. i routinely got rid of stuff and changed things around. less is more with furniture as well. mirrors are great too. they visually open the space up a bit. fools the eye.

 

[Gypsy]

We moved from our three bedroom home in NJ into a 760 square foot apartment in CA at the beginning of this year.

We were also moving cross country, so anything that wasn''t a REALLY nice piece of furniture or an heirloom went in order to save us on moving expenses.

Then here... our bedroom furniture is limited to our bed frame (we have a king bed in four poster frame) and two large nightstands with plenty of storage and sing arm wall mounted lamps to keep the nightstands clear. In our closets we have put two three drawer chests of drawers (one on each side of the closet) for clothing storage and everything else get hung up in the closet. We have 9 ft ceilings so our closets have a nice amount of tall storage for things that must be kept, but don''t get used often.

Our dining room has a TON of built in storage but that meant I couldn''t bring the nice china cabinet for my set over (still in NJ) and I''ve gotten a ton of cabinet organizers from Target to maximize the space in the cabinets.

We haven''t done much with the living room yet, but we know that when we move (hopefully OCtober/ November) to 2 bedroom, the living will still be small... so we are planning on getting a nice smaller framed sectional from Scandinavian Design two toned so the bottom is dark brown and the top is a lighter color. (Right now we have smaller framed inherited leather couches but I don''t care for them and want to replace them) and a nice coffee table and end tables with tons of storage. I''ve got my eye on this great low TV and entertainment console with a ton of storage in it. And well... a LCD flat screen to replace the TV which is on it''s last legs (think it got damaged in the move).

Then there is the cats. We have a ton of cat furniture... but all of it goes UP. Vertical so it takes up minimal floor space but still provides them with a lot of space.

We have an aero bed for guests. In storage.

What really helps us is our storage closet in the garage. I have a ton of stuff in there (luggage, books, etc) that I just do not have space for.

As everyone already pointed out, multi functional pieces with a ton of storage are the way to go. Also keeping the space CLEAN is huge. Our highceilings and TON of windows (our place has 8 huge windows. Lots of light. I keep the darker colors as accents and lighter colors as background. They had to replace the carpet when we moved in and they asked us to pick a color and I picked a light beige and that has also really helped. My cat furniture is all the same or similar color carpet as the floor so it kinda fades.

Still... I can''t wait until we move into the two bedroom. Still have storage challenges, but the extra 250 square feet will be welcome. Plus the extra bathroom.

OH and nick nacks need to be kept to a minimum. I have very little decorative pieces out. The color and personality comes from things on the wall, the style of the furniture or my floor coverings. I rarely have anything other than a vase of fresh flowers out on any surface.

 

[Harleigh]

All great ideas above...

I have several IKEA pieces as they are meant for dorm rooms, apartments, small spaces, etc..., and they are usually very reasonably priced.

I also have several wall units that have a ton of storage, a spot for a large TV, some drawers, and two matching ones even have pull-down desks that I keep my computer on.

I also go some really tall bookshelves that are fairly shallow that go floor-to-ceiling...one of the gals at work was pulling her built-ins out of her house, so I leaped on those and they each have about 12 shelves each and I got all 3 on one wall. They were stained really dark, so I painted them the same off-white as my walls and they blend in and hold a TON of stuff! Do you have anyone who could build shelves for you? Anything you can use to get things up and off the floor is great!

I definitely agree with minimizing clutter...also, light colors make things look larger and more spacious.

Good luck! Let us know how you work it out!

 

[Dee*Jay]

It is an option for you to rent a storage space nearby? You can keep the things that you need only occasionally there (Christmas tree, that sort of thing) and the spaces are generally pretty reasonable to rent. One of my clients uses a storage space that is only a few blocks from his townhouse like a second garage. He swings by there all the time. Going golfing? Stops and gets his clubs. Taking a bike ride by the lake? Walks over and picks up his bike, then puts it back when he's done. Grandma's coming for the weekend and making goulash? Stops and gets the crockpot.

Just an idea...

 

[phoenixgirl]

We lived in a 680 square foot condo for 2.5 years. Like neatfreak we then moved to a 1525 sq. foot house plus a full basement and garage.

We hung a mirror on the wall opposite the front door to make the space look bigger.

We bought smaller furniture in most cases.

Things were stored behind nooks and crannies (we only had two closets . . . each the size of a coat closet, and a kitchen closet that we used for cleaning supplies, tools, etc.). I stored wrapping paper behind the tv in the office/guest room and I stored the luggage underneath our desk, which was really just a long table (we bought it partly so we could use it if we ever had a dinner party since our kitchenette set only seats 4 -- I think we pulled it out once or twice). I stored clothes in those cloth boxes you can get at Bed Bath and Beyond underneath the bed.

We had a four by four storage unit in the basement where we stored things. Most people who lived in our complex lived alone, so theirs would just have the odd out of season item in it, but ours was filled up to the top.

Basically every inch of wall space was covered. And we had to keep the clutter under control since our place was so small that we couldn't close off a room when guests came without making it feel tight.

We saw another unit that had a Murphy bed in the guestroom so that it could be a sitting room the rest of the time.

The catalyst for moving was that DH wanted to take down our CD tower that held hundreds of CDs and DVDs to put up the Christmas tree. Yes, it was ugly, but it was the most compact way to store all of those things. So then there are all of these CDs and DVDs lying around, so DH suggested erecting shelving behind our bedroom door. It would have taken A LOT of shelves to do the job, and our door closed flush. I suddenly realized, "We need more space!" DH was able to erect his shelving in the basement. It's about 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide, so it definitely wouldn't have fit anywhere in the condo.

When we listed our place, we used a friend's garage and moved half of our furniture out and many of our belongings. A bookcase in the living room that had held overflow videos just held pictures. Another bookshelf and a chest of drawers were removed entirely. My Bed Bath & Beyond cloth closet was taken down. We didn't want potential buyers to think, "Oh, look how cramped it is."

Sometimes you just have to play around with your room arrangement . . . be creative with where you put things. And if you own anything that is not making good use of vertical space, consider storing it and getting something that is oriented vertically instead of horizontally.

You might search for tips geared toward NYC or London or places like that where space is always at a premium. We lived in a very small space compared to our surroundings, but I think that when everyone lives like that, solutions are more readily available.

 

[zoebartlett]

Those are really great ideas -- thanks everyone! I think the biggest problem is something we can''t do much about: lack of one more room. We share the living room but when my FI wants to play hockey on his XBox, I tend to move into one of the bedrooms to read or watch tv or do whatever. For some reason, hanging out in one of the bedrooms just doesn''t appeal to me. Our spare bedroom is an eyesore of sorts. It has a double bed, two bookcases (foldable, one tall and one short), storage bins for filing important papers, two computer chairs, and a tall desk type of thing from the Christmas Tree Shop that holds my Fi''s computer in there. It''s practical but it takes up more space than I would like. It is vertical storage and the cabinets close, making it less of an eyesore but it''s still bigger than I would like.

I''ll definitely take a look and see what I can come up with for more storage solutions. We do have a storage unit right down the hall, so that''s been helpful. I''ll also see what I can find in terms of uder the bed storage -- great idea!

Ahhhh, I just realized what else is bugging me. We have a lot of books that are in different parts of the condo - one bookase in the living room (that doesn''t match our new "grownup" furniture), two in the spare bedroom, and two in our bedroom. I think I''ll go through books and get rid of ones I don''t need anymore and try to condense them into fewer bookcases.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[nytemist]

In short: not very well!

The condo is 670sq and not big enough for his things, my things and the cats. He inherited some of his sister''s furniture when he moved, so there wasn''t really any space for my things to go when I moved in. Unfortunately, since he didn''t organize, a good chunk of my things (candle holders, pictures, massge chair, more) ended up in the storage unit upstairs. I also still have a lot at my parents house like my bed frame which I refuse to give up.

It would be wonderful to move, but we can''t afford it right now and the market isn''t great for selling.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Zoe, maybe you could move the XBox into the spare bedroom? That seems like the sort of thing that should be confined to the den or the basement, you know, not the main living space of a house (when there''s only one).

 

[DivaDiamond007]

We''re not in a condo, but our house is very small - only about 760 sq. ft. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and also an eat-in-kitchen. For us it was the clutter that had to go. Everything has a place and is in it''s place. We also keep our house clean to make it appear bigger. I collect Longaberger baskets and use those for everyday storage - magazines, mail, keys, etc. They are nice (albeit expensive) and make our place look organized even if it really isn''t.

We also have maxed out our indoor storage. The bedroom closets are small so I use the one in our bedroom and he uses the one in the spare room. We use the front coat closet for coats, blankets, wrapping paper and also the vaccum. The linen closet in the bathroom is for towels, wash cloths, tp, etc. We also store our iron and have a hamper in there.

Before we moved in we had cabinets installed in our laundry room and that has helped a lot - although they are too high up for me and I find myself scaling the washer and dryer to get to the top shelves.

Another thing we did was paint the walls neutral colors. A tan/taupe color in the living room and bedrooms and a nice medium green in the kitchen helped brighten the place up. We also repainted all of the ceilings and got Pergo floors - which looks a LOT more tidy than the linoleum (sp) that was in there before.

Hope this helps!

Jess

 

[phoenixgirl]

I forgot to say that we got a trunk at the foot of our bed to store sheets and towels in. We put a cushion on top so it also doubled as seating.

 

[Kit]

Zoe,

My recommendation is that you re-purpose your 2nd bedroom to a den/office. How often do you have guests sleeping over? If the answer is infrequently, then you are not making the most of this space. Can you get a futon that acts as a couch most of the time? If you are keeping bookshelves in there with stuff on them, this stuff is likely not being used and can be reduced or stored; then get rid of the shelves if you don''t need them. Keep your FIs video games in here with a TV so that he can retreat into this room and the living room can be used as a true living space for communal activities.

Sounds like the 2nd bedroom is more of a catch-all room and no wonder you dont'' enjoy hanging out in there! You''re paying for this bedroom so why not use it to its maximum advantage?

Good luck with it.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

My elderly parents recently moved from my childhood home (1400 sq ft) to a new condo (800 sq ft). Mom is a bit a pack rat, so the transition has been tough! It''s been all about organization.

They''ve made the most of it by using furniture that doubled as storage (coffee table, end table, dining room table), as well as using wall space for storage. Their kitchen had limited cabinet space, so we put up these nice stainless steel shelves on the wall and that''s where their places, mugs, glasses are kept. Kinda like the pic for item #4 on this list: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_small_space/article/0,,HGTV_3382_5553220,00.html (hehe- shameless plug for my network!)

I got the idea flipping through the IKEA catalog- I''m sure their website would also be a great site to peruse and get some inspiration!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thank you all for taking the time to write as much as you have. Our second bedroom is definitely a catch-all. We have a double bed in there right now and my FI would love to gt rid of it, but I want to hang on to it. He snores and I''m a light sleeper -- not a great combination much of the time. So for now, the bed stays. We''ve never had overnight guests but I do use the bed often, unfortunately. I really like the idea of a trunk or a hope chest at the foot of our bed in the master bedroom. I want to wait until we get a real bedroom set and find one that coordinates. Right now, we have a mish-mash of furniture.

I think we will put the XBox in the second bedroom. If it was up me it would be out of here all together but I''d be able to tolerate it more if I didn''t have to see or hear it. I''ve spent the day cleaning and throwing out anything that I haven''t used in quite a while. Knick knacks that are not special pottery pieces -- gone. Books I haven''t read yet or don''t think I"ll read --donated to the town library. I feel better already!

 

[phoenixgirl]

I think you''ll feel better once the XBox is out of sight and he is the one who has to retreat when he wants to play it. My number one cause of dissatisfaction with the condo was that there was nowhere to escape to. When I didn''t want to watch golf for three days straight or whatever DH was watching, I''d go in the second bedroom/office and close the door. But our condo was so small that there were no hallways -- it was just a big square with each room leading off another. So we were literally lying on couches/futons on opposite sides of the same wall watching TVs that were about 7 feet apart. Not enough of an escape if you ask me!

But again, just to put in a plug for tiny "love nest" condo living . . . we''ll always love that condo. We met so many great people whom we still hang out with, and it was just a fun way to experience city life when we could only afford a tiny condo (or a bigger house in the suburbs, but not the fancy schmancy suburbs, the 40 year old suburbs that are new enough not to have charm but old enough not to have the stores and restaurants the happening suburbs have). When we moved I really worried that we wouldn''t spend as much time together and that I''d miss DH, but I still find that we follow each other around the house and suggest that we go sit on the porch together, so no harm done. But that condo will always have a special place in our hearts!

 

[Independent Gal]

My condo is 800 sq ft, 1 bd 1 bath, and FI just moved in. Here''s how we''re doing things:

1) We both sorted through EVERYTHING we own. Anything I hadn''t used or worn for a year or more went to the Salvation Army

2) I got rid of my persnickity bedroom set and FI moved his clean lines bed and love seat in. Anything that was in drawers was then moved into the...

3) ... walk in closet where the magic word is "STACKING!" I went on craigslist and bought tonnes of stacking plastic ''container store'' bins and a hanging sweater thingy as well as some pretty floral printed cardboard boxes from the hardward store. There''s also a metal shelving thingy 2/3 of the way up. So Everything is stacked stacked stacked, right up to the ceiling, with stuff we use often at eye level. Clothes, blankets, suitcases...all stacked. You''d be amazed how much space you have close to the ceiling that you aren''t using! We also store things under the bed, like extra artwork we have no wall space for at the moment.

4) Don''t buy stuff, unless you need it. It''s sooooo easy to collect ''stuff''. But do you REALLY need that new lipstick or new kitchen gadget? (helps us save money for a bigger place, too!) In general, if I buy something, I have to finish or throw out something else first. Only one container of shampoo / body lotion / hair gunk at a time. etc.

5) We have a designated 5 minutes before bed for rushing around putting things away. No clutter allowed! Finished with that ''Economist''? INTO THE RECYCLE BIN! Today''s mail? Throw it out or file it.

I agree that you should make the xbox move into the spare bedroom...

Oh, and have you considered an inflatable bed for in there? I have one that''s super comfy and inflates in less than a minute. Then you could save space and have an emergency sleeping room to protect against snoring! (BTW, I also highly recommend EAR PLUGS! i had an ex who snored and they saved my life.)

 

[Independent Gal]

ARGH! What's with me and the double posts today?!? Sorry.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I don''t think my DH has snored much since he quit smoking 10 weeks ago, but we use a white noise machine because I''m a light sleeper. My roommate in college had one, and at first I thought it was weird, but then I got used to it and missed it. I needed it especially living in the condo because the air conditioner was noisy, the radiators were noisy, and neighbors would sit right outside our bedroom window and talk.

Also, when DH used to snore, sometimes I would just turn his head to the other side. He would rarely wake up but it would usually stop the snoring, at least at that moment.

 

[InlovewithJHK]

We couldn''t deal... we are currently moving from a 900 sq foot condo to a big 4 bedroom house. However, it seems no one wants to buy our little condo which spells big trouble!

The main problem for us was food storage. Our kitchen was so small and we cook A LOT so it was not possible. In terms of where to put your "junk" - it is all at my parents house!

 

[UCLABelle]

InlovewithJHK- I would have bought your little condo

 

[InlovewithJHK]

Date: 8/7/2007 12:51:45 PM
Author: UCLABelle
InlovewithJHK- I would have bought your little condo

ohhh don''t tell me that! The condo is in Hoboken so it is right near you!

 

[musey]

We live in a 840sf 1bed/1bath condo that feels positively spacious--so it's hard to imagine a 1015sf 2bed/1bath being "too small"! We both grew up in large houses, I couldn't begin to approximate the one I lived in... 5 stories w/ a basement and two attics

so I'm not just "used" to small living spaces.

You've gotten a lot of good advice. I think that if you try moving things around (and OUT, in some cases) you'd be surprised at how much space you really have--because 1015sf and 2 bedrooms is a LOT for only two people!


ETA: Something that helps me is spending time outside when possible. Whenever I feel cramped I go for a walk with my dog. It's also a great excuse to just "be," which I would forget to do otherwise.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 8/6/2007 8:42:56 AM
Author: zoebartlett
Those are really great ideas -- thanks everyone! I think the biggest problem is something we can''t do much about: lack of one more room. We share the living room but when my FI wants to play hockey on his XBox, I tend to move into one of the bedrooms to read or watch tv or do whatever. For some reason, hanging out in one of the bedrooms just doesn''t appeal to me. Our spare bedroom is an eyesore of sorts. It has a double bed, two bookcases (foldable, one tall and one short), storage bins for filing important papers, two computer chairs, and a tall desk type of thing from the Christmas Tree Shop that holds my Fi''s computer in there. It''s practical but it takes up more space than I would like. It is vertical storage and the cabinets close, making it less of an eyesore but it''s still bigger than I would like.

I''ll definitely take a look and see what I can come up with for more storage solutions. We do have a storage unit right down the hall, so that''s been helpful. I''ll also see what I can find in terms of uder the bed storage -- great idea!

Ahhhh, I just realized what else is bugging me. We have a lot of books that are in different parts of the condo - one bookase in the living room (that doesn''t match our new ''grownup'' furniture), two in the spare bedroom, and two in our bedroom. I think I''ll go through books and get rid of ones I don''t need anymore and try to condense them into fewer bookcases.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Hi Zoe,

I don''t know if you''re still checking this thread, but I just came to it and it absolutely just jumps off the page that the solution is to overhaul that second bedroom! Think something retro-chic, but clean lines, multipurpose, and using vertical space.

Get rid of the mismatching, insufficient bookcases and convert one wall to several high, matched bookcases. If you''re on a budget, IKEA''s Billy Bookcases work really well, take up next to no floor space, and have a number of door options if you want to make the clutter of books disappear-- from both rooms. You obviously need sleeping space in there, but have you thought about replacing the old double mattress with a high-quality convertible sofa? Rather than taking up 75 square feet of floor space (area of a full bed plus 18" clearance on all sides), it would take up only 20 or so square feet alongside a wall and be comfortable for flopping in there on the sofa during the daylight hours that you HAVE TO get away from the XBox noise. Replace the desk with something you love (whether it''s a secretary, proper desk, or home-office-in-a-cabinet they have at Crate and Barrel) and that fits well with the layout. And unless you have two desktop computers in there, there''s no need to two computer chairs. Treat that room like you''re starting from scratch. Oh yeah, and paint it and put some some window treatment in a color you love!

Catch-all rooms are necessary, but they can be tricky because we don''t give them the attention to detail that we should, you know? Having lived all of my adult life in pricey places (Manhattan, Paris V, SF, WLA), you definitely have to cope with small spaces. I''ve found that if I keep on trying to make furniture that I had purchased for a different place "make do" in a new room, it either works in the first 5 minutes you set it up or NEVER works and you just need to instead buy stuff for your home today.

Good luck, and if you make some changes, be sure to post some "before and after pictures"!

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Fleur-de-lis,

Thanks for replying! We''re going to have a yard sale of sorts, hopefully soon. We''re going to post a for sale sign at our mailbox house (the whole complex uses it) and see what happens. We''re going to sell our kitchen table and chairs that we don''t really use, as well as a few other household items. We''re also going to try to sell the computer cabinet that houses my FI''s computer and other random things. He''s going to donate his computer since he doesn''t use it anymore. I''d love to sugget to our condo association that we have a complex-wide yard sale but I really want this stuff out sooner than something would be planned for (if it was allowed).

I''ve thought about getting a sofa bed, but it would have to be super comfy. I end up in there much of the week because my FI''s snoring keeps me up at night. We also need to save money because we''re planning a wedding right now. I''ll keep this in mind for the future though.

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

 

[eks6426]

What about a murphy bed that you could just swing out of the wall? The room would look bigger when it was up but you could still have a real bed when you need to escape the snoring?