Home » Small Homes » 4 Tips on Designing a Small Home

4 Tips on Designing a Small Home

small frame on hillsideIn the past years, many people have already downsized their home to a more manageable living arrangement that is kinder on the budget. Then some of these people realized they can go even smaller! The tiny house trend is growing, and it is increasingly popular with all of those people who opt for a simpler lifestyle and wish to live within their means. If you are looking for options on building a small home, here are four tried-and-true tips that will help you in achieving a comfortable design.

Dual Purpose Rooms in a Small Home

A smaller house means smaller space, which in turn translates to less number of rooms. If you are a person who simply must have certain features in your house, consider building rooms that double in their purpose. For instance, you can have a home-office that doubles as a guest room, or take a page out of European design books and install your washer in the kitchen. If you can buy a machine that is both a washer and drier, even better!

Space Saving Built-ins

We all know the importance of ample storage for house owners. You will find that with a small living space creative built-in furniture will be your best friend. Use the space under your stairs as bookshelves and the steps as pull-out drawers for your everyday catchalls. Murphy beds are an excellent solution for dual purpose rooms and you can even hide them behind sliding bookcases or fold-out office desks.

On-demand Water Heaters

You can save at least a third of your utility space if you forgo the bulky water heater tank that continually circulates water costing you a fortune in electricity. Instead, consider installing water heater solutions that work only when you are in need of hot water. They can easily fit on the wall leaving no footprint on your utility or bathroom floor. As an added benefit, you will see a nice drop in your monthly electric bill.

Light, Light, Light!

It is the number one rule of all small-space dwellers: light gives you a sense of space. Install windows wherever you can. Large picture windows go nicely in living rooms, small windows can be tucked in between built-in furniture, and tubular skylights can bring natural light into hard-to reach corners. Make sure you also install light fixtures to keep you well illuminated at night and stick to light color schemes throughout your design.

[hr]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top