10 Crafty Ways To Create More Space When You Downsize Apartments

10 Crafty Ways To Create More Space When You Downsize Apartments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT. All opinions are 100% mine.

For a variety of happy and positive reasons, my family is downsizing apartments this year. This will be the third time that we’ve downsized over the last decade, so I have a very good sense of what comes next. I don’t mind moving actually. If you have the right moving company, things go smoothly and you know, I think I’m pretty used to it now. First, a little history …

The first time we downsized, it was quite a shock! We lived in a big house on a couple acres of land in the country, just north of Toronto, with a detached two-car garage, a basement, a garden shed, and even a barn. I never once thought about space, where to put our stuff, or how to manage it all – what a luxury that was! Then when we decided to move back to the city, we had to start thinking about space and a serious lack of it! Then there was the problem of getting all of our stuff over there (at least, only the stuff that we had decided to keep!) Anyway, we managed to move our stuff to the new house. We moved into a smaller Edwardian-style house with a tiny backyard and no garage (street parking only!), so we had to really think about what furniture to bring with us and how to lay it out effectively to maximize a very narrow space.

Soon after this move, a job opportunity in New York came knocking on our door, so we were off again, this time to an apartment in Brooklyn – another downsize! Again, we had to think about which furniture would work best in a smaller space and this time we realized much of what we had was just not going to work. So we made the big cross-border move with the idea that we would furnish our new apartment when we got there. The shocker? We did just that and it was much more expensive than we ever could have anticipated.

At the time we thought we were only going to stay in Brooklyn for a couple of years, so in hindsight buying furniture just to sell it or give it away soon after seems like a waste of time and money. If I could go back to that time, I would have looked to rent furniture from a furniture rental service such as CORT. In addition to offering “move-in-ready” furniture packages, CORT can also provide trained professionals to help navigate a new area. Since moving is stressful enough (to a new country even!), I would have appreciated having friendly and professional guidance, and less hassle with sourcing furniture. You learn quickly that having furniture delivered to an apartment in New York is expensive and a huge inconvenience. Another good thing is CORT’s flexibility around rental terms. It’s common for assignments to change, so CORT offers flexible furniture lease term options that allow you to keep your furniture as long – or as short – as you need it. So if you find yourself in a similar position, consider CORT Furniture Rental. As a national industry leader in the furniture rental space, they know what they’re doing and will provide a hassle-free solution.

As for my family and I, we are champion downsizers who’ve learned a few space-saving and space-making tricks over the years and I’d like to share our learning with you.

10 Crafty Ways To Create More Space When You Downsize Apartments

  1. Paint It White — Darker shades can look attractive, but they make a room look smaller. Use tans, beiges, whites, and light greys to keep a room looking spacious, bright and airy.
  2. Use Pops Of Color — At one time we placed a beautiful red rug in a completely white room and it was stunning. When you use a splash of bright color sparingly, it can create the illusion of space.
  3. Make Space Around The Furniture — For some reason humans like to cram furniture against walls to create the illusion of space. Guess what, it doesn’t work. Instead, space pieces out from the wall and leave spaces in between. Less is more.
  4. Mirror, Mirror On The Wall — We use mirrors in every place we live in because they work. Currently we’re using a gorgeous antique mirrored-headboard in the living room, placed on the fireplace mantel. It opens up the room and spreads light – so effective!
  5. Can You Live With No Drapes? — We have two giant windows in our living room which I try to keep open because it adds a sense of depth to the room when you can see outside. We do live within street-view, so I cheat a bit with sheer curtains to keep prying eyes out. Oh, and keep the windows clean – that helps too!
  6. Go Big — It may be counter-intuitive, but to create the illusion of space you want to use bigger pieces, but less of them. That goes for furniture, as well as accent pieces like vases and fun chatchkas. Again, less is more!
  7. Rugs Are Your Friends — Rugs can be a relatively inexpensive way to divide space in a room. It creates the illusion of having more than one space.
  8. Say No To Clutter — You love your stuff, I know, I get it. But remember we talked about the idea of less is more? Group a few of your favorite things to display together (dishes, beautiful bowls, etc), but hide away everything else.
  9. Organize Everything — I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to organization, but I promise you that keeping your closets and cupboards organized creates space. When everything is organizes, you can quickly see what you don’t need anymore and get rid of it. Also, being organized means that you can find things quickly and not have to tear up the house. Clutter eats space.
  10. Choose Furniture With Built-In Storage — Bed frames with shelves, end tables, couches, ottomans – pick furniture pieces that can also be used as storage. We recently got a bed which has storage underneath, it’s been so helpful!

Good luck with your next move! Whether it’s a downsize or not, I hope my many years of space-saving experience will help you!

About CORT: In times of transition, we all need a place to stay, a place to call home. Why hassle with buying, moving, setting up and then having to move, store, sell or discard furniture when you are done with it, when you can rent furniture from CORT? Cost-effective, convenient and hassle-free, furniture rental is the smart, flexible alternative for times of transition. Whatever your style, budget, time frame, or location, CORT is at your service to provide you a furnished life without compromise or commitment.

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About The Author

Danielle

Danielle Holke is a long-time knitter, first taught by her beloved grandmother as a young girl growing up in Canada. In 2008 she launched KnitHacker, a lively blog and knitting community which has since grown to be a popular presence in contemporary knitting culture, reaching more than a million readers each year. As a marketing professional, Danielle advises and works with a motley squad of artists, yarn bombers, film makers, pattern designers, yarn companies and more. Learn more about her latest book, Knits & Pieces: A Knitting Miscellany.

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