How To Chase Those Living Small Blues Away

Small Cool is upon us once again, and we love it. Here on Apartment Therapy we champion those who live small. But the fact is, living small can sometimes be downright hard. What do you do when living small doesn’t feel chic anymore, or environmentally-friendly, or economically sound? When it’s just plain ol’ getting you down? Reader, I’ve been there, countless times. Here’s some sage advice even I need to give myself from time-to-time, to chase those living small blues away.

1. Stop looking at and lusting after bigger homes. You might think it’s “research”, you might tell yourself “we might want to move”, but you know as well as I do, it’s only getting you down. Stop trawling real estate sites, craigslist rentals, big house home tours, and, as hard as it is, make yourself stop envying friends who live large. Give your heart a break. It’ll do you the world of good.

2. Give your own space a good, thorough clean. There is nothing that makes a house feel bigger than when it is tidy. Make the floors clear of junk. Vacuum. Attack piles of clutter. Get everything away. Your house will fill bigger after it is tidy, I guarantee it.

3. Give your space a healthy dose of fresh air, and light. Small spaces feel even smaller when they are stuffy. Open your windows. Get air moving. If air doesn’t move through your space, go buy yourself a fan! If you have rooms that feel dark, give them a lighting makeover – add a lamp, some spot lighting, mirrors (to reflect light) or candles. Brighten your space and brighten your life. It shouldn’t cost too much and can make a huge difference to the feeling of a room.

4. Get outside! It may seem weird, that to feel happier at home you should get out of it. But the truth is, you don’t just live in your 600 square foot apartment, you live on the earth. Go enjoy it! Take a hike. Ride a bicycle. Or, for the less adventurous, walk to the corner store. Look at the horizon, look at the sky. Remember how big the world is, and that it’s out there, waiting for you.

5. Warm your space with good food and good friends. Just because you live small, doesn’t mean you should live alone. Crowd your tiny apartment with people and it will feel purposeful, and alive. It doesn’t have to be a dinner party. Invite a bunch of friends over for a movie and popcorn! Whatever works for you. Remeber that the space you live in, however big it might be, exists for human beings, is there, in your life, to be shared.