Designing for a small(er) space

[rdawson808]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are about to start searching for our first home. It will by financial necessity be smaller than where we currently live. That means going from about 850-900 sqft to as little as 700. Our current place is already a bit small for us so this move will put a serious crimp in our lives.

Does anyone have any recommendations of design websites or magazines that focus on small spaces? Basically the only thing I'm aware of is the Small Spaces, Big Style show on HGTV (or whatever channel it's on).

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are about to start searching for our first home. It will by financial necessity be smaller than where we currently live. That means going from about 850-900 sqft to as little as 700. Our current place is already a bit small for us so this move will put a serious crimp in our lives.

Does anyone have any recommendations of design websites or magazines that focus on small spaces? Basically the only thing I'm aware of is the Small Spaces, Big Style show on HGTV (or whatever channel it's on).

This may seem tangental, but a trip to Europe is in order. I visited some home improvement stores in Europe and brought a sketch pad and picked up a bunch of the free literature on their products. They have many innovative, beautiful ways of dealing with small spaces.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

800 sq ft is a luxury is most big cities. My first advice would be to get rid of unnecessary "modernities" like huge TVs, big stereo systems, gigantic couches (a small < 7ft two seaters sofa and a bunch of seatings is better even if you plan on socializing a lot). My second advice is, if you like to cook, get a big kitchen.

!luc

 

[rdawson808]

We already have plans to lose the couch and replace it with (my vote) a love seat and on chair or just a smaller couch. We will also be replacing old crap bookcases with new taller ones so they take up less floor space. We only own one television and we simply cannot afford to replace it with a flat panel. So for a while it and the credenza on which it sits will have to take up space. We're also getting rid of other various things that are currently taking up storage space (unused sporting goods, extra pieces of luggage, etc.).

We are pretty much down to the bare bones for many things. To be honest the kitchen and the closets are the issues.

Maybe it's just a case of coming up with clever storage for clothes and shoes and taking whatever kitchen we get and re-habbing it to fit more stuff (pull-out drawers on lower cabinets for pots and pans, etc.).

b

 

[Kent Wang]

A hanging pot rack will save a great deal of space.

Get rid of the TV altogether. It will change your life.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Ikea is your friend for the kitchen. Fire up their kitchen design computer tool and get as many cabinets as you can cramp in.
sporting goods take a lot of space too: get rid of them. Who need to exercize anyway?
When I wrote getting rid of big TV, I didn't mean to replace it with a flat panel, it meant no more TV.
closet space is always a problem, solutions are folding, boxes, and charity.

!luc

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel

When I wrote getting rid of big TV, I didn't mean to replace it with a flat panel, it meant no more TV.
closet space is always a problem, solutions are folding, boxes, and charity.

!luc

Exactly. I don't think that I have turned on our TV more than four times in the last year. I wish it wasn't there, but it would cost me more to get rid of it than I would want to spend.

Closets are a problem no matter how big or small the space. They are always too small.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Exactly. I don't think that I have turned on our TV more than four times in the last year. I wish it wasn't there, but it would cost me more to get rid of it than I would want to spend.

Closets are a problem no matter how big or small the space. They are always too small.

You don't watch movies? I never watch TV but I love my movies...

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

You don't watch movies? I never watch TV but I love my movies...
the macmini takes care of the movies. !luc

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel

the macmini takes care of the movies.

!luc

I'll refrain from commenting about the macmini...

But do you seriously watch movies on a 20" screen? And here I am thinking about projecting to a 90" ;p

 

[LabelKing]

There was a boutique company that produced very retro-looking TVs at an high price that I think would look good.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

There was a boutique company that produced very retro-looking TVs at an high price that I think would look good.
Brionvega TVs are classics. The picture is awful and they really don't work very well. Beautiful stuff though.

 

[LabelKing]

It always seemed to me that the Italians, while providing and focusing on extremely fine design, could never quite get the technical aspects right, ending up with beautifully made shoddy objects.

The exception might be Olivetti's typewriters or Lancia's cars but in the case of the latter, they collapsed under their own insolvent weight and sheer quality control.

If you wanted something nicely designed(not quite as florid, very Bauhaus-strict) but well-made, then the Germans would have provided you with their products, but of course these days, who knows?

Actually, I remember there was another American company that also produced expensive retro television sets.

 

[faustian bargain]

maybe check out some Airstream floorplans for inspiration:

http://www.airstream.com/product_lin...eck_plans.html

there's a bunch more if you click around.

when thinking about minimizing space, most anything that can be built-in is going to take up less area than freestanding furniture.

Also try to utilize/design multifunctional pieces - benches with built-in storage, horizontal surfaces that fold up into the wall when not in use (tables, ironing boards, beds), walls that are storage units, etc.

Prefab modular is another possibility. (I happen to have just started working at a firm that designs these, in a high-quality modern incarnation as opposed to the white-trashy mobile homes everyone knows and loves.)

/andrew

 

[LabelKing]

It seems to me the Japanese and Scandinavians are superior at maintaining space with design.