We live in 1000 sq feet with two adults a 1 year old and a medium size dog. I know it sounds like quite a bit, but our house is split into 7 different rooms!!! Dining Rm/Laundry, Kitchen, Living Room, 3 bedrooms and the bathroom. So each room is tiny. We make it work though. If we had a better layout of the space I think we could make it with 750.

I currently live in about 850 square feet or so. It feels pretty much perfect. Although I would love a guest room I know exactly what I'd do with it (fill it with junk until the door comes open and spills junk all over the place like in a cartoon) and it's not necessary. So I think maybe the only extra space my dream home would have is some outdoor space, but not too much. A small balcony or patio would be ideal.

I could probably stand to live in 600 square feet pretty well but much less and entertaining starts to be difficult. I love having parties and it's hard enough to fit 15+ people in my current place.

My boyfriend and I just moved into a studio apartment together with our dog. It's a large studio, to be sure [not sure of the square footage, but probably around 300 total?], but we're in each other's way a lot. Good thing we get along. :-D

This size of apartment is perfect for me alone with the dog. The only thing that bothers me about this amount of space for the two of us is our opposing sleep schedules - when he wants to sleep in but I'm up early, there's really nowhere for me to go if I want to put the light on. I'd love a separate living room.

I feel like this really all depends on if you're in the city or out in the burbs or country. I can live in a teeny space in the city, but can't imagine living in such a small space anywhere else.

For me, it's not so much the square footage - it's the layout. My boyfriend and I now live with our two dogs in a 450 sq ft studio apartment, but the layout is so awkward that there is no easy place to put anything. Our friends also live in a studio, but theirs is a much more open floorplan and it works out so much better!

I understand that Americans tend to be space hogs, but I think it's more about what you do with the space than how large it is.

Space does not equal consumption.

The home I share with my partner and 2 dogs is made up of 1500sqft interior and a 1/3 of an acre outside. It may be more than we "need" but it allows us to have ample room for welcoming guests and an expansive garden that supplies us with all the produce we can consume. Oh and the chicken coop that's going up should offer a whole new dimention that would otherwise be very diffcult. All that to say that our space in a way allows us to consume less.

We live in about 950 square feet. It's just two adults and one furball. We were fine with the size we had previously (~780) but it was hard to have a lot of guests over. It felt cramped all the time.

The floorplan layouts is more important to me than the number of square footage, though I’ll probably go crazy in less than 300 sq ft. My current place at 790 sq/ft is larger than my last place at 650 sq/ft, but feels smaller because there is no foyer (front door falls right into the living room) and a corner fireplace cuts up the room, creating pockets of dead space and puts obstacle on furniture placement. I’m actually envious of those with ‘boring box shaped rooms’! So I’m learning every trick on the book and from AT on making my place looking a tad bigger and a tad taller.

space is definitely a luxury. if i had 300 more sq ft, i'd be very grateful. I

I am OK with the 296 square feet I have as location trumps space for me. If money wasn't an issue, I would still probably not want more than 700-800

I currently loved into my childhood home with my wife, my 1 year old, and our medium sized dog. My single mom raised my brother, sister, and myself in the same 1800 sq ft unit of the triplex, and it has always felt small. My brother and I always had to share a room.

Now, however, I feel so spoiled with so much space, and although the home is amazing, I can't help but feel over-indulged. Maybe it's because we co-sleep. Maybe it's because my mom was a pack rat. We now have a gorgeous empty bedroom and I want to find a homestay to fill it.

Even with an extra person, my wife and I have our own office area, my daughter has a play area, and we have a large living room to loung in, and a big kitchen/dining room.

Our previous apartment was about 800-900 sq ft, and it felt just a touch small. We are definitely more comfortable now, but are definitely spoiled as well.

I remember in the military living in a room that was less than 120 square feet with another person, and sharing a common bathroom with the same-sized room occupied by two more guys next door - and the room was filled w/ craptastic armoires, beds, desks, etc...
(and that was after sharing a similar-sized room where the bathroom facilities were down the corridor)
...even now, the military is transitioning to a shared kitchen space between a pair of rooms that are each 180 square feet, which includes a walk-in-closet.

So when I think of how I now live alone in an 800 square foot 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment - I feel pretty fortunate.

1110 sq. feet feels like too much for me and my partner and our two cats. I could happily do away with our 'unfinished attic.' When we have kids, though, I know we'll go bigger--not only to make room for them, but also for our aging parents.

If I lived alone again, I'd be happy with 500. Enough space for music/crafts, and room enough for pretty small parties on the occasion. But I cant imagine not having my adorable puppy around so for now I'll enjoy my ~1500 sq feet with her (and my sister/nephew)

We have a 3BR and 2BA home of 1392 square feet which is perfect. My partner, however, feels we need a little bit more space. I think it is great as is and even if we have kids I think it would still be perfect. My neighbor doesn't think so. She told me that to have a kid I would need to have a fourth room for all their crap. In any case we have a HUGGGE yard, which we thought was great at first, but then spending each weekend mowing and cleaning it up is sort of a drag so my only wish would be to have a smaller yard.

I live alone in a 700 square foot one-bedroom right now and I wish I had a second bedroom for an office/craft room. I don't need more square footage but it would be great to be able to leave my sewing machine and loom set up all the time and hide the clutter of supplies.

I lived in a small space (600 sq ft) until about a month ago when I made a dash to the suburbs and I am now living in a space that is just short of 3000 sq ft. While it was nice having every possible amenity at my finger tips, I don't think I could ever go back to city living. Everything from stress level to commuting times as dropped at an unbelievable rate. I don't believe that it is about consumption rates or any other political nonsense when it comes to deciding where and what to live in, as long as it makes YOU happy, thats all that really matters.

dont forget how an efficient layout can make all the difference. I had a 2 bedroom (about 900sq feet) with a bad layout, i then moved into a one bedroom (620 sq feet) WITH someone else and i feel like we still had more space because the layout was really ideal and efficient.

Another thing to consider is lifestyle - Right now we are in a 1200 sq foot condo, which may seem like a lot for 2 adults but when you factor in 2 home offices and space for hobbies etc its a cozy but comfortable size for our us. I dont think we could get by with less at this point in our lives and still live happily. If we were people who were at work in an office all day and out all weekend i would downsize for sure but when you spend every workday in your house and enjoy doing things around the house you need a little room to breathe. Plus like other people mention, its nice to be able to accommodate more than 1-2 guests at a time.

For me somewhere between 800-1000 sq ft is the perfect size. My husband and I currently have a 2 bed 1 bath 1000 sq ft condo and it's perfect for the 2 of us, our dog cat and the baby (who will be joining us in a few months). The only thing I wish we had was our own outdoor space, a porch or balcony to have some plants or a grill.

For a couple, just under 1000 sq ft is perfect.
I agree layout is important, but for me the most important thing is the outdoor space I have for a garden.

In our 900 sq ft house, we have a guest room we rarely use--it houses books, beer making equipment, an exercise bike for winter, a sewing machine, and ...um...my entire wardrobe. It is waste of space, but having a real queen bed in there makes the occasional guest much more comfortable--and provides the perfect place to fold laundry.

It's not so much square footage that is required but a good layout. Myself, my husband & 2 cats live in a one bedroom with a crappy layout in 675 sq ft. Seems really small due to the unusable non-spaces and too big for the same reasons. I previously lived in a 550sq ft space with 3-4 roomates that had a great layout that seemed to go for miles. There is no private small space to escape to other than the bathroom. Bleh

we're in a 4 room apartment (bathroom, kitchen, livingroom and bedroom). Right at 600sf with 3 cats and 2 adults.

we have had to purge quite a bit, since we were living in 1100sf before, but it's much more cozy and is a lesson in determining what you NEED versus what you WANT.

it's been great so far and we plan to stay planted for a few years in this rental before upgrading.

oh, and we have a queen sized bed ONLY because my husband is 6'3" so our bedroom is basically like playing tetris to get through it to the bathroom, and around it to get an outfit pieced together.

I have 1135 for just myself and dog, but probably only use about 2/3 of it on any given day (bedroom, bath, kitchen/dining, living room). I have a guest room and a formal living room.

However, the extra space comes in very handy when I host guests, which is every few weeks (more in fall/football season) or have people over. Again, it's all in how it's laid out. My bedrooms are smaller, but the large tv room and kitchen/dining room, not to mention nice-sized bathroom makes the house live bigger than it is.

Myself, my husband and our two children live in 1300 square feet. I agree that the lay out is what really matters. My husband works from home full time and we have frequent overnight guests, another bedroom instead of a family room would make the function of our home so much better. We are just fine in this size home, but crowded when company comes for long visits.

Two adults and one dog in our 1850 sq ft, ranch-style home. We bought the place for the land first, then for the house.

I could do with less space in the house but I would HATE to have to be any closer to neighbors. Fences don't make good neighbors...acreage does.

We did a 450 studio (2 people) and that was tough. We're now in a 650 one bedroom and it just feels so much nicer. 1000 would probably be ideal. But the layout is pretty key -- our studio was fairly horrible, one window and on the "bedroom" end, closet in the kitchen.. just bad. We could do a studio again if it had a really great layout, I think.

I really wish I was able to say that I felt like our 930 sq apartment was big enough for me, my husband, and our cat. Unfortunately, I can't. I always feel like we're squeezed in and we don't have anouth room. I'd like to get a house in the near future (in preparation for kids, especially) that's 1800-2000 sq. I wish I could find the magical equation that makes smaller spaces work for everyone else.

I guess I'll just have to keep trying. I would love for our apartment to feel as big as you all describe (even for those of you with so much less space!).

Our house is around 4,000 square feet. But, rent our basement suite to a couple of young muscians and our third floor to a young proessional woman. So, in our big house there are five adults, a toddler, and a cat.

I honestly prefer apartment life and could easily live in something around 500 square feet, or even a bit smaller. But my husband was raised in a rural town in big, open spaces. He wanted a house and a yard. I gave in.

My partner, two dogs, two cats, and I live in an urban 1800 square foot, and don't use a goodly chunk of it. We do most of our living in the kitchen/dining/sunroom and never use the living room (terrible furniture in there doesn't help). The guest room and third bedroom are also rarely used as they are still in renovation mode. It's certainly more than we need, but I really like having a slightly larger home than the last one. It's really great to have a guest bedroom and not make friends sleep on the couch when they come to visit.

I moved into a 369 sf studio a couple months ago. For the most part, I'm loving it. I previously lived in 702 sf and it was more space than I needed. I don't think I ever want to clean more than 400 sf ever again!

It's interesting how many people are apologizing for the size of their homes, i.e. "we know we don't need XXXX sq. ft." or "we should live in a smaller space but..."

Seriously...WTH? Why apologize for the size of your home?

We live in a mid-century ranch that's 2,100 sq. ft. that we'll eventually add 500 sq. ft. to, if not more.

And you know what? I love it! I love that we have a guest room/future nursery AND a home office. I love that we have a family room AND a not-so-formal living room. I love it that when friends and family come over, I don't feel like they're tripping over each other.

There's nothing wrong with living in a "big" space. All that matters is that you're happy where you live, whatever the size.

I started off living in a 500sf one bedroom apartment, which, then felt comfortable. But once my circle of friends grew (I moved from India to the US, and so practically had no one I knew) that was getting a little too small for entertaining. Then I moved into an apartment slightly bigger than that at 650sf. And now I have a two bedroom 1550sf condo, but it feels empty. So, I guess as we move along our lives, our preception of how much room we need for "comfort" or bare minimum requirement varies.

I have no regret about living all alone in 1550sf though. I love it!

My family (2 adults, three children) lives in about 1450 square feet. At times it feels very small for us, other times I think it's just about right. When our kids are older, I think it would be nice to have more space.

Two adults and two dogs live in our 1,324 sq. ft., 3/2 house on 1/3 acre. I wouldn't mind if the front half of this house weren't here since we entertain very little. If there were no second and third bedrooms, living room, and foyer, then I'd put the TV, computers, desk, and a sleepworthy sofa in the current dining room and release our superfluous stuff.

We're bought here primarily for the central, stable location, and houses that small weren't built here. In fact, ours is the smallest in this 1954 tract because it's the only one left without addition(s).

My husband has complained that it's too small since we moved in in 1989. The only thing that quiets him is when I release a bunch of my nonessential items and explain it's so he'll have more room. That embarrasses him because already almost everything still here is his. To be fair, he dusts and vacuums. It's all relative.

My husband and I rent a 2 bedroom apartment of about 750 sf. It's really perfect for us--larger than essential, but since I work from home it's nice having a dedicated office. The layout is reasonable--only the kitchen kind of sucks space-wise. I think it's perfect. But if we had a kid I'd like another 200 sf and some outdoor space suitable for play (our narrow balconies are suited to sitting, not so much playing).

And I can't help it: it's "make do" not "make due."

I live alone in 600 square feet, and it's perfect. I don't need any more room, although my bedroom is stuffed with furniture. It would be cleaner if I were willing to part with some of my mother's things.

But the layout is great and with windows everywhere and a great floor plan, it feels bigger than it is. It really is perfect for one person. For two people, I'd like one more room for an office so someone can be working while the other is watching TV or cooking.

My apartment is 520 sq ft and it's perfect for just me. I'm sure I could live with a partner here, too. The kitchen is a generous size, which is why I picked the place. I could go smaller if I had outside space/deck or if the layout were different. I've lived in smaller spaces (ie. dorm room) and hated it because I didn't have a living room. Personally, I need a work area because I do a lot of professional writing from home, and I need somewhere to relax that is separate from my bed and my desk.

My 5 year old daughter and I share a little under 1200 square feet. Lately I've been daydreaming about moving to the mountains and building a little cabin...and in my little sketches, there's about 500 square feet. We have tons of wasted space at our house now, but my kitchen is closed in and the ceilings aren't even 8 ft. In my dream, it's just one big open room with high ceilings and little "david the gnome" beds (if you remember what they slept in...lol)

I don't think I personally could do the whole 150 square feet thing, but 400-700 would be just fine. You'd have to prioritize and simplify, which most of us should be doing anyway...

I'd really just want a deep bathtub, a decent sized, open kitchen, a covered porch with a swing or hammock, and books.

Let's see, my boyfriend and I live together with our dog in a 600 sq ft duplex. Coming from a 1500 sq ft loft was a challenge but over time I have grown to love it. The big backyard and the garage helps a ton but in the future I would love to have more space.

http://tolsca.com/

We're at ~640 sq. ft with 2 adults, no pets, but have contemplating adding to our family without adding additional space. I'd agree with the ~200 sq ft/person guideline, although my spouse grew up in a space even smaller (family of 3), so he might be fine at ~150s.f/person. I also agree with the posts that it depends on layout. With smaller spaces, multifunctional space usage becomes increasingly important to make it work.

Renting, I could do with 500 feet. I would include space to live in close quarters with another adult, and probably a dog.

If and when I buy a house, I want at least 900 ft for all of us, and one kid. 100 more square feet per extra kid. But that's waaaaaaaaaaay off.

I would want an old house. I would not build new.

For me, it is more about layout and efficiency of space. We currently live in ~630 sq. ft with 2 adults, a kid, a large dog and 2 cats. Ideally, I like around 1,000 sg ft so my kid can have a room that will hold a twin bed. Good thing we're on the short side.

I have 616 usuable square feet, and that's just about right for one person and one kitty and a lot of books. My previous apartment was about 280 square feet, and that was CRAMPED. Now I have breathing room and enough closets.

we are a family of 4 and one dog, we live in a suburban area. our house is 2600 sq ft which includes a finished 800 sq ft basement. we entertain frequently and often have overnight guests, so this size suits our family and lifestyle. I'm sure we could make do in a smaller space, but truthfully we use each of our rooms so we are quite comfortable here.

i think our studio is about 500 square feet, & it feels like the perfect amount of space for two people, a dog, & a cat. the floorplan is everything, though. there are clear places to divide the room, & that helps.

i do have a separate kitchen, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a door. the open floorplan is a sad reality when you live with a cat who likes to meow, jump on you, & violently chase things at 4am. i almost feel like this cat needs more square footage than i do.

Recently the property next to mine was sold and the buyer decided to tear down the old house and build a new one. He came by to talk to us and to let us know we could contact him with any questions or concerns. He reassured us that the house "isn't going to be a big house, just 3600 sq. ft." when he said that I just looked at my husband and grinned.

He must think we're living in a shed.

I have to admit if I could pay someone to clean it I wouldn't mind moving myself, my husband, our two sons, and dog into a place that size.

According to the floorplan, my condo is 950 sq ft. The actual living space is tiny, but then my bedrooms and bathrooms are large, which works for me as I live alone and never have people over. I have a second bedroom that NEVER gets used, but a 2-bedroom has more resale value than a 1-bedroom does. I pretty much just use the closet in there, but nothing is plugged into any of the outlets and the vents are closed to keep the heat and air in other parts of the condo, so I don't feel like having that extra space is harming my carbon footprint so much.

Husband, me, two dogs - house is 1150 sq. feet. I have a dedicated office (work from home) and am happy to close the door in the middle of whatever mess I've made. We also have an acre of land, and a huge workshop (maybe 4 cars could fit in it) and his tools, supplies, my potting bench, and our stuff (much winnowed down but still there is some) fill it up. We use all the rooms, every day. He uses his tools and supplies, they're not just "trophy" tools. The dogs like the fenced in 1/3 acre back yard!

Husband and myself and our furchild live in 850 sq. feet 2-bed bungalow. Plus a finished basement. I could easily live in half that size, and often think about how this house is way too big for us. We really just need about 450 sq. ft.

we're in a 1700sf 2br + den condo and an additional 500sf outdoor deck and we're 2 adults and 1 toddler. One of the bedrooms is a guest room/office since I work from home. The den is our baby's room. We love having the space since we have friends over frequently. We also have regular play dates. And our little guy has plenty of space to run around inside the house, and there's room for a kiddie pool outside on the deck for the summer months. We see ourselves living here for a long time.

My cat and I can live comfortably in 620 sq ft. With my husband and his cat it has to be at least 1200.

Our family of three owns a three bed, two bath 1060 sq ft home and are totally in love. The rooms are tiny, but the layout is smart. One day I'd like a garden studio, though.

@modtramp, yuppie/hipster guilt. Same reason we should all never buy anything new, ever, and magically sustain local artisans at the same time and also keep our houses minimalist ice-caves with zero personality, I mean clutter.

I need STORAGE more than I need square footage. Give me some decent closets, shelves so that I can organize and put things in. I can deal with a small house as long as it has adequate storage and a good layout.

My husband and I (and 3 cats) are in the process of moving from a 2100 square foot house on 4 acres to a 900 square foot downtown condo. From the day we moved into the house we always felt like it was too large...we're much more comfortable in a smaller space. Our friends with large houses think we're crazy...when we tell them 900 square feet you would think we told them we're moving into a cardboard box! I guess it's whatever makes you happy.

2 adults and 1 child in a 980 sqft rented apt....it's nicely open concept w/a eat in kitchen and a breakfast bar too. :) If I were alone, I could easily get a small studio......but then, I am the minimalist of the family.

We (3 adults, one cat) live in a cape cod style 1930's house. It has 1200 sq. ft., not including a full basement, front porch, balcony, garage, yard...all of which add up to a lot of living space. But I do not know what I'd do without my sewing room. Artists and crafters require tool and materials storage space as much as anyone else needs clothes closets.
I really enjoy the non-open floor plan, for various reasons, too ~ privacy, heating and cooling can be more regulated, the sound is better.

It depends SO MUCH on what you need--my husband and I both work from home, so even though it's only the two of us, our 1200 sq ft is just about perfect. We aren't bothering each other during the work day, but there isn't any wasted space.

Family of 4, plus medium sized dog & a small parrot in 1400 sq. ft. that does not have a great layout (lots of small rooms & 2 floors). It was fine when we were 3, but now that we are 4 and the kids are getting bigger, I really want a smarter layout, 2 full baths, and about 150-200 more sq. ft. Mostly, I want an eating area large enough to fit us and a couple guest comfortably and a living room/family room where the kids can be with friends that isn't right off the master bedroom.

My husband and I are currently moving from a 900 sq foot apartment into a 740 sq foot house. The extra space in the apartment is in our huge dining room and just feels silly. We just collect more stuff. We're excited to get rid of a ton of stuff. Plus, we're gaining a small yard, deck, front porch, usable garage, and laundry room. So excited!! :)

We are a family of 3 living in a 4 split level, 1400 sq ft house. We would do just fine with 1000 sq ft and NO split level, thank you.

I have a 1200sf house, with a roomate, with an unfinished and unused basement of another 600 sf or so. If I didn't have the housemate, I could, and look forward to the day, when might have something around 900 sf.

Used to live in a 600 sqft apt (2 adults, 1 dog). It was a little tight but not that tight. I liked it a lot. It forced me to edit.

We moved to a 900 sqft apt because it had a teeny patch of grass (oops I mean "backyard") for the dog. It's bigger than we need! There is definitely empty space in it.

I lived for years with my husband and dog in a 600 sq ft bungalow, and we remained there for the first 2 years of my son's life. It was pretty great, never felt cramped to me. As others have said, the small amount of storage space forces you to edit.

A couple of years ago, we moved to a city where there is no such thing as a 600 sq ft house, and now ours is 1800 sq ft. I like the additional closet space and 2nd bathroom, but I often think that we could easily cut off half this house and still be quite comfortable.

We have 2 adults, 2 boys, and a cat in about 1100 square feet (not counting unfinished basement). Our house is a 1937 colonial, with no foyer. 3 small bedrooms (12x12 with no closet, 12x12 with closet, and 7x9), one bath. I like our little house, and don't mind the little rooms. (Although I would kill to have a mudroom.) Our previous house was a bit bigger and had much more open space, but I grew to dislike that intensely as my kids got older and there was no escaping the toys and the NOISE. The only problem now is that my kids are getting too big to pile onto a loveseat with my husband and me when we watch TV in the little TV room. So, we're planning to finish the basement so we can have a good-sized room for family viewing, even when the boys are 6 feet tall.

Right now we (me, hubby, 19 month old son, 2 cats & a yorkie) are living in 240 sq ft. We have been living in our tiny home for the past year but will be moving to a 1200 sq ft house in the beginning of September due to needing to be closer to the city.

We built our tiny home on some land my uncle has & it's been great. I don't think anyone even believes me when I say how tiny of a space we live in, especially being a work at home mom...spending 24/7 here. LOL Most stay/work at home moms I know go crazy in their 1500 sq ft homes :p

Tamarind - I agree! Give me storage before living space any day... (to an extent of course).

I would ideally go lower than 650 square feet because I don't have that much stuff, but I haven't found anything that small in this area that wasn't either meant for college students or run by a slum lord.

I'm in 580 square feet right now, and other than storage issues, it's alright. I was happier splitting 700 plus a large storage space (and room to hang all my laundry to dry). ... but I also think I'd be much happier not in an apartment, period. As much as apartments are more eco-friendly, I am tired of my neighbour's cigarette smoke seeping in under the door or down the exhaust fan in the bathroom.

Plus I want a yard, and space (the ultimate luxury, as it was already put) to do what I want to do: grow things, be outside, hang my laundry to dry, nap in the sun on the lawn... A person can dream, I suppose.

Our family of 6 lives in a 2100 square foot home, that feels very comfortable for us. I think if the home were very thoughtfully designed, with good storage and flow between rooms, we could live very well in about 1200 square feet. But my husband might disagree :)

I'm at 900 with an additional 700 below me in the basement as storage space. 1 person, 2 cats, 2 bedrooms and one is used as a sewing room. I feel like this apartment is damn near perfect. Wish I had a separate dining room so the table didn't have to go in the living room, but it feels cozy and just right for one person.

I share 1200 sq ft with my husband and 3 boys. The only space I want to add is a master bathroom!

I agree with several posters before: the impression how big an apartment seems to be depends not only on the square feet but mostly on the layout.

I still miss our <600 sf space under the roof, it felt much bigger - and more 'open' - than our actual 640 sf.

Ps. If I were free to choose, I'd live in 600 sf of my own. Or 900 for the two of us + cat. (Maybe after graduation...)

We have two adults, a teenaged girl, and two boys under eleven (oh, and three small dogs and four cats) in our 1700 square foot house. Our house is laid out well, so it doesn't feel particularly small, except maybe when it's raining and the boys are stuck playing inside. We could use a second full bathroom, and may eventually convert our half bath into a tiny one, but I can't imagine what we'd do with more space.

I live in a one-bedroom, 485 sf apartment with my boyfriend. At first I thought it would be too small for two of us, but he's such a minimalist and it's definitely taught me (formerly a bit of a hoarder) to downsize and get rid of stuff. Luckily our bedroom is quite big so we've got plenty of room for clothes etc and can hang out in separate rooms if we need to, without feeling claustrophobic. I don't really like hosting guests though, as it feels cramped with more than two people sleeping in such a small space!

Living on Screen

My husband and I live in a ~650 sq.ft. apartment with a great floor plan. It is just large enough that we don't feel cramped. But I would love to have an extra room to use as an office/hobby room. My husband has a lot of music stuff that we keep in the living room and the coat closet right now, and it would be so nice to have that somewhere else. I'd also like to have a place to work on projects, etc. where I wouldn't have to see them all the time.

My partner and I and our two chihuahuas live in approximately 900 square feet in Alexandria City, not including a 450 square foot semi-finished basement. I love it. Unlike the 1600 square foot townhouse I owned when I lived in DC, we use every square inch of our current home. Having a smallish outdoor space, which we are having professionally landscaped as I'm typing, also helps for entertaining purposes.

We are a family of 4 living in 1350 sq ft. We could definitely do with less. I think we could sanely live in as little as 900 sq ft. Of course, that would involve a lot of purging -- which would be a good thing in my book!

We are a family of two, with four cats in a 4-2 1929 bungalow. Overall square footage is about 1500, and there is a full basement we use for storage. We could definitely be in a smaller house--I'd say a well designed 2-2 (gotta both have bathrooms if possible) would work, but since we are both academics and have home offices and lots of books, the ample space is appreciated. We do use the entire house, everyday.

I guess by AT standard we are space hogs.

When I moved to Boston I started out in a studio that was about 250 sq ft. Now, my 604 sq ft one bedroom feels huge. Technically its just me living here though my boyfriend's over all the time. I wish the layout was a little different, the living/dining room is 11 x27, and I'd have a bit of an easier time if it were less narrow. However, this website has been a godsend when it comes to decorating ideas for narrow rooms.

I don't understand the "guilt" of having a larger space. Who wants to live life confined to the essentials?

We're a family of five and we have a dog, and our house is about 2000 square feet, but the layout is terrible and the rooms are tiny... we have one small kitchen, three very small bathrooms, one huge library (my parents own tens of thousands of books), one small basement, a small garden, the tiniest living room in the whole world, and five bedrooms which are even smaller... if I add up the rooms that I actually use, my bedroom, my bathroom, the living room and the kitchen, I live on just about 110 square feet and for now, I'm good with that... when I move into my own place I'd like to have more space for entertaining guests though, but I guess I'd be just fine with about 200 sf.

Then again, I live in Europe, where home sizes are generally much smaller than in the US...

I used to live in a 3 bdrm, 2 bath 1100 sq ft home. It was ok while my husband was alive, but became too much after he passed on. I didn't go into either of the other bedrooms or the bathroom (except to clean it).

A few months ago I moved into a 450 sq ft. cottage. I sort of miss not having a 2nd bedroom for guests and craft work, but like one of the posters above, it would probably end up overflowing with stuff until the door burst and spewed the mess all over.

I love my little house, but I don't think I could stand to have another person living here. It feels spacious to me, and I'm glad I discovered I can be happy in this space. I'm not sure I could go any smaller, though.

My current home is about 3000 sq ft and I love it. We have so much room for everything, it's laid out nicely, I can entertain, and I'm in the middle of my downtown on a double lot.

Current house is *far* too large for my family of four (2 adults, 2 kids) so we rented out extra rooms to 2 other adults. Which means 4 adults, 2 kids, 3 pets in this house. The yard is also too big for us and is currently all grass. We're planning on digging up a good chunk of grass and planting food. I can't wait.

I'd be happy with a house a bout 2000 sq ft if the house was laid out nicely, but I won't go less than 1000 sq ft again. The husband, kids, and I all like our spaces to retreat to when needed.

I'm glad there are other people who can be happy with small homes, but I'm not one of them. Unapologetic big house lover especially if it's an old house!

Husband and I live in about 1600 sqft. with a huge yard, but 2,200 with would be ideal.

I think 500 sq ft. per adult is about right - not too big, not too small. My 2BR apartment is 1050 sq. ft. and it's perfect now, but I could throw a pet or two (or eventually a kid) into the mix without it getting too crowded.

I raised my four children in a typical 4,000+ sq. ft. suburban house. It never felt comfortable to me and I always sought out the small den rather than sit in the enormous vaulted family room. I now live in a 1200 sq. ft. condo with my husband and young adult son. For the most part, I really love it. The galley kitchen is the best kitchen I've ever had. We have lovely views, and a small terrace. However, I do miss having a bit more garden, and sometimes wish I had a garage or basement for DIY projects.

I'm about to move into a studio (about 400 or 450 square feet) as a newly single person after living with my ex for two years in about 750. For one person, 400ish sqft will feel like a lot of space! Especially because there is an eat in kitchen where I'll have room for my dining table and a walk in closet, and I will have a little living area in one corner with the couch and coffee table and bookshelf and all that. I'm already planning parties! Is that weird? Everyone here is saying how they wouldn't want to entertain in their much bigger spaces, but I'm really excited to throw parties in a much smaller area. I think it will be perfect for me -- I really wouldn't need anything bigger. Especially because there is a lot of light, which is helpful. And I'll be in walking distance to everything in Los Feliz, my favorite LA neighborhood. I think I COULD live in a smaller studio, too... but the size of the one I'm moving to will be perfect. :)

Currently, my husband and I live (alone) in 450 sqft. It feels too small, but we've been living here functionally for 2 years. I just wish I had some amenities that we can't fit (normal sized dishwasher/stove/oven, laundry machine, space for a desk or a dining table)

We have lived in studios as small as 200 sqft, and were relatively comfortable-- but had very little personal stuff (it was a furnished sublet).

We also lived in a 2BR apt as large as 1200 or so sqft and it was way too big. Half the time I didn't even know where he was. We ended up with a lot of unused rooms and eventually moved into a 500 sqft 1.5br in a better location.

The size of an average American house is obviously obscene. When out of towners see our apartment, they can't believe we live here-- but when New Yorkers see it, they compliment the brick walls and are amazed we actually have a bedroom separate from the living room. Just depends on your culture, I guess...

@Pi, I'm releasing decorative objects that no longer interest me so as to bring in the luxuries of ease, free time, simplicity, and comfort that I now prefer. My husband keeps what he wants and keeps it clean, so neither of us feels guilt--it's more about life stages, for me.

In addition to its good location, my husband and I bought this big a house because we were considering having a kid. We found out after buying it that kids weren't in the cards. I wonder what kind of home we'd have bought if we'd known we were going to remain childless.

My husband and I, our dog and cat live in a 1120 square foot condo. It's perfect. We have plenty of room to entertain because of an open floor plan that connects the living room, dining room and kitchen. Since I am an artist, I have a whole bedroom dedicated as my studio. We have a sunroom that is used as both a home office by my husband and as a guest "nook" when anyone stays over. We also have a balcony, which gives us a little outdoor space and a place to wash the dog! We use every square inch of our home and nothing gets wasted, although we never feel cramped either. We lived in a 650 square foot apartment before but it was a sacrifice. We couldn't entertain very easily, and I had no separate art studio! I could see going slightly larger than this to have more of a real guest bedroom, but as far as functionality and efficiency goes, our place is laid out to perfection.

422 sq. feet - There are two of us, one dog and one cat. It's small, but it's all about how you arrange the space. Also, we have a huge garden, which is almost like another room.

My current place is just around 700 sqft, and it's the largest apartment I've ever lived in with just myself and the two cats (I've been in larger places with roommates). It feels massive--10 ft. ceilings and huge windows help--thought it's laid out very strangely (yay for a railroad apartment in a converted rowhouse!) I can't possibly imagine needing any more space than I have now!

Ok, I'm not sure how much space we have, it's not huge but not super small. Two bedrooms one full bath on the main floor and a half bath in the basement for two adults, one child and a dog. What's important is how efficiently we organize the space and that we enjoy living in every square inch of it.

I grew up in a small house filled with stuff, but I also don't like to feel that walking to another room is a journey. I completely agree that it's the use of space that's key, and the layout. I need visual clarity and mental breathing room but that's more of a use of space issue for sure! So yeah, not all of a large space is about consumption and not all of a small space is about minimalism. What really makes me laugh, though, is when I see a huge giant room with, like, a single Eames lounger in it. Although who knows? Maybe that person loves the air and light.

@ejhammer, Absolutely. I recall the first time I visited a friendly acquaintance's home. Her living room's starkness dismayed me, even though it was clean and calm. It turned out that she's Buddhist and had shaped it well to her own tastes. That's a home's bottom line.

I would love to have a one-bedroom apartment at 1,000sf. That would be my ideal apartment. So much space to work with.

Speaking for myself, what I call my guestroom would more accurately be called my bedroom, and my master bedroom would more accurately be called my husband's bedroom. Privacy and peace in sleeping and bathing becomes more valuable to me as I grow older. There are many nice motels nearby for visitors.

@Jasmine, As far as eating goes, there are several favorite local restaurants to which I invite people I like.

My husband and I live in about 300 square feet with 2 cats. We are lucky to have a fairly open space with lots of light and beautiful hardwood floors, but we also have my husband's stuff, which includes a pinball machine, a tabletop Dig Dug machine, over 2,000 dvds, 1,000 or so cds, 2,500 lps, a mannequin, a 52" tv, and a fairly impressive tiki collection. Luckily, the four surfboards can live outside. I would love if we could rent a storage unit for some of the excess and free up some floor space, but really, it works out pretty well.

My partner, two cats, small business and I live in our 450 sf apartment. And it feels roomy. I wouldn't want more space (although I'd gladly take a backyard!). I think it boils down to lifestyle choices, organizational skills, and pruning pruning pruning.

to those posters who don't understand the guilt of having too much space and believe it's all about how happy YOU are - well, take a look at the world around you. it's precisely that attitude that is causing a lot of the world's problems. many live on little or nothing while we wallow in our excesses.

guess what, it's not all about YOU. really.

I live in a 2200 sf house, which sounds big until you put 6 adults and a dog into it. When we moved in, there were 2 adults and 6 kids (including a couple of teenagers) but since then "kids" have moved in and out.

It is my theory that we expand to fit our containers. When we first Married, my husband moved into my 980 sf condo. It was fine. Now, we live in about 2200 - 2 bd/1 real bath older home with a finished basement. My husband has his own hobby room (I call it the Ted nugent room - guns and guitars). If we had to move back into the condo, we would have to have a heck of a yard sale first.

We're a family of four: 2 adults and 2 children -- plus two large dogs and 2 cats. We live in a 1300 sf "chalet style" house and find it suites our needs just fine. Our bedrooms are small but our living space is open and airy, with views into the mountains. We feel quite lucky.

9yrs living in a 250 sf apt with my partner and our cat. yes, space is tight but we love it.

I've got a 1600 sq ft house on a tenth of an acre in a small city. In this area, it's actually very hard to find something smaller. As a single woman with two kitties, I don't really need this much space, but it's nice to have a separate dining room, a guestroom, a small office and a craft studio, all of which I use.

I guess I'm the odd man/woman out, but I lived in 525 sq. ft. with my husband and 2 other people. It was a 5 room place (2 bedrooms, kitchen, living, and bathroom) suited us just fine, and was very affordable.
The best part was keeping it clean... the 4 of us would only take about an hour to make it sparkle from top to bottom.

We have since moved out after having children, and now live in 1583 sq. ft. with 4 of us. Our place is cozy to our friends and family, but is huge to us. I see us having no problem adding 2 more foster children to our family and still having enough room with 6 of us in total.

I'm an art major (think lots of supplies). I've got a 450 sq. ft. studio condo that I live in with my cat. My boyfriend practically lives here, too. I'm particular when it comes to organization, so the small space forces me to continually reassess what I need from what I have and what I bring home. The utilities are cheap, too! Last month my electric bill was $14!

My first experience living away from home was 98 sf with a shared bathroom (36 sf) in a dorm. Second experience was 350 sf, and it was wonderful, but I slept in a twin bed that doubled as the sofa. Third apartment was 600 sf, and I had a home office crammed in the dining room (and ate in the living room). Next was 700 sf. Then up to 800 sf - best layout ever, except for the closets: it was a shotgun-style four-plex so traffic flow was great. Now I'm in about 700 sf again, but the layout is terrible, and the furniture that barely filled the 800 sf apt. seems to completely swamp my new place, even though the room dimensions are larger because there are fewer odd nooks and crannies. It's all about the layout, baby.

We're a family of three-- two adults and a toddler-- and we're in the process of adopting either another child or a sibling pair. We live in a 2000 square foot home, and it feels just about perfect. Normally I would think a house that size to be too large for a family like ours, but there are mitigating circumstances.

Our little guy is in a wheelchair, my husband is in and out of a wheelchair, and the children we are adopting may be in wheelchairs as well. As a result it becomes very difficult to work with small amounts of floorspace because you need so much room between furniture, the bathrooms need to have a certain amount of room, the hallways have to be wide enough, etc. Our home is now remodeled on Universal Design principles and works beautifully for us. I think we'd have a hard time fitting into a smaller home, unless it didn't have any interior walls.

I'm currently in about 800 sq feet with me and the fiance and the apartment is two (small) bedrooms. For us, it's just about right though we could deal with a little smaller...if we ever had a child, we might need a little more space.

I'm in 500 sq ft now which is fine but could use two more closets.

My first house was 2,000 square feet, and I barely used any of it. I crammed myself into the smallest office 90% of the day and then slept in my room. The actual square footage of probably what I used was maybe 500sqft. I felt very wasteful. My current apartment is 700sqft, 2 bedroom 2 bath, and it is a pretty good size. I discovered though I really want a separate office than in my bedroom, so I think when I move again, I will be living in a 850-900 square foot house, and that will be perfect.

You make do, not due.

The rent is due, not do.

I currently live with my fiance and two cats in about 800 sq ft... and it's honestly more than we need. We have a spare room (den? not big enough to call a bedroom) but it's just full of crap that we keep because we don't HAVE to toss it out.

Looking at new places- either a cottage with 500sqft of finished space and a 500sqft unfinished basement, or a 700sqft studio. I'm thinking the studio might do the trick for us.

I was raised in a family of four in a 1400 sf Eichler house that seemed fine-a little noisy at times and lacking some privacy but all in all it felt spacious and good. The big thing was that outside we had 2+ acres with a barn, art studio and hay shed -so our world seemed big.
My man and I just bought our first home. I didn't want anything too big and after home shopping i really discovered that LAYOUT IS EVERYTHING! 1000 sf can seem smaller than 650 sf if the layout is wrong. For me, some of my top priorities in home shopping were layout, large outdoor space and plenty of storage. The home we bought is a 980 sf one bedroom, one bath. We will convert a large closet and breakfast nook into a small bedroom for our future child. It has a spacious layout and feels like a good sized home. We also have a light filled basement that could be finished in the future, an attic, two car garage, a large lot where we will build a little shed/guesthouse and a chicken coop. I really didn't want a large house-too much house just means more work( and too expensive in Los Angeles)! I wanted a small home where we could be close as a family with plenty of room to live and do the things that are important to us like gardening, entertaining, renovating/decorating etc.
Sometimes I cringe when I read about people living in "a small 2000sf house". I think is there something wrong with me that I don't want a 2500-3000sf house? :)

We just bought our 1st home which is a 3br 1 1/2 bath right at 1000 sq ft. We feel it is perfect for us and wouldn't have bought anything larger even though we could have afforded more. It's a tract home neighborhood from the early 70's and the layout makes it big enough for us to have overnight guests often and entertain large groups on a regular basis. We may eventually convert the carport (as many in our neighborhood have done) but we are planning to stay here until too many kids force us out!
Having a fabulous backyard with a fish pond and a large deck helps alot. It's really what sold us on the house.

@housebunny, I don't think that there's anything wrong with not wanting a 2,500-3,000 sf house. Why take on more debt, taxes, insurance, housework, and repairs, maintenance, and utilities expenses than necessary, especially in this economy when so many suddenly become under-employed?

I am about to move into a 600 s.f. one-bedroom, with me and a cat. I LOVE my new apartment. For me, the size is not so important as the layout. I tried out many different studio apartments, but I enjoy the fact that my apartment has distinct areas. I love that it is large enough to entertain in, but it is small enough to feel like a home.

housebunny - I feel you are just being rational. I do admit to wondering why anyone buys a one bedroom place instead of at least getting a one bedroom plus den - but maybe I'm the insane one.

Honestly, I feel one person needs around 500-600 sq feet. Add a spouse/partner/whatever and I would figure an extra 100 sq feet or so should be good. Add children and probably around 100-150 sq feet extra is good. And sadly this makes me a hypocrite since our place is bigger - but the fiance does work from home some of the times and we do have family who comes in from out of space and we like having somewhere to put them besides the sofa.

The man, the mutts and I recently moved across country from a 700sf bungalow to a 1500sf house in the burbs. We have way too much room. We chose this house for the backyard and the neighborhood, (in addition to the fact that our rent is the same as it was for the 700 footer) not so much for the room.

We've both talked about feeling guilty for having this much room, but it's similar to the way I feel guilt for having a comfortable life, it's because so many others don't. We live in a culture of excess and huge houses are just one more example. I think it come comes from a realization that we don't need all we have, when other people around the world need so much.

@Jasmin - your comments about guests and entertaining made me take another look around my little house; nope, I don't have room to have a party with more than a couple of guests. That's ok, because I don't have a lot of friends. Usually, there's only one or two over at a time.

When some out of town friends stopped in and my son and his girlfriend came over to say hello, we dragged my kitchen chairs out, and the kids sat on the floor. I had to step over and around, and everyone helped pass drinks and snacks to their neighbor, and it was crowded and noisy, but we all had a great time, and that's what counted.

When my mom came to stay for two weeks, I gave up my bed and slept on the couch (I specifically bought it for the way it converts to a bed) and we shared the bathroom. Again, it was ... cozy, but we spend all out time together talking, anyway.

When my brother comes, there are 5 of them so they get a hotel room.

And when they all leave, I spend a couple of hours cleaning, my cat comes out of hiding, and then everything is back to what's now normal for me and I appreciate and enjoy my space.

My husband and I bought a 2800 sq ft house last year. Our jobs are in the suburbs, so we live in the suburbs. Though it'd be more fun to live in the city, having a spacious house is an advantage of suburban life that we chose to take advantage of.

Before the house, we lived in an 800 sq ft apartment. That was fine, but felt a bit cramped (mainly due to the layout).

Sure, our new house has way more space than we need, but I make no apologies -- I LOVE IT. Nothing feels cramped or cluttered, the layout is awesome, and we have plenty of space to do whatever the heck we want. Even as we "grow into it" when we start having kids, there will always be enough space.

My junior year in college I lived in a 2,000 sq. foot town house with two others, and it was large. We liked it, but it did not seen like we really needed a living room as well as a basement room.

My senior year I downgraded to 1,400, with 3 other people. This was a much better size, considering that for the most part, we each stayed in our rooms.

600 sq.ft here...2 adults...amazingly plenty of room. we actually have a dining area that never gets used and has empty space.

i think it would be ideal for us to have 550 sq.ft, remove some of this "dining room" area and add about 50-100 sq.ft to the bathroom.

George Carlin had it right. A house is to store 'your stuff. More stuff, bigger house...