Small House Solutions

Excerpts & photos from   Small House? 10 Big Ideas and  Small House? Solutions for More Space


Other articles I haven't perused: How to Get Organized in a Small House Interior Windows: Make a Small Space Brighter & Larger     Making This Home: Simple Joys of a Small Kitchen 


Small Space Organization Ideas

This image from Better Homes & Gardens is one of my favorite small rooms. Not only do I love how this room looks, I love how it functions. It has so many solutions for small spaces.

• The furniture has small or tight arms.
• The round ottoman allows an easy flowing traffic pattern in and out of the conversation area.
• The tray on top of the ottoman doubles the use as a functional coffee table.
• The nesting tables are slender and of course can be separated to offer another table to a guest.
• The tall vertical bookshelves offer a lot of storage in a small room.

...[CHAIR] legs, which take up a less visual weight.


RENOVATIONS:

Bumped out windows
can really enlarge an awkward space.
For much less than adding on an entire room,
you can transform the room you have.

Knock out walls, like this staircase.

Add interior glass doors for charm and to bring light and
movement through a house. In this case, by simply adding some roller
shades or curtains to these doors you can have an instantly private guest room

Install windows and doors to the outside.
Visually your space will expand even on a dreary day.

Create a courtyard patio. I love this idea and actually put in a
courtyard like this in my old house.
It doubled our living space in mild weather and
was so much more charming than a worn patch of grass.


By building in drawers and cabinets, you can
create a lot more function in a small space. Use Nooks and crannies.

clear shower doors can double the visual room size
and windows can add in lots of light.

Vault a ceiling to make a room more spacious and dramatic.