When I was pregnant with my son Theo, I got really adamant that if people could raise kids in small apartments in New York and Europe, we could do it too. I had trouble at the time finding a lot of information online about how families actually lived small. I could find cute apartment photos and home tours, but not the ins and outs of how the family actually lived small. I promised myself that if we could make it work, I would share about it, so other new parents felt less alone.

I think a lot about how the space will be used. The first thing I do is make sure there is room to move around. Then it’s about comfortable and cozy places to sit, rest, play, eat. As our eyes travel around the room, I don’t want us to feel overwhelmed by clutter or chaos. I try to ensure that the everyday items we have are beautiful, and there is adequate enclosed storage. I love a long, low sideboard! Or even two sideboards pushed together to fill an entire wall, like the Tidal Sideboard. It could hold toys, electronics, even kitchen overflow! It’s also important to keep track of what you are storing. Make sure it is something you use and need.

Most small spaces can only fit a few pieces, so you should really love those pieces! They need to be hard-wearing and high-quality, but that doesn’t mean they need to be expensive. The Field Stool in my house is a side table, an extra seat at the dining table, a step stool, and a projector stand.

The first one for us is our wall bed. It allowed us to give up our bedroom to our kids in our 600-square-foot apartment. We put it away every day, and it made staying there for over 7 years possible. We moved it with us. We now have a small 2-bedroom, so when we have guests over, we put the wall bed away and have an extra room for the kids to hang out in. We have one small bathroom, and the mornings can get hectic. I recently added the Keep Stacking system in my bedroom under a mirror. I treat it as my vanity and do my hair and makeup outside the bathroom. This small change has helped a lot!

I am still learning this lesson. I noticed in the early motherhood days, I was really overstimulated. I found I had to really edit our space and possessions, so I opted for a very muted palette of colours (ok, essentially white, beige and grey). As the kids have gotten older, I’m finding I am open to experimenting with more colour and bringing play and creativity into our home. I’ve recently added some pops of baby blue and ochre. I still like a calming neutral home, but playing with some colour with accessories and small furniture has been fun!

Take advantage of vertical space. I love a really high shelf along the ceiling to display books. You don’t need many accessories in a small space, so make sure the ones you have count. If you only have one vase, 2 candleholders, and 4 coffee table books in your small living area, what are those things saying about you and your space? Have fun with them!

Don’t rush. Take your time to find the right pieces for your small space. Better to sit on the floor for a bit than fill the space with furniture you don’t love!

I hope they feel welcome and cozy. And I hope they see something that makes them think about their own space differently. I love seeing how others live and often take something away from how they arrange or organize their space.