Tips for Living in a Tiny Apartment

This song came on the radio last night and I nearly knocked over my chair in my eagerness to turn the volume up. Hey, want to know how I got that awesome embedded Big Pun YouTube to start at a specific point in the video? Super-easy HTML tutorial here.


Nick and I have lived in our fair share of tiny apartments. There was our little shoebox on San Gabriel in Austin--our first apartment together. It was really only big enough for one person, so Nick put most of his stuff in storage and moved in with little more than a suitcase. And then there was our itty bitty place in Midtown Atlanta a couple of years ago. The oven and fridge were sort of whimsically shrunken, and there was no door on the bedroom. Oh, the joys of renting.

We're now getting comfortably settled into what is probably the smallest of the three tiny shoeboxes we have inhabited. I figure our 2+ years experience with surviving in close quarters with two grown adults, a hyper dog, and a demanding cat has got to count for something. So I thought I'd try to impart a little wisdom about surviving in less than 500 square feet.


#1A: GET RID OF ALL YOUR BIG FURNITURE*
*You can keep your bed.

So long, ugly green chair.


The Goodwill did not accept ugly green chair. I was really quite offended.

So long, giant red vinyl couch. So long, coffee table, bedside table, dresser, desks, end tables, and book cases! Up to my parents' garage you go, heirloom dining table!

#1B:...AND REPLACE IT WITH MINIATURE VERSIONS FROM IKEA


IKEA Ingo dining table ($69.99) and 4 IKEA Ivar chairs ($19.99 each)


IKEA Laiva TV Stand, $20


IKEA Laiva Desk, $20


#2: NO SPACE IS TOO SMALL TO BE USEFUL

Like...above the kitchen cabinets!



Or...below the ottoman!



Or...that tiny section of wall! Looks big enough for a broom to me.




#3 REPURPOSE YOUR BELONGINGS

A drinking glass becomes a dainty container for your makeup brushes.



Your knickknack rack becomes an out-of-the way place to stash your makeup.



And who needs a coffee table with a centerpiece when you have a beat-up army trunk and a salad bowl from your wedding registry?




#4: HOOKS, HOOKS, HOOKS!







If it was good enough for the Shakers, it's good enough for you.




#5: KEEP THINGS FLEXIBLE

It's all about being modular, man. Think you don't have room for a guest room, a dining room, and a living room? Sure you do.



In this photo, it's configured like a living room. Push the trunk aside, fold out the futon, and you've got a guest room! Or push the trunk aside, pull the dining table and chairs out into the center of the room, and you've got a freakin banquet hall! It's like HOGGWARTS, dude.



...okay, almost like Hoggwarts.


The last rule is the most important.

#6: BE SURE YOU REALLY, REALLY LIKE YOUR ROOMMATE.

Discussion question: Have you ever lived in a tiny place? Do you have any tips to share?

check out more pics of our tiny apartment on my Flickr