Living with less..
I've been on the search for small space solutions. We decided on a studio sublease for our transition to New York and now begins the task of downsizing our household. Though living in a teeny-tiny space will not be forever, the idea of "living with less" has sparked an interest. From time to time it catches up with me the amount of things we live with and find necessary to keep around. The hub and I both come from families with homes with basements packed to brim with things, closets that become overflowing, and the constant need to clean out and reorganize. I'm not saying it's in any way wrong to live that way, but we've got to figure out a way to break the mold if the two us are going to remain sane in our studio apartment with a pup.
Last night I stumbled across this home on AT. Laura Cattano is a professional organizer and as I was wandering around her website, this stuck out to me, she writes "I help my clients to move from consuming unconsciously to consciously; to break the cycle of over-consumption and unhappiness; to living for and with what you truly love and need. This approach is not only better for your space and for you spiritually, it's better for your wallet and even the planet."
Simple right? I'm curious if any if you have thoughts on the topic or even resources for living in teeny tiny apartments :)
decorating 
Reader Comments (29)
I often find myself fantasizing about living in a tiny studio apartment with very little things - but the things I do have are very very nice. In my fantasy, of course. I used to watch a show on HGTV called Small Spaces, Big Style that was always inspiring. Good luck with your transition and finding a way to live with less!
I've lived in some really small spaces. I decluttered using advice from www.flylady.net and learned you can't organize clutter (I'd move things all around - and store them in new containers when really I needed to pare down my belongings). Flylady also talks about only keeping things that bring a smile to your face or things you absolutely need. With this in mind, I was able to get rid of things that caused me to go "ugh" when I looked at them.
Laura has a blog that I read daily: http://theorderobsessed.blogspot.com/
She's got wonderful inspiration.
One more thing I had to do was develop a place for every item in my apartment...so that piles of "stuff" didn't build up.
Hope this helps. Good luck in your transition to NYC living!!
Ooh I can sympathize. We aren't in a studio, but the boy & I have been living in a one-bedroom apartment with about 500 sq ft... it's definitely a challenge sometimes when it comes to all of the STUFF. I'm always looking to declutter and organize and streamline, but it can be so hard! I'd love to hear of any solutions or tips you come across. Good luck!
My husband and I spent 15 months sharing a 250sf apartment in order to save up a down payment. We moved into a 600 sf apartment in Brooklyn (that we own) a few weeks ago and it feels gigantic.
The big things for us were multipurpose furniture (ie. desk/dining table/work table big enough to fit two) and really eliminating the stuff we didn't "need".
It's an adjustment, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!
For me, the biggest problem has been in the kitchen, as I love to cook. A lot. So---the things to keep in mind are how to get everything to fit in whatever cabinet space you will have, and try to display the rest as part of the actual room. I love love love Frigoverre glass storage jars, pyrex, and milk glass, and these have all become part of my decor for lack of storage.
http://findingmykd.blogspot.com/2009/11/apartment-update.html
Certainly doesn't work for everything, but you can at least try! Also, try and do the paring down BEFORE you leave for New York instead of living with waaay too many boxes and trying to go through everything and such. That...that is a pain. And if you find that there are some things you know you don't really want but you still feel some attachment to them, take a picture! Do a walk through of your house with a video camera and talk about all the memories you made...and use it as a jumping off point for the new exciting things to come!
Something that really reduces clutter (yet some are loathe to take the step) is to get rid of all CDs and DVDs, and purchase a netflix subscription and just start listening to Pandora, or last.fm, etc...unless they are movies you watch more than three times a year, you don't really need them. During high school, I bought a bunch of disney DVDs (I babysat a lot) with their "going back into the disney vault! buy now or lose it forever!" --- ugh what a marketing ploy. I've passed them along to friends with kids instead of saving them for my children. Just silly.
In terms of crafting/sewing stuff, make a conscious effort to get all the little projects done that you've been "saving" before you leave. That way you can start afresh in a space that you you know you can really have only one thing going at a time.
Also---I know this may be different for you as you already have things, but when I moved into my apartment, I didn't get any furniture for the first two months (I'm a graduate student living in an apartment in an undergrad dorm, so they gave me a bed for the time being). It really helped me figure out what I absolutely needed.
I lived in the tiiiiiniest 350 sq ft apartment with my boyfriend in manhattan for two years and while after those two years were up I declared it impossible to live in anymore, it feels amazing to know that you can survive on such little space, and to downgrade all your crap. I became a Tetris master in the two itty bitty closets we had, and learned the value in installing shelving high up around the rooms. We stored all of our books on top of the cabinets in the kitchen!
It also forces you to get out more, and if you're moving to a new-to-you neighborhood, all the more reason to get out.
Good luck! Where are you guys going to be subletting?
Living with less is so great! It is a big part of my lifestyle & I wouldn't change it for anything. You save time, money, and energy. There are SO many great blogs out there about small space resources, creative ideas, and helpful products!
http://www.wisebread.com/small-space-survival-strategies
http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=18962497
http://www.smallspacelivingmagazine.com/
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/small-home-space
http://www.hgtv.com/topics/small-space/index.html
http://smallspaceliving.blogspot.com/
Books:
+ Libby Langdon's Small Space Solutions: Secrets for Making Any Room Look Elegant and Feel Spacious on Any Budget
+ Living Large in Small Spaces: Expressing Personal Style in 100 to 1,000 Square Feet
+ 500 Ideas for Small Spaces: Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less
Hope that helps you get a good start :D
we moved into a cow stable converted into a loft living space. (im talking climbing a hay loft ladder to get to bed every night) i wont even call it a apt, or house, maybe the closest is bungalow. But a home none the less. But its great. once you get the just of whenever you bring something in, you take something out. IN all areas, like you buy some sweaters, you get rid of some.
My husband was a huge help. See, i came from a home where my mother is a pack rat. not quite a hoarder, but close. And my husby lives sorta nomadically in spirit. One day he will say, all this stuff has to go, and there he goes, packing up it all and selling it on craigslist, or giving it charity.
OH yeah and the best perk, of living in a tiny of all tiny places, (maybe our space is 500 sq feet) we have a two year old! it makes living lovely. close. we have only one closet, one internal door, and its to the bathroom. the claw foot tub in there doubles as a getaway.
It is great. wish you all the best in your transition in to simplified life.
I live ina small space, that apartment was so inspiring - thanks for shaiing it. :-) I used to have AT in my google reader but with it's 100s of posts a day it was hard for me to keep up with it.
I've been living tiny in Manhattan for 12 years, and I'm a huge crafter and cook, so I have lots of supplies to stash. Here are some strategies I've developed...
-think strategically about furniture pieces and only bring in items with maximum storage capacity. Get or build a bed that has 12-14" clearance underneath and you can fit 9 of those big plastic storage bins! Big high shelving units are key too.
-Closed storage is great when possible - ie, cabinets or armoire vs open shelves - visually looks much less cluttered.
-edit your wardrobe aggressively! I do this EVERY season and never keep things that I don't wear. (I constantly donate to Salvation Army and every year I get a pretty nice tax deduction for all my clothing donations.)
-1 set of sheets only! And get rid of as many duplicates as you can of many household things.
-I've found that I just can't indulge in some of the things I'd like, such as saving magazines forever, or picking up things on a whim when shopping. Sometimes it's hard, but you just have to resist buying things unless you really have a spot for it.
-let family know you can't accumulate "stuff" and hopefully they'll give gifts accordingly. (Gifts tend to make up a large percentage of clutter that we don't really want but feel guilty getting rid of.)
-a previous commenter was totally right about DVDs and CDs - don't bring em. And for me, same goes for books. I try to only keep books I'll use again for reference. It's nice to have all those novels around, but for me they just don't make the cut in terms of real estate.
-a cohesive color palette in decorating helps a lot too. In my tiniest apartment, everything was beige and white, and it really helped it to feel visually uncluttered.
Good luck!
I love what she writes, and that is simple!
I personally have moved around so much, and btwn countries too, that I have stopped accumulating stuff, and I try to only buy/keep what I really need! I found that I have thrown away so much stuff over the years, and that's all money wasted that I perhaps could have put away for a vacation, or a memorable dinner at a fancy restaurant :)
Good luck with the move, and enjoy downsizing!
My hubby and I just downsized from our 2000+ sq.ft. home (which we rented out) to move into our small condo we own in downtown Seattle. It was eye opening how much we had to downsize to make it work. So far I'm noticing I can easily live with less :) I really enjoy it! Plus we save a ton of money each month because of it!
I had to downsize when I needed to move everything I owned in my car(!!!) from Minnesota to Connecticut. It was really liberating to sell some items, donate even more, and make other people happy with a decent (quick) craigslist sale. I don't regret getting rid of any furniture that could simply be replaced by another store. About 2-3 months before the move, I made "Alissa's Extremely Anal Packing List" to figure out just what to do with every item and that helped a LOT in the last week.
However, I can imagine it will be hard for you two relatively newlyweds to pare down when you've probably only recently acquired a lot of things. My suggestion is to get SUPER creative with your bedding. If you can, try lofting the bed about 2 or 3 feet (maybe your hubby can build a platform?) so that you can store loads of stuff you don't need every day under the bed. Maybe something like this or this:
http://www.mcwoodworksinc.com/images/king_loft_bed_Sinek.jpg
http://www.thefurniture.com/store/images/Ashley/bedroom/I-Zone/B151-LOFT-SD.jpg
GOOD LUCK!
I'm in a 200sq ft studio and let me tell you, it's sooooo hard to stay organized, neat and tidy. I don't know how I accumulate so much stuff so quickly! I really have to do weekly de-cluttering passes, take the recycling out EVERY other day (that takes up a TON of space). I've def been trying to cut back on purchasing but with the holidays, I'm swamped with gifts for my family, wrapping paper, tape, ribbon...it's a disaster! lol
I try to follow the one in - one out line of thinking. If I buy something new, something old has to go to the local thrift store or curb where it's usually snatched up in 10min or less.
I love this post!
I've moved so often that I consciously edit as I go and need to know what's in every closet and that I'm using it or love it. The exception is books - my collection keeps expanding. But they are my life, so that's okay. I think however much stuff you have, the key is for it all to be authentic to you and your life. It's when it's clutter with no meaning or personal value that I think you need to step back and assess.
I love that photograph. The white-on-white color scheme makes things feel so calming. Thanks for posting about living with less - I love that idea.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ is great for inspiration. http://zenhabits.net/ is also good for a general frugal attitude/state of mind resource.
I actually find it liberating to free myself of so much stuff. You have to be brave enough to part with things that you haven't touched in a year or so (important documents aside). I would suggest start with clothes and perhaps the bookshelf. I found that I kept lots of clothes I no longer wore and textbooks from my college days were taking up lots of space (not to mention college notebooks). Once you start getting rid of stuff and seeing how much room you have, it should get the ball rolling enough where you'll want to tackle just about everything else - the closet of knick knacks, extra craft items, kitchen items, unnecessary furniture that won't work in the new space, shoes you never wear, CDs, etc!!!
Good luck and I hope to see pictures of your new place when you're all set up!
Where are you subletting?! I hope your search wasn't too awful. I know it can be kind of a nightmare. But that's the price you pay to live in the greatest the city in the world.
I only ever lived in a studio by myself and I feel like I still had too much stuff packed in there. I'm going to check out this website, I may need her help.
Good luck with your move!
The timing on this is perfect - I just made my third downsize [2200sq ft, 1400sq ft, and now finally 690sq ft] literally last night. Was thinking even this morning, I bet Whitney has some posts I should check out. I'm excited to take a look at the things folks left in your comments!
Thanks! And congrats on the move love! Hope you are well!
Oo oo, a subject close to my heart. I do have some ideas/resources that have been helpful which I'll have to pass onto when I can find them! BUT to make you feel better, i'm living in a teeny studio with a husband and a french bulldog puppy and i can't say that I mind a bit. We're saving money and we live in a fabulous area next to kensington palace. I'm not weighed down by loads of crap I don't need, so it's good all around. I am blessed (and by blessed I mean i took great care in finding the right place) that has good built in storage for stupid annoying things that you have to have like suitcases.
Good luck! I'm excited for you
My boyfriend and I have lived in tiny apartments for 12 years, and it is always a challenge. I agree with comments above, especially re. furniture pieces with closed storage, using bed risers to create more room underneath, and installing shelving high on the wall for books and other stuff too precious to part with. You really have to make use of vertical space. And as others said, if you don't use an object on a regular basis, and it doesn't have sentimental value, then you have to get rid of it. Also, I agree with the comment about letting your family/friends know that you don't need any more stuff for gifts. I ask for experience-related gifts, like tickets to a concert or show, gift certificates to restaurants, or food items that will be consumed, or very small items like jewelry. One more thing, if you have enough sq. footage, you can build out shelves on an entire wall, then install a curtain from the ceiling that can be closed across the entire wall to hide excess junk, so it looks like a "soft wall." Hope this helps!
I posted a few pics of a small apartment on my blog a few days ago:
http://silkpetal.blogspot.com/2009/11/small-and-pretty.html
I love this apartment, it is not messy and there are lots of whites, so if looks like it's bigger than it really is. Yet, it is decorated with care, so it really seems cosy too.
I also like this tiny Paris apartment:
http://www.leblogdelamechante.fr/2009/10/27/chez-wam-visite-guidee/
To be honest it's a bit too cluttered and girly for my taste. But I can't help admiring people who manage to survive in such little spaces! :)
At the moment I'm living in a studio apartment which is rather small (about 40m²). But my boyfriend and I just started living together and we don't have much furniture. So space is not a problem yet. But in the future I dream of living in a HUGE house with a big garden! Some little apartments can be really cute, but they're not really my thing. I prefer big spaces :D
I totally get what you mean with this. We just moved from a small space to a bigger space and I'm really conscious about the things I buy for the place. I want to keep things as minimal as possible, because I came from a very cluttered environment. My mom buys all sorts of memorabilia in the form of figurines and other such wastes of money. And she doesn't buy just one, she buys the whole set. And the whole house that I grew up in was cluttered as hell, they n ever threw anything out. I'm the opposite. Yet it's hard to draw the line, I love so many things! And somehow, we amass STUFF over time. Anyway, good luck with your move and kudos on keeping things light around the house! I love the idea of living with less. Even if it's really hard for me to accomplish sometimes!
www.jaeveandthings.blogspot.com
thanks for sharing that quote. very thought provoking :)
Simple living (and there's a whole movement out there under that name or the name voluntary simplicity) is freeing. We recently moved cross country too and into a slightly smaller space. Though it can be hard to realize that you're not what you own, I have to say it's wonderful knowing that what we have fits into our home, no extraneous sheds, the closest are used just for clothes ad a little storage (holiday decorations, camping equipments, extra bedding, etc.) and that we no longer just have boxes of "stuff".
Just remember that living with less stuff often encourages you to put quality over quantity. When you have in mind that you have a limit on items like clothes or decorations, you end up making sure that what you have is really worth it (no more I'm going to get it because it's pretty and some day I might use it).
Good luck and just remember "quality over quantity".