When facing an upcoming move, young house hunters are typically drawn towards the largest property they can afford. All the better for futureproofing a home that will go on to fit everything from kids to a growing wardrobe. As we get older, though, all of that extra space can start to feel like a curse rather than a blessing. In fact, for each additional room in your property, you may start to see the extra cleaning and upkeep required.
So, you may be planning to downsize next time you up sticks. This can be a difficult transition to make, but remember – smaller doesn’t have to mean less, and downsizing in the right ways ensures that you never need to lose the love for your hard-earned home. Continue reading to find out how.
# 1 – Avoid the Clutter Trap
Whatever you think about downsizing, one thing remains true – you’re about to move into a smaller property. That’s the very name of this game, and trust us when we say that you’ll struggle with this transition if you’re trying to cram all of the belongings from your larger home into this small space. Forget making the place look nice – you’ll be lucky if you can move from one room to the next! You’ll certainly end up with unwanted piles of clutter that stop your new home from ever looking its best. And that’s no way to fall in love with the place.
To avoid this, it’s vital to remember that you need to downsize your life, as well as your home. Don’t simply cram all of your belongings into boxes in the hope that your new home ends up having tardis-like capabilities – think hard about whether each item actually justifies its place. This is especially true for large pieces of furniture, which you’re better off getting rid of well in advance of a move of this nature. Equally, you’ll want to strip back those belongings that have simply occupied the spare cupboards in your larger home until now.
As a rule, if you haven’t looked at it in a year, you probably don’t need it. From old clothes that you thought you’d get back into, to that stockpile of books you’ve intended to read for years; get them out and get rid instead of paying to transfer them to a space they’ll never fit. That way, you’ll be in the best position to start loving your new home right away.
# 2 – Seek Solutions Rather Than Problems
It’s easy to adopt a negative mindset when you’re saying goodbye to a five-bedroom house in place of a bungalow. Suddenly, everything might seem harder. Even just finding somewhere for your remaining belongings can feel like a mammoth task! As with anything in life, though, you should never dwell on the problem itself. By instead focusing on potential solutions, you can both simplify your move and ensure that your new property provides everything you could need to thrive.
Let’s say, for instance, that you’re puzzling over what to do with the things you don’t necessarily need at all times, but still don’t want to get rid of. Things like Christmas decorations, seasonal wardrobes, and your best cutlery set can all present a real headache when downsizing. But simply shifting your mindset to seek viable solutions like external self storage is all that’s needed to overcome this. As quickly as that, you can have your clutter cake and eat it too, all while enjoying a minimalist, smaller home that looks great.
Equally, inside your new property itself, seeking solutions like smart storage and wall-mounted shelves can make your interiors both more practical and more striking. Which is far preferable to blindly panicking about where you’re going to store everything you own without a plan in sight!
# 3 – Inject Big Heart
Downsizing might see you moving into a technically smaller home, but that doesn’t mean you need to lose anything more than a spare room that you probably didn’t use anyway. In fact, if you focus on injecting big heart into your new home, you might end up feeling like you have more than ever before.
Interior choices like personal pictures work especially well in smaller homes, as they add a real, intimate, personalised decor vibe that you can lean into throughout this property. Gallery walls that include everything from your favourite family photographs to your grandchild’s artworks can also add a real sense of warmth that will perfectly suit that smaller setting.
It’s also worth noting that you don’t need to totally strip back on trinkets and general decor just because you’re in a smaller property. While you may want to lessen your collection a little, holding onto your most treasured pieces of decor for shelving in your new home can help you create a beautiful, lived-in, smaller space to love.
# 4 – Reassess What You Think You Know About Interiors
Don’t think that you can simply replicate the decor from your old home in this smaller space and perfect your interiors here. In reality, very different decor rules apply to a smaller home, and getting your head around them is the best way to love your new property.
As a rule of thumb, remember that you want to create the impression of space here, so avoid dark colours in place of neutrals that lighten your rooms, and will work wonderfully with features like mirrors and natural light to make each room look larger.
Remember, too, that while some decor features can work, you really need to strip back on amounts. For instance, instead of installing entire bookcases, you may prefer to simply install a solitary floating bookshelf. Equally, select one carefully chosen lamp for each room, instead of having one in every corner like you may have when you had more space to play with!
Takeaway
Downsizing should feel like a celebration rather than a loss, and you can ensure that’s the case by following these simple pointers.
