HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A SMALL SPACE

I am SO EXCITED to announce that I will be moving back to Boston this summer!! Any one who knows me, knows I have been living down in the NYC area for way too long and I miss Boston. I am so happy the day has finally come when I get to move back to my favorite city in the world and truly call it home.

I am writing this blog post kind of as a check list to myself. Jon and I really lucked out with our current apartment. We live right over the river in Jersey City and we have an 800 square foot apartment with views of the Hudson River and NYC skyline. It’s truly beautiful and I will always be thankful for experiencing it (especially as my first apartment). We lucked out with that building because truly, 800 square foot apartments really don’t exist anymore… A typical one bedroom is now 500 square feet. We have decided to sell all our current furniture and start from scratch for our new apartment. I want this apartment to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but also feel like home.

Here are my top tips to make the most out of a tiny apartment:

MIRRORS

Mirrors can be your saving grace in a tiny apartment! They make the room feel bigger while also adding more light to the room if they are positioned correctly. You can strategically place your mirrors so they reflect the natural light from your windows into darker corners of the room. This will create an illusion of depth and make the room feel much bigger than it really is. You can also use mirrors in place of art works to spruce up your walls.

COLOR SCHEME

The smaller the space, the lighter your color palette needs to be. If you have a tiny bedroom and put all dark color furniture in it, the room will instantly feel smaller. Try using light colors like white, light grey, soft pastels and the room will feel brighter and more open. Naturally, the human eye will be drawn to the darker color, if you keep everything light and muted, your eyes will feel like the space isn’t as crowded.

MULTITASKING FURNITURE

This is a great idea to save space in tiny apartments but still have the storage you need. Try investing in a couch that has storage under the cushions or a sleeper sofa if you tend to have guest overnight a lot. You can also get a coffee table that doubles as hidden storage. I also suggest going to Target or Walmart and buying storage cubbies that will fit under your bed. Those definitely come in handy!

PLANTS

Now, this might not make your space look bigger, but it will definitely make you feel less like you are living in a tiny box. Plants remind you of the outdoors. They almost have a calming affect on the body that just makes you feel good. Having a vase in your kitchen area with some fresh cut flowers will make your apartment feel more put together. If you have the room, getting a nice green leaf plant (fake is easiest) to throw in a corner will add some liveliness to your apartment that should make the apartment feel more homey.

TRY TO HAVE SOME ORGANIZATION FOR THE SPACE

This is something Jon and I do NOT currently have. I was still in college when Jon moved down to NYC and I moved down after graduation. We didn’t get to deign the space together, he basically just got what he could, put it in the apartment, and called it a day. When I moved down, I was moving my stuff into a place that already had a lot of “stuff.” When we move back to Boston, we are going to start from square one and completely design this place ourselves to make it what we both want. So, this gets to my point, organization is KEY. Also, try to only keep what your truly truly need. There is so much stuff in our current apartment that we never use. When you are living in a tiny space, clutter will start to drive you crazy!

VERTICAL STORAGE

Vertical storage is key for small spaces. Shelving units, stacked cubbies, etc. These are all places that you can use for stores and you can also use them for decor. You will get the most out of your square feet when you maximize your wall space.

LESS IS MORE

At the end of the day, if you know your space is small, all these tips will help with the illusion and the feel of a bigger space, but they won’t add square feet. Abiding by the “Less is More” rule, you won’t feel as “trapped” in your tiny space. There is no need to fill every wall with artwork and pictures and every corner doesn’t need something in it. “Less is more” will help your brain view the space as less cluttered. If clutter stresses you out like it does for me, this will definitely help!

---

I hope you have found these tips to be helpful! It’s truly about being smarter with your space, it’s not about having more space. There are so many ways to make your tiny apartment feel open and breathable!! If you are on the hunt for an apartment like I am now, definitely keep natural light at the top of your list!

DREAM CAPE HOUSE #CAPEHOUSEGOALS

One of my biggest goals in life is to have my dream Cape house. Jon and I have the same dream which is motivating for both of us. I have been fortunate to have summered on Cape Cod and I want to provide the same experience for my future kids. Summering on the Cape is something I will forever be grateful for and has shaped who I am today. I have developed a deep love for the ocean and for nature. I love to be outside, breathing in the fresh air or swimming in the salty sea. I would be happy and thankful living in any house on the Cape, but, we all have our dream homes. And a girl can dream, can’t she!? Here are the things that could make my future Cape house a dream Cape house and #CapeHouseGoals:

HOME ON THE WATER

My motivation is to make my dream a reality. I love the ocean and I dream of the day where I wake up in my own home, looking out on to the ocean. I plan to work hard enough in my career and be successful enough that this will be my reality. Being able to wake up and see and smell the ocean is literally the best feeling in the world. Having a little deck off your bedroom like this photo is a plus. Imaging sipping your morning tea, breathing in the ocean air and basking in the sun. Sign me up.

DOCK FOR THE BOAT

I have grown up on the water and on boats. I have a huge boating family and my brother and dad are big fishermen. Summer days when we were on the boat were always the best. I loved meeting up with other boats and just hanging out all day. Boating is such a big part of Cape Cod and know it’s something I will have in my future if I work hard enough. Having a dock where you can just walk right out to your back yard and hop on the boat to cruise over to the vineyard for dinner is definitely something at the top of my list!

POOL

A pool is a must. I love the ocean, but since I want to have a dock, it won’t really be swimming water. Also the water doens’t really get warm in the Cape till mid July. Having a beautiful heated pool with lounge chairs for sun bathing in is definitely something on my check list! Jon specifically wants an infinity pool that will look out to the ocean. If you coudln’t tell already, we both have really big goals!!

OUTDOOR HANG OUT SPACE

Like I have said before, I love being outside, especially in the summer. When it’s a warm summer night, it’s so nice to be able to sit on the patio, around a fire pit and have a nice glass of wine with friends. Having a home that has outdoor space is definitely high on my list! A bunch of big comfy couches around a fit pit, with a view of the ocean sounds amazing.

HYDRANGEAS

I love hydrangeas and I want them everywhere. They are so quintessential, classic Cape Cod and I don’t think you can have a Cape house without them. I know the landscaping of my future home will be very important.

Do you have a dream home and a dream home location? Let me know in the comments below whats most important to your dream home!