There’s a lot of reasons to consider moving into a smaller place. Most of the reasons involve a life change: the kids are grown and on their own. A partner or spouse is no longer with you. You find that you can’t or don’t want to maintain a large house and yard. No matter what the reason, the potential to go small can be very appealing.

There’s an argument for less stuff equals less stress. In my experience, when I lived in larger homes, I used spare rooms as catch all spaces. That wasn’t my intention but If I didn’t have a place for something, that’s where it would go. The rooms would be cluttered with empty boxes, off season clothes, and anything else I wasn’t using.

The bad part was, I ended up buying doubles of things because I forgot I had one already buried in the catch all room. When I found the original, I would get steamed because I didn’t need to spend the money and that’s the stress. If you add up all those additional purchases over the course of a year or two, you’d probably beat yourself up over it too.

The other side of this was that I spent time trying to work myself into the mood to clear it all out. I would spend too much time fantasizing about going in with huge garbage bags and stuffing them full without thinking twice about keeping anything. The reality was, I would go in and weigh the usefulness of each item and labor over getting rid of it because I spent money and I didn’t want to be wasteful. I had this thought that I spent the money on it and it was somehow a shame to get rid of it. I’ll probably need it sooner or later. More on that in a minute...

It’s not necessary to part with everything you own when you decide to move into a smaller home. You don’t have to detach yourself from the things that bring you joy. The skill that works best for downsizing is the ability to be objective about your stuff. The reality is that you can’t fit everything from a 2000 sq ft house into an 800 sq ft house. But, with a few little shifts in the way you think about small space living, you might find it more meaningful and appealing overall. Let’s explore getting into the mind set you need for small space living.

1. Think About How You Use Your Current Space

When you’re pondering this, think about the spaces that you spend the most time in now. Are you using each room in your entire house? Do you spend time in each space or are you really using those other rooms?

I used to have a spare bedroom with a full suite that was used maybe once a year. Aside from that, I rarely went into the room unless it was to toss something on the bed. I would always convince myself that I’d put it away later. Later was usually 8 months later when I bought the same thing over again: a steam mop, a case of paper towels, rolls of wallpaper. Oh yes, the spare room has a vortex that sucks stuff in like the dryer eats socks.

I had a full basement packed to the rafters with stuff I didn’t use. I had attic space filled with boxes and stuff that I didn’t remember I had. It’s so true that when you have lots of space you find ways to fill it.

So, when you’re thinking about going to a smaller house it’s important to really be honest with yourself about the space you currently use. When you come home from work, do you gravitate to the same spots in the house day after day? I’ll bet that you don’t venture into each room or the far corners of the basement and attic. You probably prepare dinner in the kitchen, eat in the same spot as every other day. Hang out in the same comfy spot in front of the TV. You most likely have a routine to get ready for bed and then you retire to your bedroom for sleep. If you have 8 rooms in your house, you probably spend most of your time in 3 or 4 of those rooms each day, am I right?

Then the question is, do you really need all those extra rooms? Better yet, what is the cost to heat and cool those spaces and have all that stuff sitting there. If you rented a storage space, you’d have to pay that fee every month. Is that worth it for stuff you never use?

2. Think About What You Really Need in the Smaller House

After you have inspected how you use your current space the next step is to figure out what you need. There’s a difference between what you “need” and what you “want”. For this part of the plan, let’s just focus on what you need: the actual items that enhance your life or support how you live. You may still want all that extra stuff stored in the spare rooms, attic and basement but, you probably don’t need to schlep it to the smaller house.

For example, you need a bed but you may not need large dressers, chests or armoires that you might have now. Take a hard look at what you currently keep in those pieces and you might find that it’s another hidey hole for clutter. If it doesn’t pertain to clothing, bedding or anything remotely related to bedroom functionality, it’s probably something that isn’t needed or that will enhance your bedroom’s purpose: that is to promote relaxation and healthy sleep.

When you clear out all the clutter from those pieces and find that the piece itself is not necessary, pay attention to this. Chances are that your gut is telling you that it’s not important to bring to the small house. Go through each room and edit the stuff you have. At the end of the process you will probably find that the things that are important to the functionality of your life going forward were spread throughout 8 rooms when they can easily now fit into 3 rooms.

3. Make a Plan for Getting Rid of What You Don’t Need

Offer furniture to someone who needs it. Not everyone is in the same phase of life. A person with a family and kids probably needs additional dressers and furniture to store everybody’s stuff. That person or family can certainly make better use of your extra furniture instead of stuffing them with papers or miscellaneous stuff that you don’t have a place for. I’m certainly in that camp myself.

Have a yard sale, have a garage sale. Personally, I’m a big fan of donating my unused furniture to charity shops because I know that someone will make better use out of it. I have, at many times in my life, donated a piece that I couldn’t use in exchange for a much more functional and appropriate piece from the same thrift stores. It’s like give a penny, take a penny but with furniture. That’s a weird analogy but you get what I’m saying…

Trying to cram something like a huge armoire into a small space will only cause frustration and disappointment. This is especially true if it will block a doorway or impede the maneuverability inside a room.

The other side of this is overcoming the “sunk cost fallacy” of getting rid of a piece that is no longer useful to you. This is exactly what I was alluding to above. That is: stewing over what the furniture cost you when you purchased it X number of years ago. I heard this so many times when I worked in furniture sales. People would say, “I spent so much money on that dresser. I could never just give it away….”

• 1. If you purchased a dresser that you used for many years and it will not fit into a new space, there is absolutely nothing wrong with just giving it away.

• 2. The money that you originally spent on it has served its purpose many times over and you’ve had the benefit of it for years.

• 3. The cost of a piece of furniture is its usefulness and once that is over, then you must consider it money well spent and let it go. Kick that sunk cost fallacy to the curb and give your mind some peace!

The truth is letting go of what you don’t need, opens you up to finding something that is much more appropriate and useful for your new space. Have faith that the space will determine the best options for you. When in doubt, consult with a designer to help you figure out what will work. It will save you a lot of time and potentially a lot of money.

4. Know the Room Sizes of the New Small House

I usually don’t start the furniture purging process until I know the size of the new space. I’m sure, if you’ve been following me for a while, that you’ll notice that I am a big proponent of knowing your actual floor space. It’s vitally important for when you’re shopping for new furniture. You will know what will fit and what will not.

Believe me, you will save yourself a lot of headaches, disappointment and restocking fees by knowing the size of your rooms. It’s also important to know the size of the furniture that you’re keeping as well. That way, when you buy additional pieces that will share the same floor space, you’ll know how everything will fit together.

If you need help with this, I have a wonderful and detailed step by step guide called “Small Space, Big Style: How to Measure Your Space in 8 Simple Steps” to help you measure your floor space like a pro. It will absolutely guarantee that you will know exactly how much space you have and what will fit into every corner of your new small house. I have a link to the free guide right below this post or along the right side of this page depending on the device you’re using to read this blog.

5. Make a New Connection to How You Want to Feel in Your Smaller Home

Emotions can bring a huge impact to any endeavor. When you associate a feeling with how you want your space to function, you’ll be able to stick to your plan easier. For years, one of the first questions I ask every client I help is “how do you want your space to feel?” It’s the bigger question because it is usually my jumping off point for a design and it’s what helps me to come up with the theme to keep me on track throughout the process.

One of the easiest ways to get to the feeling you want for a space is to write a descriptive sentence or phrase for how you want your space to feel and function for you. Start with a list of adjectives for how you want your space to feel: cozy, comfortable, warm, inviting, casual, bright, welcoming, etc.

Then really concentrate on what you want that room to feel like with your sentence or phrase: “I want my living room to feel bright and welcoming with cozy details and comfortable and casual seating.” This is clarity and it’s important. It’s letting me, as the designer, know exactly what you want. This language helps me to create the form and function that you want to experience.

The next step is to pull together some visuals that make the look come alive. In the world of interior design, a picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures covey color, mood, pattern, texture and all the other elements that are important for getting the feeling for a space right. It’s also the fastest way to move from the feeling to the style you want for your space.

Comfortable and cozy might mean farmhouse to you but traditional to me. Having a picture to associate what you consider to be cozy helps tremendously. One of the easiest ways to compile a look for your space is to cut out pictures from a furniture magazine or flyer and past them onto a card stock board. It’s great for getting the look you want down on paper.

This type of visualizing also engages your mind to think that the project is possible and that you have a physical representation that depicts how the space can feel. It’s also a wonderful way to keep yourself motivated to achieve the goal of completing your space. The more you look at those pictures, the more you program your subconscious to believe that the concept is real.

Conclusion

That’s it, 5 key steps for developing the mindset for small space living.

1. Think about how you use your current space

2. Think about what you really need in the smaller house

3. Make a plan for getting rid of what you don’t need

4. Know the room sizes of the new small space

5. Make a new connection to how you want to feel in your smaller space.

The process of moving into a small space doesn’t have to be stressful or sad. It’s an adventure and more times than not a ticket to more freedom.

I hope these five tips give you some inspiration to start dreaming about your own adventure in small living. If you’re in the process and feeling a bit overwhelmed, I hope this helps to show you a different way to think about small space living.

I’d love to hear what your experiences with small space living have been or where you are in the process. Are you just starting to think about it or are have you made the decision and are on the way?

Feel free to leave a comment below or head on over to my contact page and send me an email. I love getting to know you and I will absolutely answer any and all communications. Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate your time and attention and I look forward to seeing you back here next Friday. Until then, stay amazing and keep your dreams big for your small space!

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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.