What The Tiny Home Trend Can Teach Us About Home Organization

By now you’ve undoubtedly seen a tiny home, either on a TV show, in a magazine or somewhere on social media. Living simpler lives and doing more with less (in a perfect, tiny home) is all the rage right now.

While this trend is probably a stretch for most of us, it’s helpful to look at your own home through the lens of this craze. Clearly, the folks who actually do live in tiny homes live a de-cluttered lifestyle. But they also have some tricks up their sleeves to stay organized and make their small spaces work for them.

Here are some tips that can help you get the most out of your space—no matter how big or small. 

Use Vertical Space Efficiently

All of the tiny homes use vertical space efficiently. The builders often create a loft with clothing storage at one end of the home and use the space above doors and cabinets to store everything from books to shoes to cleaning supplies.

Take a cue from those with just a few hundred square feet to work with and use vertical space in your own home. Conventional reach-in closets often have just one shelf but extend several feet to your ceiling. Add more shelves and take advantage of this space in your closet to neatly store things you may not use as often, such as heels and dress shoes or out-of-season clothes.

Use Back-of-Door Real Estate

Tiny homes tend to be open and airy to make the space feel as big as it can feel, which means that shelves and closets are open and organized. But when there is a door, you’d better believe it’s used for storage.

Take this tip and get more from the back of your doors—whether in your bedroom, bathroom or walk-in closet. Add extra shoe storage, a place to hang necklaces and earrings, or even scarf storage.

In addition, if you’ve got a custom closet you can take advantage of space behind the door with tie racks, belt racks and even jewelry storage.

Make Furniture Pull Double Duty

In a tiny home an ottoman is never just an ottoman. And in fact, stairs are usually also drawers or bookshelves and a bench always has extra storage. While you might not need your stairs to include built-in shelves, it might make sense to choose a storage ottoman over a regular ottoman, or the nightstand with multiple shelves.

Store Things Where You Use Them Most

People who live in tiny homes don’t have a lot of stuff in the first place. But the stuff they do have is stored in extremes—either at the ready or hidden away in a unique storage spot. It’s a lesson in using storage effectively. That means using every inch of storage, and keeping things where they really make sense. For example, you might store your most frequently used shoes, coats and even dog supplies in the mudroom or entryway.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Declutter

Some people are drawn to tiny homes because they want to be more mobile, commune with nature or just live a simpler life. But moving from a typical home or condo to a tiny home takes some planning.

These tiny home-dwellers declutter early and often. They also question whether they need something before they buy, reuse items and recycle what they can. It helps them, and can help you, keep your spaces from becoming unwieldy.

If you’re interested in taking home organization to the next level, reach out to us. We can take a look at your space (and your stuff) and develop a solution that’ll work for you.

Contact us for a free, in-home consultation.

Images courtesy of TumbleWeed Tiny Homes and Curbed