Smart Tips For Downsizing We Learned From Schitt’s Creek

Anyone who has downsized before knows that the process can be daunting. What do you keep and what no longer fits into your life? How do you make your smaller home function as you need it? Will you ever feel comfortable again? And if you’re downsizing because all of your assets have been repossessed by the government since your business manager never filed your taxes and ran off with your money, well, that can make the process even more difficult.

That’s exactly what happens to Johnny, Moira, David, and Alexis Rose, the once wealthy family that’s forced to move into adjoining motel rooms in a remote town on the Pop sitcom Schitt’s Creek (are you watching this show? You should be watching this show). The Roses slowly make the best of their situation by banding together as a family, letting go of old comforts, and getting creative with their new home. Even if your situation isn’t exactly like the Rose’s (let us hope), you can still learn some valuable lessons from how they made Schitt’s Creek feel like home.

Downsizing your space also means downsizing your possessions, and it can be tough to decide what goes. Hey, it’s hard letting go of the past! The process doesn’t always have to be difficult though — there are some things that simply won’t fit in your new place. And I don’t mean that metaphorically or, like, it won’t fit with your new aesthetic. I mean they literally will not fit. Johnny may have loved the Rose family portrait (above), but he knew the time had come to toss it when it took up half of his motel room. Good-bye, creepy as hell portrait! May Portrait Moira’s eyes never stop haunting our dreams!

Downsizing means ditching (or donating!) some of your old furniture. Why not use the opportunity to get some custom pieces to furnish your new place? It’s a nice way to make your smaller space functional while also making it feel like yours. When David’s sweaters are being eaten to all hell by moths, he decides to make a small cedar chest for his room. When his DIY chest turns out to be just a ball of tape, he has his sister’s boyfriend Mutt build one for him. Sure, custom furniture can be expensive, but maybe you too can enlist the help of a handsome bearded townie. Can you really put a price tag on the protection of luxury cashmere?

Okay, so maybe it doesn’t fix the fact that your entire life has been repossessed by the government, but it really does make a less-than-desirable bedroom look a little cuter. And sometimes, isn’t that all you really need? David may be living in a dingy motel room, but some black and white bedding with clean lines really brightens up the place. And also, thanks to his job at a local boutique, it’s totally a write-off. Maybe? Probably. It’s probably definitely a write-off.

Just because Television’s Moira Rose has fallen on hard times, it does not mean she would ever give up the one thing that truly matters to her: her wigs. The lesson here? There are always ways to make your space work for you. And also: everyone needs a wig wall.

Working from home in a small space can be a challenge, but by making a designated work area, you’ll keep your space more organized which will lead to more productivity. Alexis Rose, Founder and CEO of Alexis Rose Communications, also sometimes known as Alexis Rose Whatever You Called It, knows how important having your own work space can be. Even though her motel room is small, she carves out her own desk area. Every entrepreneur needs space to begin her pursuit of world domination and hang up her print out of Buzzfeed’s list of best motivational quotes for #girlbosses under 30.

As Alexis and David learn, even one fresh flower can help spruce up a room. It can also mend fences when you’re fighting with your roommate sibling. Especially when that fight is over cleanliness in your shared space and you know, the idea that letting spills just dry rather than cleaning them up maybe isn’t the most considerate thing. Hey, living in a small space with a roommate is a learning process, David.