Thursday, September 15, 2011

Your small home...reasons to love it

Hang ‘em high. Look in the picture above and see how they've used wire racks on the wall above your sink to add S-hooks, and hang cooking utensils. It’ll free up a drawer or two.
Nooks and crannies. Bare walls above a phone nook or cabinets, and underneath windows, beg for storage. Make use of that open space above your cabinets with store-bought shelves and brackets painted to match the cabinets.

A freestanding window seat stores rarely-used kitchen gadgets and provides additional seating.
Remember, there's plenty of perks that come with your smaller home:  lower taxes, less maintenance, lower heating & cooling costs, and often times less lawn to mow! 

Yes, you can! Squeeze a small office into your small home, that is. But that doesn’t mean you have to take over one of the kids’ bedrooms—just look for under-utilized space.

One idea might be a store-bought island to be used in the kitchen for bill-paying to a breakfast nook.
Another idea might be to use a closet to accommodate a built-in desk, shelves, and lighting. Make a nearby chair do double duty for your desk.  Whoa!  Never thought of that before.... :)
Those out-of-the-way spaces. Alcoves, lofts, stair landings, basement and garage corners, and bedroom nooks qualify as potential office space. Use freestanding shelving units and bookcases. Plants or privacy screens can “wall” the area without making it feel smaller.

Under-used dining rooms. Formal dining rooms can be overrated. If yours isn’t being used regularly, convert it to a small office. You’ll be close to your main entry, making it easy to receive clients and business associates. If a nearby kitchen or other busy household area is a noisy distraction, install French or sliding doors as acoustic barriers.