How Creating Space in My Home Made Living in It Better
What if we said you could increase the size of your living space instantly? What would you do with your extra room? You can, but the trick isn’t to add more space to your home; it’s to subtract stuff.
But not permanently! With MakeSpace, your stuff doesn’t disappear. It just relocates to a place where you won’t trip over it every time you walk into the living room…or bedroom, or garage. The best part is that you don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting: MakeSpace will pick up your stash, store it, and bring it back when you need it with just a few quick taps of the app.
Wondering how all this could help you? To find out what life looks like after a serious space crunch, we talked to seven people on the other side (cue Adele). Each used MakeSpace to get back to the lives—and homes—they wanted.
The Urban Camper
Kara is the exuberant lady behind the lifestyle and travel site Whimsy Soul. She’s also one of two residents—along with her husband—of a shoebox studio in San Francisco. So what do two Midwesterners who love camping do when they’ve made the switch to city living? They get their gear outta their hair while keeping it accessible for the occasional camping trip.
“It’s so much easier for us to access things we use on a daily basis. We have one small hall closet in our apartment that houses EVERYTHING—from Christmas decorations to cat toys. Without our camping gear hogging a third of the closet, we no longer have to rearrange everything whenever we need the vacuum. Daily chores are much easier.”
The Sentimental Storer
Anh Luu was inspired to get into home decor when she lived in a string of uninspiring apartments, and now she shares her picture-perfect style on her popular site The Girl and the Word. Since she needs the space to design and redesign rooms to suit a new mood or a new find, she uses her off-site storage to keep sentimental keepsakes and memorabilia handy for when she’ll rotate them back in.
“It’s like having an invisible garage! The picture frames, old blankets, rugs, and pillows that would otherwise be crammed into my laundry closet are now protected with MakeSpace. I feel great knowing I can retrieve them anytime without spending any energy.”
The Eventual Upsizers
Newly married sweethearts Corey and Cristian (and their dog, Xander) live a busy life in LA.; there are lots of desert excursions and many beach days. The newlyweds are living the apartment life now, but they have their eyes on buying a bigger home soon—and they’ve already started shopping like it. They needed a place to hang on to the stuff they’ll want when they upsize but don’t have room for it now.
“While planning for the future can be really exciting, we were missing out on enjoying the apartment we have today. All our countertop appliances got us thinking that it’s tough to enjoy our apartment when it’s overflowing with ‘house’ things. The physical breathing room is really nice, but the mental breathing room the extra space gives us is even more meaningful.”
The Major Cleaner
After five years at the University of Toronto, student and content creator Jasmine Fares is ready to leave the student life behind—and all the books, notes, and other accumulated items that go along with it. Also overflowing: her closet, thanks to her penchant for making fashion posts. Now that she’s used MakeSpace to stash her scholarly and sartorial stuff, she has more room to focus on the next chapter of her life—including her upcoming wedding!
“Having the extra space has really helped clear my mind and start fresh. I have a few personal projects that I will be working on now that my time will no longer be taken up by studying, so it’s very exciting to get the creative flow going. Time to pull out the sewing machine and get the designs rolling!”
The New Mama Remodeler
Alyssa Garrison documents her journey as a single mom by choice on the lifestyle blog Random Acts of Pastel. (Yes, it includes lots of color—and lots of baby smiles!) When baby Summer Honey Rose arrived in January, Alyssa saw just how tight space was in her Toronto apartment. She handed off her dining table—as well as bulky items like winter blankets and boots—to MakeSpace for more baby-friendly breathing room.
“It’s crazy how much new clean space there is to work with! With the dining room cleared out, I’m able to set up a proper guest bedroom, and I’m reworking the office to be a half-playroom so Summer has a safe place to hang out while I work! It’s the perfect solution for making my space work better for life with a baby.”
The Creative Renovator
As the creative force behind the design studio Old Brand New, Dabito is constantly dreaming up new looks and uses for every space, including the 1,200-square-foot LA home he and his fiancé are renovating. With his flair for Binga baskets, gorgeous textiles, and exuberant color combos, Dabito has a lot of sentimental home decor items and furniture to work with—but they can get in the way of the remodel. Now, Dabito stores his unique pieces until they’re ready to make their old-brand-new debut.
“It’s life-changing to have our space back to how it was. Renovations can be stressful, and the extra space makes everything feel less chaotic. It’s great to have our guest bedroom back and to be able to park in our garage again!”
MakeSpace can hold on to your stuff while you’re going through your own life transitions. They pick it up and bring it back when you need it, plus they give you a password-protected photo inventory of everything you’re storing on their app. With free bins, bags, and blankets—and payment plans where you only pay for what you store—it’s a great deal. Oh, and did we mention you can access it without ever having to leave your home?