Moving Into A Small Apartment: How To Make It Easy
Whether you are downsizing to pay cheaper rent, leaving the family home or taking your first steps onto the property ladder, moving into a small apartment can be a real challenge.
Not only do you need to pack up all your possessions and organise the process of physically moving them, with space at a premium. But you will also have to work out how you will fit everything into it and what you will do with the stuff you no longer need or want.
There’s a lot to do!
But don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
Outlined below are 11 things you should do to make the process of moving into a small apartment much easier.
1. Get Organised
Like with anything the adage ‘perfect planning prevents poor performance’ rings very true with moving home.
You will need to be organised and have all aspects of the move accounted for in a logical order. Make sure you have a plan of how you are going to tackle the move and give yourself plenty of lead in time.
The last thing you need is to be rushing around like a headless chook furiously packing up boxes a couple of hours before the removal men are due. This will just elevate your stress levels through the roof.
2. Declutter
If you are downsizing where you live you are going to need to declutter. Even if you are not, you should still embark on this exercise.
Decluttering gives you the chance to get rid of all those items that have been stashed away unseen and unused in cupboards for months or even years. It also allows you to enjoy a new start.
When embarking upon this exercise, it is important to be strategic. Go through your existing home on a room-by-room basis and be ruthless about what you will keep, what you will throw out, moving tips what you will recycle and what you will give to charity.
Try and give yourself as much time as you can to do this as it will significantly reduce the number of boxes you will be taking to your new place. It will also save you money concerning moving costs too.
3. Put Things In Storage
Although it involves an extra cost, putting some of your possessions into storage during the moving process is a clever idea.
For a start, if you are not ready to let things go, it gives you more time to keep hold of your items without cluttering your new digs. You can always sort through them later when you are a bit more settled.
Secondly, it enables you to take your time when moving in and consider where you can put each item you want to bring in.
Finally, it also allows you to store seasonal items like winter clothing and Christmas decorations offsite, which you can introduce into your home as required.
4. Get The Professionals In
Unless you have lots of strong friends to help you and a large truck at your disposal, one of the best ways to make the move more straightforward is to get the professionals in to help you.
Not only will professionals do all the heavy lifting for you in a fast and efficient manner. But they can even provide you with packing materials as well. Be sure to check out Muval for furniture removalists in your area. If you are based in London, you may check out WhatManandVan for flat removals, furniture, and any other moving services you need.
5. Decide On Your Must-Haves
You will want your new place to be a happy home and part of that involves ensuring your favourite items are included within it.
Whether that is a couch, coffee table, wardrobe, or drum kit, it is important to decide on which of your possessions are ‘must haves’.
Once you have done that you can then incorporate the remaining items that will furnish the room around them.
6. Cut Down On The Bigger Items
When moving into a smaller space, it is important to realise that you are going to have less room to work with.
Therefore, you will need to cut down on some of your bigger furniture. If you don’t, your new abode will just feel cramped, cluttered, and messy.
Try to limit the size of beds, couches, dining tables, bookcases and entertainment centres. If willing to, also consider selling your L-shaped sectional or chunky dresser and replacing them with a comfortable armchair or smaller vanity.
7. Free Up Floor Space
One of the most important things to do when moving into a smaller place is to free up as much floor space as you can. That way you will create a bigger sense of roominess which will make your home feel more liveable.
Incorporating foldable, wall mounted and hanging wall solutions can all create a bigger sense of space. So think about getting in folded chairs and a dining table, hang your TV on the wall and put your cups or plants on hooks.
Rolling cabinets or floating ones with tapered legs are also an effective way of ensuring the floor appears less cluttered.
8. Be Clever In The Kitchen
The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home. But living in a smaller space can present you with a headache when it comes to balancing the need for practicality with limited storage.
The first thing to do is be honest with yourself and determine if you need bulky items like a slow cooker, toaster oven, air fryer and pressure cooker. If you don’t you can either sell them or put them in storage, ready to bring out on the odd occasion when you do need them.
You can also incorporate space-saving solutions like hanging racks for your pots and pans, mounted spice racks, a peg board for your spatulas and other cooking utensils and a magnetic knife strip on your wall to store your blades.
9. Create Illusions Of Space
Another clever way to create an illusion of space is to put up mirrors in strategic places.
This will bounce light throughout the room and provide the illusion of looking into a bigger space.
Doing away with curtains and replacing them with blinds is another way to bring in more natural light and air while ensuring the room doesn’t look cluttered.
10. Do Away With Doors
If space is at a premium, consider taking some of the doors off their hinges (again you can put them in storage).
This will free up the space which would otherwise be reserved for the arc of your door swing. Instead, you can use it to put in more storage solutions like a tall boy or small desk or even artwork to brighten the place up.
To create the illusion of a doorway, you can install curtains and tension rods. But if you absolutely must have a door, then think about replacing your hinged doors with pocket ones.
11. Tap Into Storage Space Solutions
In accommodations with smaller floor space, storage solutions are a godsend.
Due to the rise of the tiny home revolution, there are now several innovative storage solutions you can incorporate that enable you to put more of your stuff away out of sight.
This includes drawers in your bed, stairs that have a display cabinet on their side, tea chest coffee tables and, of course, storage boxes that can be stacked in cupboards or slid under the sofa.
