Effectively organizing and furnishing a small space calls for big thinking.
"There are simple and workable options available to help you maximize your small space," says Patti Clark, a Peterborough, Ontario based residential organizer (www.letsgetorganized.info) and member of Professional Organizers in Canada.
Clark helps people organize their homes, purchase furniture that suits their space, and strategically place their furniture to make the most of their surroundings.
If you live in a condo or townhouse or in a house with limited room, consider the following space-enhancing strategies.
Should it stay or should it go?
Clark says small space dwellers can't afford to be "save-it-for-a-rainy-day" people. They need to limit the amount of stuff they have as well as the amount of new stuff they buy.
"Most people have too much stuff to begin with, and they don't know how they will fit it into their small space. They need to simplify and downsize their stuff," she says.
She says to start de-cluttering by critically evaluating everything you own, and prepare to say your goodbyes to mere space-fillers - old magazine collections, old clothes that will never become retro chic, etc.
"I tell my clients to ask themselves, Do I like this item? Do I need it? When was the last time I used it? Does this item represent my past, present or future?" Clark says. "If it's not serving a specific purpose, you should question whether you need it anymore."
A good de-cluttering maxim to follow, Clark says, is one-in, one-out for every new item you introduce to your home, get rid of something old.
If your heart aches just thinking about parting with your "vintage" broken record player or any one of your five dozen decorative candles, she says, it may be easier to give them to family, friends or charity.
"Ask yourself if someone else could benefit from these items - maybe a family member or friend. Or you could donate them to charity - you don't necessarily have to toss them out."
