Designers always have tricks up their sleeves to be pulled out in challenging situations. We've gathered some of the most helpful small space design tips and tricks to get all you can out of any size space. And these tips are not solely for the square-foot challenged — they can work in every home.

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Name:

Daniel

Location:

Tulsa, OK

Square Feet:

720

Division:

Little

What I Love About My Small Home:

Small?! We prefer the term square foot challenged. When we got our hands on this space, it was nothing more than an empty garage. It was tiny and so was our budget, which encouraged us to look in unconventional places for building materials. The maple flooring was rescued from a flood at a local school gym. The vintage orange fireplace once housed a family of mice in grandpa’s abandoned farmhouse. Our big red headboard hung for years as the “M” on an old WalMart before it took its rightful place above the bed. The lovingly restored rocking chair rocked my wife’s great grandma to sleep and has rocked every generation since. The carefully selected décor was either fabricated on our kitchen floor or found on a stroll through the flea market. Even the IKEA items come with laughable memories of how we felt like the Beverly Hillbillies as we drove home with boxes sticking out in every direction! We remember the love it took to build this house and can’t help but love it back!

We've all got friends like this (or maybe you're the friend). You go over to their house, and it's covered in pet hair and smells like a barn. There's no reason to blame the pets in this instance — there are certainly things that you can do, even living in a small space, that will keep you from being the "smelly house friend."

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Name:

Brendan & Jarrod

Location:

Melbourne Australia

Square Feet:

645

Division:

International

What I Love About My Small Home:

My apartment was built in the 1970s in Melbourne and has that retro 70s vibe going on (ya either love it or you don't!). One of the benefits of these older style apartments is that they are solid brick with very high ceilings, unlike many apartments built today. I love the light from the giant floor to ceiling windows and the crisp white walls, which can be used as a canvas for pretty much everything.

You don't have to go all Julia Child and hang everything you own in your kitchen. But a simple pegboard — even just a small one that takes up the unused side wall of a cabinet — can go a long way towards organizing all those pots and pans, especially if your ceiling isn't suitable for an overhead pot rack.

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Name:

Lasse

Location:

Copenhagen Denmark

Square Feet:

484

Division:

International

What I Love About My Small Home:

To me less can be more. I live in central Copenhagen close to bars, restaurants, the Meat Packing District, public transport, shopping, the harbour baths and all the other things Copenhagen has to offer. My home is my retreat from the city life - small but mine. I see the small home as a great opportunity to declutter your life and your mind, without missing anything.

The only time I've ever slept in a bunk bed was at summer camp, and I loved it. While most of us aren't sleeping away in cabins, everyone can use space-saving furniture. For kids, lofted and bunk beds are a great option.

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Name:

Kerry

Location:

New York, NY

Square Feet:

287

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

I love that this is the first apartment that I don’t have to share and is truly my own. For that reason, I was thrilled to have a blank canvas and loved having the chance to make my studio a reflection of my style and personality for the first time. When I first moved in, I had to pare down my possessions to only the essentials since at 287 square feet, there just wasn't room for anything else. Every item in my apartment is something that I chose carefully or that has personal meaning. Downsizing to such a tiny space has taught me to minimize waste and forced me to be more mindful in general about all of my purchases. When decorating, I tried to incorporate accents and pieces that create a relaxing, cozy and curated space, without over-decorating or creating an overwhelming space. I love that when I come home at the end of the day, my apartment is a place where I can unwind, relax and be surrounded by things that make me happy.

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Name:

Emily

Location:

Boston, MA

Square Feet:

224

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

I grew up in Los Angeles, where most apartment buildings are recent builds with grey carpets and stucco walls. When I moved to Boston I was struck by how much love and care was put into buildings. My apartment is a studio converted from the old living room of a brownstone house. I love the original window moldings, parquet floors, and antique fireplace. It makes me feel like I'm just sharing the space with the history of the house. When I decorated, I tried to fuse that history with my modern/vintage style.

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Name:

Joy

Location:

Brooklyn, NY

Square Feet:

375

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

I think the flow of my space lends itself to feeling like a whole home. It has everything a girl could need from a kitchen table to an office area. It may be 375 sq. ft. but I still have a queen size bed and a fairly decent sitting area, none of which feels cramped. Even my dad's 60 year old desk fits when I added storage underneath. Less is definitely more in the main room as it can feel really cluttered quickly. I kept mostly only the things that I love, so while there is a lot of stuff, it is all happy stuff. I love the calming pale grey shade on my walls. I added mouldings and thicker baseboards when I moved in, which makes it feel more finished. I changed all doorknobs and hardware to glass so that it reflects the natural light from the three windows that make my apartment so bright. My walk-through closet is great because it holds all the things that I need to keep, but do not necessarily want to display.