How do you know when you've 'right-sized'?
And a few ideas for making smaller spaces work for you
Hi, friends. I’ve been hearing the term rightsize thrown around a lot lately.
If you’re an empty nester, rightsize is often code for downsize. That’s also true if you’re one of the increasing number of families who go all-in on the American dream, complete with 4,227 square feet and an indoor ‘fitness center’, until you realize you don’t want to spend your whole life cleaning and also you hate working out. (Ditto with the ‘home theatre’— you know you actually just watch TikToks on your phone).
But the idea of rightsizing can feel a little more tricky if you never lived large. If you graduated from an apartment or college dorm to another apartment, or your parent’s basement, or even a ‘starter home’ (that you are 1000% sure you are never ever going to leave because it has a now-unbeatable interest rate…), how do you know you have ‘enough’ space?
As I was looking around my house— a 1,200 square foot, 2 bedroom home that houses 2 full size humans and 2 pint sized ones— I had just a few cheeky thoughts about knowing we’ve right-sized our square footage and our stuff:
We have enough chairs and comfy couch spots for everyone to sit in (even if guests come!), but apparently not enough to keep my toddlers from perpetually fighting over the exact. same. one.
My husband recently discovered he had more than a dozen hats he never wore, and we promptly offered them up to our Buy Nothing group. I definitely did not help him discover this by putting dated Post-it notes under the brim of said hats, then wait several months for him to find them.
We have several empty drawers and a few vacant shelves in our kitchen. This is a source of perpetual bewilderment to anyone looking for a can opener or dessert plate who then has to wonder what kind of aliens live here because what kind of human has empty space in their kitchen?!
We don’t keep ‘just-in-case’ shoes or sweatshirts or pretty much anything that collects dust on a shelf, but we have 48 rolls of toilet paper at a time? Thanks, Who Gives a Crap.
Also I randomly hoard somewhere in the vicinity of the whole collection from my favorite small children’s book publisher because it’s a constant source of anxiety that they will go under and I won’t be able to find their books ever again. Priorities.
Are you feeling right-sized? If not, there are a few things you can do to make a shift in your home— all without hiring a moving van.
Think About Your Family’s Heat Map
Have you seen this heat map of where people spend most of their time? In most homes, the entire family clusters in the kitchen and family room the vast majority of the time. Formal living and dining areas are rarely used, and bedrooms might be used almost exclusively for sleeping (which, to be fair, is their primary purpose).
The point is, we have lots of wasted space. And while the price per square foot of home varies widely by region, in the United States it is pretty universally over $100 per square foot— and in some areas, home buyers are paying as much as $800 for a space smaller than the average Amazon package.
Feel free to challenge all the expectations and limitations you have for your existing space. I think this is probably second nature in a small apartment, but even us suburbanites could benefit from using our space more creatively. Challenge the idea that each child needs their own bedroom, or even that the parents should get the largest room. Consider turning the ‘dining room’ into a work out space or home office— or ditch the idea that you need a home office at all. You’re paying a tiny fortune for the space anyway— you might as well make it work for you.
Consider Improving the ‘Functionality’ of Certain Areas
I’m a big believer that, 99% of the time, humans will grow into the space they have, whether that’s a one-bedroom apartment or a 4,000 square foot estate. But that doesn’t mean the space always works the exact way you need it to right off the bat.
We grow into the space we have— whether that’s a one-bedroom apartment. or a 4,000 square foot estate.
When we moved into our home 5 years ago, the kitchen was on our list of things to update. The space wasn’t as functional as we hoped for and, minor detail, a few years after moving in the cabinets began literally falling off the walls (if you ever open your cabinet to find your plates at a 45 degree angle, that might be why…). When we finally re-did the kitchen last year, an extra foot of counter top space and changing the door placement under the island made for a significantly more workable kitchen for our family, all without increasing its square footage. (Side-note, but if you’re pining for a kitchen renovation, Laura Fenton of Living Small has a great piece on why gut kitchen renovations are out).
Chances are, there’s a wall you could knock out (or, in some cases, add) or a space you could re-design that would make a ‘too small’ space suddenly feel like a better fit. But you don’t have to do a complete revamp to marginally improve the way your home works for you.
Try installing shelving or hooks in the ‘drop spots’ near the front or garage doors. Ditto for adding an ‘out bin’ for returns and donations.
Use a closet system to maximize your storage space. Most closets have lots of ‘dead space’— the entire bottom half of the closet where things pile up, and the upper dead space that’s too difficult to reach if things are precariously stacked. A closet system with custom drawers and shelves can help solve this problem— and may even allow you to ditch the dresser.
Store out-of-season clothes out of the way. Pick a top shelf or a drawer under your bed to store everything you won’t be reaching for in the middle of winter. This seems like a small shift, but could easily double the amount of space available in your closet.
Consider mounting instead of floor placement. A wall-mounted TV or floating bookshelves are equally functional to an entertainment center or standard book shelf, but the lack of legs tricks you into thinking the space is suddenly more airy. This is also great for opening up a wee bit more floor space.
Take advantage of double duty + hidden storage options. If you’re working with a really tight space, consider furniture that does double duty— for example, a couch with built in blanket storage, an elevated bed with drawers underneath, or a counter-height kitchen island that doubles as your table.
And if your house is still feeling like it’s bursting at the seams, maybe it’s a good time to get rid of your junk.
Etc.
George Carlin’s comedy routine about stuff makes me laugh every time… “That’s all your house is: A pile of stuff with a cover on it.” It’s an oldie but a goodie.
If you’re looking for a way to help those impacted by recent disasters— including the earthquake in Morocco— I’ve recently become enamored with World Central Kitchen’s mission to deliver nutritious meals to the front lines of humanitarian crises and natural disasters. They are a 4 star Charity on Charity Navigator and have an A+ rating on Charity Watch.
I recently heard a thought provoking perspective from The Minimalists about virtue signaling— here it is on Instagram or TikTok. I think it offers some nuance on the ‘virtue signaling good’ vs. ‘virtue signaling bad’ debate, and I’m thinking I’ll dive more into that soon.