Small Room, Large Space

There's a line between cozy and cramped. When your space is cramped, you feel like there is barely room to breathe. Worry not! There are practical solutions to this problem. No matter how small the room, there are some terrific ways to organize and decorate with limited space.

The living room is a room that many of us struggle with the most. This is typically the first room everyone sees when they enter your house, so you want this room to be warm and inviting, not tight and packed in. One of the best things you can do for a small living room is to use a smaller couch. Huge couches take a lot of space away from a living room and make everything feel kind of blocked in. It is also a good idea to use an oblong coffee table as opposed to a rectangular one, as the rounded shape opens things up a bit. If you are on a budget, try looking on Craigslist for furniture that people are selling or giving away in your area. Habitat for Humanity stores are also a great place to find furniture at a low cost.

The next thing to do is to think about how you will arrange everything. You want the room to flow and to feel more spacious, so finding the best furniture arrangement is key here. If the living room is not open to another room, then it is strongly recommended to put the couch against a wall. However, if the living room is open to the kitchen or a study area, for instance, you may want to place the couch in between the two areas in order to define where each space begins and ends. Another way you could do this is with a divider. Here's some great types of furniture to use in a small living room:

A divider can help to define a space and to provide some extra privacy

This sleek design gives the illusion of more space

Small but full of storage space

A non-bulky couch like this can really open up a room; light colors can help too

A nice round coffee table with a glass inlay looks clean and sharp

This oval-shaped coffee table has lost of space for things and doesn't take up much room

Stick with slim designs like this for a small living room

A nice small chair with a fun pattern can make the room more comfortable

Another great living chair that uses very minimal space

Go with small ottomans that open up for storage

This ottoman has the storage space and would be easy to store

Hopefully, this will give you some good ideas so can enjoy a more comfortable living room. Play around with furniture arrangements and take some of the ideas from this article to design your perfect space. In a nutshell: small furniture will be your best friend here because it's easier to arrange and allows for more possibilities. Let us know if you found this helpful and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!

The Clutter Must Go!

Clutter is a common problem that many of us face, especially when living in the same place for a good length of time. You move in and get everything into its place, then the clutter begins to creep into your home. Months or years later, you wake up one day and look around your house, thinking, "How did it get like this?". Well, don't waste your time thinking about how it got that way, focus on what you are going to do to change it!

The first thing you'll need to come to grips with is realizing that you have some things laying around that you don't need. Try not to get too overwhelmed by the project; work on it one piece at a time. Even if you have a lot of stuff you don't want to get rid of, there are some great ways to organize your clutter and get it under control.

Let's begin with setting up 5 bins or even just designating places for 5 separate piles. These will be categorized as DONATE, SELL, RECYCLE, KEEP, and STORE. If something has enough value to sell, put it in the SELL pile, but if it isn't something you feel you could sell but someone might want it, DONATE it. Throw away or RECYCLE old papers you don't need anymore (magazines, newspapers, old receipts, etc.) - these are a major clutter culprit. Remember that you don't need to save everything - getting rid of things you don't use or need can be a very cleansing experience. Those things that you would like to keep, but don't necessarily need access to them very often should be STORED. In the KEEP pile will be the possessions that you use on a frequent basis or would like to have displayed.

Once you have established these piles, get to work. Just start sorting everything into one of the five piles. This may seem like a messy process, but this method has proven to be very effective. Before you know it, you'll have sorted through a whole room. While sorting through things, ask yourself these questions to stay focused on your objective:

1) How often do I use this and will I use it again?

2) Is it still in good condition?

3) Do I still really want this item?

The next thing you will want to do is figure out where to put the things you are getting rid of until you are ready to have a yard sale or take things to Goodwill, for instance. Boxes and trash bags work great for temporary storage. Just make sure that you don't let yourself put it off for too long. It would be wise to set a date for a garage or yard sale and to drop off your donations immediately so that you stay on track. After you have everything sorted out, you can begin to put each room back together. Think about how you would like to organize the room and what might help you keep it organized.

*Keep an eye out for more great tips on how to get and keep your house neat and organized. We will posting more information frequently.*

Written by Alyssa Elzinga, BCE TEam @ KW

Renovating On A Budget

Have you wanted to renovate your home for awhile but aren't sure how you can afford it? If your answer is yes, then don't fret, we can offer you some great solutions that won't bust your wallet.

Your first step in any home renovation should be figuring out what you want the finished product to look like. Find some inspirational photos and compile the ideas to come up with the concept for your renovation. Be realistic with yourself, you don't want to set yourself up for disappointment by trying to do too much on a low budget. We would strongly recommend starting with the room you want to renovate the most and working on the others one at a time as your budget allows. Another tip for keeping the cost down is to do as much of it as you can yourself.

Once you have a clear vision of what you want the space to look like, begin making a list of tools and materials you will need. Here is a list of places to get home improvement supplies at a low cost to get you started:

• Habitat for Humanity   *This is my top recommendation. Habitat carries a variety of home remodeling supplies at a very low cost. From cabinets to light fixtures to paint to couches, you are sure to find some great stuff here.
• Harbor Freight 
• Ace Hardware
• Lowe's
• Home Depot
• Tool King 

 

If you can't afford to buy all the tools you need, you can also rent many tools at some places (Lowe's and Home Depot both offer tool and equipment rentals).

From here, you will want to do some research on how to properly do some of the handiwork you might need to do. Get help from friends and family if you can, the process will be much more fun if you involve some people you know. Two great websites you can go to for DIY guidance are DIY Network and HGTV.

Article written by Alyssa Elzinga