Creating Your Own Small Entryway Solutions
This latest Create the Look post is is geared towards creating a utilitarian, customized, aesthetically-minded entryway in a small space with the help of vintage and salvaged materials.
But before we jump into it, please note: I don’t want everything I publish to be shoppable. I don’t wan’t to constantly encourage people to buy more, when I know that most of us can (and should — for environmental reasons,) live with less. What I do want is for folks to be comfortable, confident and content in their small homes or apartments.
In our 900 sqft cottage, the front door opens directly into the dining room. Despite the multitasking nature of this area, there’s more than enough space for us to hide our door-side essentials in plain sight. (See my “Rightsizing” Newsletter for detailed photos and explanations.)
Here are pre-loved or small-batch items from independent storefronts that might help you bring a touch of extra storage and functionality to your compact entryway, too.
Please note that we sometimes use affiliate links for the vintage and handmade goods we’ve curated, which helps keep the twinkle lights glowing for our small business.
Create the Look: Cabinet-Side Secondhand Storage
By request, here’s my latest Create the Look, which is geared towards enhancing the utility of our smaller spaces with the help of vintage + handmade goods.
But here’s the thing— I don’t want everything I publish to be shoppable. I don’t wan’t to constantly encourage people to buy more, when I know that most of us can (and should — for environmental reasons,) live with less. What I do want is for folks to be comfortable, confident and content in their small homes or apartments, and to feel inspired by their space.
So here are some pre-loved or small-batch items from independent storefronts that can help you bring a touch of extra storage and functionality to your compact home.
Please note that we sometimes use affiliate links for the vintage and handmade goods we’ve curated, which helps keep the twinkle lights glowing for our small business.
Staying Rightsized (Part 4)
A reminder that we usually don’t need a bigger space— we simply need less stuff, and more creativity.
Staying Rightsized is a weekly photo roundup featuring some of the many space-saving considerations around our cottage. I share this as a reminder that we usually don’t need a bigger space— we simply need less stuff, and more creativity. As minor as some of these moments seem, the little things really do add up, providing more space for navigating daily life within limited or awkward square footage.
Above: A vintage, folding ironing board provides us with a collapsible, dog hair-free surface for sorting never-ending laundry. (Lately it’s been functioning as a mobile desk as well.)
Above: A swivel-arm, wall-mounted rack holds accessories / functional decor for our 7 year-old, while a lower wall basket keeps art supplies (and magic wands) within reach of both kids.
Staying Rightsized (Part 3)
Because we usually don’t need a bigger space. We simply need less stuff and more creativity.
Staying Rightsized is a weekly photo roundup featuring some of the many space-saving considerations around our cottage. I share this as a reminder that we usually don’t need a bigger space— we simply need less stuff, and more creativity. As minor as some of these moments seem, the little things really do add up, providing more space for navigating daily life within limited or awkward square footage.
Suspended clips for air drying washable wipes and all manner of small linens.
A teapot put to additional use when the weather insists on see-sawing between the 40s and the 90s on a daily basis in November.
Convertible sofa cushion storage solutions
This week, a reader sent me a message requesting recommendations for what to do with spare sofa cushions and pillows when converting a living space into a sleeping space for overnight guests or a child. In a truly small home or apartment such as ours, just tossing the cushions aside isn’t an answer, as they clog up floor and surface space that’s needed for navigation and everyday life. And when you’re already pressed for storage inches within your closet, under the bed, and in/around cabinets and shelves, it can often feel like there’s zero room for bulky temporarily displaced items such as these.
As always, my recommendation is to go vertical, and to work with what you have.
First, we double-up the cushions that we can keep on the couch without getting in the way of the sitting or sleep space. And we always use a cushion as a headboard, which makes the setup feel more bed-like, while also putting good use to an otherwise displaced cushion.
In our case, we scatter the cushions around so that no one area of our tiny house feels overcrowded.
We drop the pillows into functional decor, such as the basket hanging over our bedroom doors
We also use s-hooks to suspend some via market totes from the outside of our closet.
A hamper (or even a a trademark blue Ikea bag) could help, but they’re not the sightliest things to have out in a compact home. Luckily you can easily make your own Santa bag.
All you need is a spare sheet or tablecloth, gathered at the top with a simple tool like a garden hook so that it securely holds the makeshift sack together while also hanging from something like a curtain rod or wall hook.
It’s not the most elegant of solutions, but it’s effective, and it can keep your home feeling and functioning the way you want it to. Plus I personally prefer to work with what we have readily available, rather than searching for fabricated storage and organization solutions. It’s better for our wallets, our small spaces and our environmental impact
