6 Mental Tricks to Outsmart Your Small Space

You’ve tried decluttering, added mirrors and even considered a Murphy bed — but if your small space is still cramping your style, perhaps it’s time to take a little mental vacation. It may sound a bit far-fetched, but humor me for a moment: What if changing the way you think about your home could make it easier to put up with its drawbacks or more appealing to live there? These six creative ideas can help shift your perspective on your petite home.

1. Pretend You Live in a Parisian Pied-à-terre

Always wanted to live in Paris? Let’s just imagine for a moment that your dream has come true. That Parisian flat is likely to be even smaller than your current living space … but you don’t really mind, because it’s in Paris, right? And, of course, that has something to do with the glorious City of Lights right outside your door — but I’m willing to bet it’s also partly attitude.


Take a moment to consider what you could change about your current space to make it feel more exciting, alluring and Parisian. Perhaps display a map of the city, gather a stack of your favorite art books on your desk or hang inspiring photographs. And if Paris is not your dream city, tailor your space to mesh with the place you most want to live in.


Embrace the lifestyle you imagine you would have in your dream city. Have a tiny balcony? That’s just the right size for sitting with your espresso and perusing the new gallery listings!


2. Embrace the Minimalist Aesthetic

Of course, if you are not a minimalist at heart, this is probably not for you. But if you are drawn to minimalism, living in a small space offers the perfect opportunity to fully embrace the minimalist lifestyle. Subtract clutter, color and excess until your space is edited to the (perfectly) bare bones.

7 Tips to Get With a New Minimalist Mentality


Challenge yourself to cut back your wardrobe until it fits easily within the space you have. See how few dishes you can get away with owning. Find beauty in simplicity.


3. Join the Tiny-Home Movement

Proponents of tiny homes are interested in making life simpler and living more lightly on the planet. It doesn’t matter whether your tiny home happens to be a condo or a studio-size cottage — what matters is the idea of purposefully living with less.

Design Lessons From Tiny Homes


4. Imagine You’re a Starving Artist

Have a creative bent? Give your supplies pride of place and focus on what you can create rather than what you lack in space. Let your art shine by using your brushes and pens as functional decor, pinning inspiring photos and artwork to the walls, and listening to music that fuels your creativity.


5. Or a Writer Holed Up in a Rustic Retreat

So, you’re just typing in the tiny loft of your urban townhouse — that doesn’t mean you can’t imagine that you’re tucked away in a cabin in the woods on a lonely (but important) writer’s retreat.


6. Pretend It’s a Vacation Rental

We put up with all sorts of things on vacation — tiny and poorly stocked kitchens, weird showers, cramped bedrooms — surely your home is more pleasant than some vacation rentals! Buck up and overlook your home’s flaws in favor of noticing its good points. And if you’re in the mood for a little redecorating, imagine what small changes you would make if you were trying to make your home look appealing to potential vacationers.


While you’re at it, why not gather up some guidebooks to your own area and take the time to act like a tourist in your own town? You may be surprised at what you find!


Tell us: Do you live in a small space? What helps you deal? Share a photo in the Comments.

More: Small Changes to Simplify Your Long-Term Storage

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