My husband and I used to live in a house that looked very similar to this (note: that photo is not of my house). I miss it so much, I wish I could get it back. It was the first house we bought when we were young marrieds. That house was love at first sight.
I have always adored small houses with fairy tale doors and pointy roofs. While living in our small house, I spent many happy hours contemplating the various ways I could open up walls, add windows, bump things out and maximize storage space. I was very content with our small house, but I wanted it to live larger and function better. I loved dreaming up ideas for my little house that would solve all of its problems but retain its charm.
I had so much fun thinking about different ways I could improve the layout or overall feel without buying a bigger house! Confession time. While I have lived in a really big house for the past five years, I am ready to sell it and get back to small house living. I was extra inspired to see some of my favorite small house ideas online at This Old House. It reminded me of how much fun I had dreaming of the possibilities!
So, here are 10 of my favorite BIG ideas for small houses:
While this is obviously a larger room, bumped out windows
can really enlarge an awkward space.
For much less than adding on an entire room,
you can transform the room you have.
Add interior glass doors for charm and to bring light and
movement through a house. In this case, by simply adding some roller
shades or curtains to these doors you can have an instantly private guest room
by night and a brighter more open house by day.
Create a courtyard patio. I love this idea and actually put in a
courtyard like this in my old house.
It doubled our living space in mild weather and
was so much more charming than a worn patch of grass.
Old houses and small houses always seem to be lacking in storage.
By building in drawers and cabinets, you can
create a lot more function in a small space.
Install windows and doors to the outside.
Visually your space will expand even on a dreary day.
Remove walls. Many old houses feel a bit boxy and closed in.
Simply removing some non-load bearing walls can really open things up.
This stairway becomes a charming part of
the dining room instead of a closed off space.
Use the nooks and crannies. It is amazing how
much space you can find that is going to waste.
Built ins under the stair case make great use of space.
If you are so fortunate as to be able to remodel a bathroom,
clear shower doors can double the visual room size
and windows can add in lots of light.
Create double-duty rooms that pack a lot of function into a small space.
Vault a ceiling to make a room more spacious and dramatic.
Do you live in a small house? Do you prefer small houses or big houses?
What are some of your favorite small house tricks for making it live large?
All photos: This Old House
I can so relate to today’s post! We built a house 6 yrs ago, my dream. Even it was small compared to houses built today as it was 2500 sq ft. Due to a job change, after 5 yrs we sold it and bought a slightly smaller (1900 sq ft) house in a quaint historical district. I thought when we moved that I was going to grieve my dream house for a long time , but I am happier in my 80 yr old house (which is similar in style to the one you pictured) than I ever imagined I would be! I have had so much fun doing just what you said, as we’ve added a few things here and there. This spring we poured a stained/stamped concrete patio/courtyard that I just love and it has added additional entertaining space. I’ve even thought that I wouldn’t mind living in something even smaller. Ironically, I work for a builder that builds luxurious mcmansions, and they don’t EVEN appeal to me!
What great small house ideas! -And they sound so *do-able*!
Thanks for the GREAT tips.
I live a very small space. I have all my daughter’s small toys divided in several buckets. I let her play with one ‘bucket’at a time, for her short attention span and quick pickup. I store them on hight shelf in a bookshelf.
Karisas inspiring blog post..Perspective: from a Daughter and Wife
I grew up in 1200 sq. ft. and loved it, but that was 3 people–two being of the female persuasion. With my own family I love my 2560 sq. ft., but that’s four people–three being of the male persuasion. I tell ya those boys take up more physical room…
Juliannas inspiring blog post..Farm Town Festival
I’m drooling over that house!!!
Heathers inspiring blog post..Fun With Paint
Hi Melissa,
The stairwell idea is great!!
Hope all is well.
Your blog looks nice.
xox
Constance
rochambeaus inspiring blog post..Addison Endpapers
Fantastic examples! I adore small spaces and am building one now. They are the best!
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Isle Dances inspiring blog post..Must Enjoy Sunset
wow…the house in the first pic is so magical! Wished I had a house like that! Thanks for the sweet and warm wishes you left on my blog! xoxo Su Ling
Hi Melissa! I love your tips. Interior glass doors are one of my favorites. I already have plans to add some to one room in our home… I just have to wait 4 years until I have one less child at home because it’s a bedroom. The home in your photos is darling!
Mrs. Bs inspiring blog post..Soccer… it’s taking over my life
Loved the post. We have sort of a small house and I’m always looking for ingenious ideas on how to smartly use my space. Beautiful pics. I especially love the glass doors to the exterior space.
Rebecca @ Harmony and Home Blogs inspiring blog post..Beautiful Homes on Alameda Island
Just love your site. We have a smallish house, but have open living areas with big windows in our family room that overlook a nice green garden. This really helps create the sense of space.
The front porchs are amazing. I’m from Australia and we don’t get into the Halloween thing very much, some people try but it really is an American tradition!
Annettes inspiring blog post..A bit of craft stuff!
We live in a small house too…6 rooms in all, not counting the hallway. The laundry is outside. It has it’s challenges but I like living in a small house…it certainly challenges me not to accumulate too much stuff. I often lie awake in bed at night, mentally renovating our home, but nothing too big or drastic. Hubby and I just don’t want the hassle or expense. We have torn up the carpets which makes a big difference and taken down the floor length curtains.
Esthers inspiring blog post..A change is as good as a holiday.
I love your blog… The pic’s are always great as well as your subject matter. My husband and I just built a very large english cottage style house. Once i learn how to use my camera and download pictures, maybe I can show you. As much as it is beautiful and a dream home, I find that I need to fill it up so that it feels small; I am used to being cramped and making small spaces work. Again, your blog is inspiring….Geri
I **love** this post!
We went from a 2400 sf house to a 1400 sf home. Notice the change from house to home? Since entering in to ‘cottage’ living we’ve become much more creative, simplified and choosy in our belongings. We ‘gave up’ 1000 sf and furniture but we gained a sweet life. We love small home living. Our home’s interior has been remodeled here and there to meet our needs and style. Empty spaces were reworked by my able husband to provide practical space for storage and stereo needs. The once empty, all to basic, ho-hum and otherwise boring lot has been transformed into one of garden room vignettes separated by arbors, gates, flowering shrubs and vines. Long since being used, our daughter’s wooden swingset was made into three arbors which gain entrance into a new part of our garden rooms. My husband is building a 10×10 shop and once he’s done with that we’ll begin the process of building a 12×16 cottage, 20 feet from our home. It will be used by our daughter and have electricity but no bathroom facility as the sewer line doesn’t reach and besides, adding a bathroom would alter our property taxes ($$$). We’ll put in a brick path to the house where she can gain entrance through the french door. I love our little home and all the benefits our family have embraced.
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This is so timely for me. My husband and I downsized to a smaller home (1800 sq) and with six children and five grandchildren between us, it is sometimes very full when everyone comes to our home for family events. It made me reconsider moving here and wanting a larger home again. But then, we are near retirement age in a few more years, and we want to be free to travel and not worry so much about the upkeep of a large home and yard. However, I still need space and the bumped out window idea may be a problem solver that my husband will go for since he’s against making major changes to this house. Thanks so much for your wonderful blog. I spend a lot of time here lately and at Cote de Texas. I’m hooked on your fun and informative design blogs.
Such lovely pictures and ideas, but I have to say, THAT IS NOT A SMALL HOUSE!!!
Let me tell you about a small house: it’s a duplex (we are one house split in two), has three small bedrooms and only one closet in the whole house, has one very tiny bathroom. I love our cozy little house, but the word small must be getting quite relative!
The house pictured would be my big dream house! Haha! People on here must live in mansions!
Ha, Sarah Mae! Those pictures are just to show ideas and concepts, not to necessarily represent a small house! It is hard to find pictures sometimes and I go with what I can find.
Melissa, this is one of your best. Well illustrated and very informative. Bravo.
Irenes inspiring blog post..See you soon!
Yes that little house is just perfection. I liken a house to a purse. The bigger it is, the more you have in it. The smaller it is, the less you find you need. When you are forced to edit, it is amazing how much less you can be happy with! Some great ideas and spaces shared here Melissa. Thanks and have a wonderful day.
Lisa & Alfie
Lisa & Alfies inspiring blog post..How time flies!
I have lived in small homes before! My current home has more square feet, but smaller/average size rooms. My fav things for making a space bigger — use a consistent, simple color palette throughout the home, AND don’t break up spaces by constantly switching flooring materials! That really makes a space (especially open floor plans) smaller! I also like to not have tons hanging all over my walls. That can really close things in as well!
Stacey @ The Blessed Nests inspiring blog post..Roses Are Red
I moved from a townhouse that was 1,400 square feet into a house that is 3,770 square feet. I love my home but it takes so much more time to clean and there’s more room to accumulate stuff. So, I really do understand what you’re saying.
I also love some of your ideas for opening up small rooms. And the storage ideas are so helpful too.
Debbies inspiring blog post..Joy on This Thankful Thursday
Ooooo I LOVE this post! We don’t have a ‘small’ house..it’s around 2700 sq ft, but we are remodeling and using a lot of these ideas. As soon as we sell the other 2 properties we own (I know, GOOD LUCK in this market) then we’re finishing all our projects.
We’re adding two sets of French doors to our family room, we remodeled the downstairs bath and waiting to put in the frameless shower doors, ‘double duty’ room (like you show) in my office, replacing my double doors with French doors to my office, adding built-in shelves to either side of the fireplace, and I LOVE the drawers under the stairs. I’m SO going to do that!!! Our stairs are right next to my dining room and I could use these for napkins, table cloths, etc. THANK YOU for that idea!!
~melody~
Our house is considered small at 1537 square feet – we have 2 bedrooms, 1 office and 1 bathroom, plus a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room. The flow works for us but I can see how for others it wouldn’t. One thing that I’ve always thought was that if you put petite/small furniture in a small room it really shows how small the space is. For instance, I’ve been in small living rooms where the owners had a side chair and a 2-seater love seat. I looked at the size and realized that if they had just bought a 3-seat couch that had a different shape, it wouldn’t have looked like they couldn’t fit “regular sized” furniture in the room. It’s all about the function of the furniture too. Our couch is too large for our living room, but we bought it when we lived in a large, open loft and it’s a great piece so I wasn’t going to get rid of it – instead, I made it work and it doesn’t make the room look small at all.
You always have such beautiful photos and great ideas.
I could sleep behind glass but I’m pretty sure I could not shower behind/infront of it. It’s ummmm just not right and would show too much grape jelly, if ya hear me.
Darlas inspiring blog post..Still think you might get a good deal at Linens & Things?
i love the calm these pics bring….thanks friend.
oh my gosh….i just noticed your header. I LOVE IT!
lylah ledners inspiring blog post..what in the world is twitter and who are tweeples?
I never thought my house was small until I started reading about and seeing on HGTV houses over 3,000sq. ft. My little house is 1800sq.ft. and I think its a fine size. It helps that it has a cathedral ceiling in my great room with a stone fireplace that goes all the way up the wall to the ceiling….we did tear down a wall between my kitchen and family room and that helped also…..If I got rid of all my “stuff” it would probably seem twice as big….
Sues inspiring blog post..LA MOUFFE! ……THE NAME BEHIND THE STREET
Great ideas and I love the photos! Especially the one of the studio because that is going to be an upcoming project around here.
The Lazy Organizers inspiring blog post..Some of you are probably wondering…
Wow…is all I can say! I’m new to the bloggin world, but I LOVE all of your pictures and ideas. I LOVE old homes…not to mention the no-sew embroidery ideas. Thanks for all of the great posts and do keep ‘em coming!
HEAVEN SOWNs inspiring blog post..2008 Rock Your Vote!
What fabulous ideas!! I too, use to live in such a cute and tiny house – I sooo miss it {including that tiny house payment!} We just started multiplying and the backyard kept shrinking for all the renovating and add-ons. I still regret selling it – I don’t know why?? There is noway I could fit my family inside it {at the same time!}
Thanks for visiting my blog!! I’m loving yours – I’ll be back!
These are AMAZING ideas – thanks so much for sharing! I would have to agree with them all!
please sirs inspiring blog post..Charming
Oh how I wish that we could do cupcakes, or chocolate chip pumpkin bread, or anything yummy! Just as long as we could finally hug in person.
Until then, I am sending you some more cyber-hugs and wishing you a cozy evening!
Love you, my sweet BFF,
Debbie
Debbie/Four Angel’s Mommas inspiring blog post..Reflections on What Must be
Melissa,
What a wonderful blog! I just found out about you through a friend.
Anyway, I have a website and blog – The Jewel Box Home – devoted exclusively to small home decorating, entertaining and living.
Genevieve Ferraros inspiring blog post..The Jewel Box™ Home – Resources You Can Use
OK, I’m tech challenged and somehow I submitted my comment without finishing my sentence.
Oh well, love the blog! So glad I found out about this Melissa.
Warmly,
Genevieve
Genevieve Ferraros inspiring blog post..The Jewel Box™ Home – Resources You Can Use
Our two smaller houses had loads of charm and I love that. On the other hand, our two larger houses had/have their advantages … like master suites and lots of storage room …. I’d vote for more charm and coziness if everyone can have SOME private space and we’re not stepping on each other’s toes all day.
Jeanne @ Inspiring Ideass inspiring blog post..Fall / Thanksgiving Centerpiece
Seeing the interior glass doors made me smile. I have two sets of them off my living room. One to the master bedroom, the other to my office/studio.
jills inspiring blog post..Southern Chai Tea Latte
First off, I adore the little cottage with the pitched roof and old Hansel and Gretel feel. I have always wanted a home that looked like this. Like you, I prefer smaller cottage-style homes BUT those who do have some space to sprawl out in and also with plenty of storage.
I like the idea of the storage under the stairs and adding inner doors to reflect light and let light move around. The home you have shared is so pretty! Whoever owns this little tuck box has surely decorated it beautifully.
To make my little house seem larger, I use mirrors to bounce light off of. My boys call it “The House Of Mirrors” – ha ha. But the mirrors can really make a smaller home appear larger.
Have a happy weekend, Melissa and give Mr. Winston a big hug and kiss from myself and Duhgall.
xo
Becky
I am so happy I found your blog!! I live in a small coastal NE village and am moving into a cottage.Any suggestions for dark wood paneling..I cannot paint I am a renter?
Thank You! Denise Hull,Mass.
PS I am also a former artisan for Baby Universe and Luxury Tots!
There are small homes and then there are those of us who live in REAL SMALL homes. My condo in an old brownstone in downtown Boston is less than 800 square feet. In our neighborhood we have one of the more spacious homes. Many of my clients live in less than 400 square feet. When I first moved in here with my husband (who pre-owned the space) I thought I’d give it 6 months and then we were MOVING to a bigger home. After all, I’d lived in 1200 square feet just for me and I thought that was small.
3 and a half years later I’m LOVING living in a small space and we both work from home too.
The thing with small spaces is you have to first “be content” with your square footage. Secondly, there’s no room for clutter — a place for EVERYTHING and a habit of putting everything in its place is key. Also, if you don’t need it, use and AND LOVE it, it goes.
But you get to choose QUALITY over quantity. It takes less of everything to complete your look. Cleaning your space takes a few hours instead of the entire weekend. There’s lots of “togetherness”. You feel good about the fact that you really use every square inch of your home on a daily basis. You spend less time “tending” the home and have more time to explore the rest of the world knowing at the end of the day you have a cozy retreat to come home too. Don’t think I could ever go back to large but I have wondered about going smaller. LOL
After raising four kids in our 3000 sq. ft. house, my husband and I are putting it on the market this week. Not the best time to be a seller, but a great time to be a buyer! So we’ll be out looking for a small, cozy house in the near future (I hope). The best use of small space we have found was using an old computer armoire for all of our business supplies, which included printing DVDs for our international golf and baseball customers. I often thought how funny it seemed that the customers had no idea of the humble beginnings of their purchases. With today’s technology, it doesn’t take much to make things look professional. Thanks for the inspiration for small spaces. And I’ll need to have smart storage ideas too since I still have much of my kids’ stuff while they are in college.
DearSportsMoms inspiring blog post..The Best Birthday Gifts
I consider it a wonderful blessing that I chanced upon your blog. All your posts are very uplifting. Thank you for sharing all your inspiring ideas. I have a blog mainly for my own personal journaling but your blog inspires me to take mine to a new level…to inspire others as well. I am “hooked” on your blog…I bookmarked it as an inspiration blog. This particular post is truly uplifting for me. I downsized two years ago and this post inspired me to blog about the benefits of what I call a “smaller with bigger soul” home. I will be posting it soon. Thanks again. God Bless.
Love your blog!! Thanks for the small house inspiration. We just moved into a smaller house from big (3,000 sf to 1,700), so I’m so grateful for great ideas! I have had to get really creative with where to put things and what to get rid of. It feels great though!
Angelas inspiring blog post..Leelou’s Launch Party Giveaway!!
Hi, I love your ideas and trying to make our small house in a better place. We´re five, my three girls, my husband and we need to be orginized not to live in kaos. Hope to see more ideas for small places.
Thanks from Argentina.
I love this house!
Our house is similar in size. Luckily we have a LOT of windows, which really helps. I keep the shades up most of the time, and let a lot of light in.
We moved from a big house into a small home and I have no idea what to do with all my big bulky furniture, It’s fairly new so we can’t afford to buy more !! your ideas are helping please keep them coming .
I live in a small house, with a french door and roller shade going into the master bedroom, we have a similiar courtyard, the round top entry door, opened up staircase etc.
I felt like this post was about my house!
We love our home and plan to stay here, it is on the small side now but someday when our boys are grown and moved out my husband and I can stay here.
tamis inspiring blog post..Gardening in the House
Small houses are the way to go these days with the energy situation. Who can afford to heat and cool a large house if you had one? I moved from a very small 2 bedroom house under 900 sq. ft. but it had a lot well planned storage.
– It had only one bathroom, but there was one door to the hall and one door to the master bedroom, so it functioned like a two bathroom house.
– The kitchen was a galley so there was a lot of counter space, including a pantry, while not taking up a lot of space. The eating area adjoined our kitchen, but was decorated so you could host a dinner party or just eat your Cheerios.
– My new kitchen has 42″ cabinets that go the whole way to the ceiling. I don’t stop there. I have added an extra shelf or two to many of my cabinets/closets, thus increasing the storage by 25%. I also hang wire door storage on the back of my linen closet, pantry, laundry room door and garage door to hold small bottles of supplies.
I’m new to blogging and I haven’t posted my own blog yet. You have given me ideas. I must get out my camera and post.
Hi All,
In the next few weeks I’m talking about decorating styles for small homes on my blog The Jewel Box Home. If you are interested take a peek.
Warmly,
Genevieve
Genevieve Ferraros inspiring blog post..Decorating a Smaller Home: Choosing a Style
I live in a small house. My little cottage. I guess to some it is not small but most everyone I know has a bigger house than me and that is fine. We built 6 1/2 years ago and purposely built 2100 sq ft. Mainly, that is what we wanted and what we could afford. I guess the best thing is that it is open concept. It does make decorating a little challenging because I really try to coordinate all the rooms. From one room you can see the kitchen, dining room, breakfast room, study and living room. The one thing I would change is doing away with the formal dining and have a large breakfast room that could be formal or casual.
Ive given up the soaps for reading blogs, checking out others minds.
my house if 1850 ft and with only 2 of us now its enough but I still wish I had my gallie kitchen back that I had in our old house in so cal.
I still use a hint of bright red in different places in my attemps at decoration, I am a minimalist at heart, and use every trick people have shared my way. sooooo keep up this great idea for sharing this older senior is still learning.