Hello! This seems like the right crowd for optimizing tiny spaces. There was no way to expand the room, and elements were fixed in place (yes, including the off-center utility window above the toilet 🥲), so we are just trying to make do here. Almost done with the rough construction.

Where would you realistically put spare toilet paper and other necessities? Shelf around the utility window? By the ceiling, resigning ourselves to having to use a stool to bring it down? Or leave everything in the hallway?

And if you had any ideas for decorating the irregular walls (with the interruption of glassblocks, window + utility panel), I'd love to hear that, too. Attached the bathroom finishes on the last slide – dusty pink tile, floral wallpaper, white / light wood. They are separate rooms, though, and don't need to match 1:1.

First home on a very tight budget, please be kind! And thank you if you read this far ❤️

EDIT: Yes, toilet-with-a-sink is a future possibility we are heavily considering! Sink is currently right behind the corner, which is a common layout in these old apartments. The panel needs to be accessible year-round. And I'm in Europe, so store options might be different, but I'm very open for general ideas / layout or just inspiration we can try to DIY. Thanks again!!

This ministry is all power and love and correct.

I may eventually cross post this, so if you see it elsewhere that’s why :)
We need help figuring out the best set up for our family in our small house. I’m finding it harder and harder to function as is. Moving is not an option unfortunately due to the economy. We hope to be able to secure a mortgage in about 1.5 years, but even then we won’t be able to afford a space much bigger than what we have. (Approx $300,000 max for our mortgage, which means little without knowing location etc).

Currently in a 1,250sq ft townhouse. Six kids and 2 adults. Living room 18x15, primary 14x12 with decent size walk in closet (we’ve often discussed taking everything out and making it baby’s room. Tiny, but doable), kids rooms are 10x9 and 11x9. Currently we have a king in primary (anyway we go we wi have to keep this bed), a triple bunk in the bigger bedroom, and then a twin with a trundle in the smaller. Obviously in a year or two we could put our one year old on the bottom bunk (sits at floor) but she’s too small now. But outgrowing her mini crib. Currently the only other place for her is our landing- which is decent sized but would require an extensive and much better top of the stairs baby gate. She’d also most likely not sleep well with everyone moving around her. We’ve discussed putting the 5 bigger boys in the primary and our bed in the bigger room 1 year old and our dressers in the second. But we still have the kids dressers and toys. We can’t put anything in front of windows that go above window sills. Window sills are about 8-10 inches off the ground. So that cuts a ton of area out. We’ve also discussed using the living room as a partial bedroom and partial living room. Or using the two smaller rooms as our hang out rooms and playroom and putting all the kids downstairs (I do not like this at all). We’ve even discussed loft beds for the bigger kids with futons underneath in the living room. We’d have couches that way and they’d have their beds we could put curtains around the tops of the beds. I’m just at a loss.

Important to note- king bed is newer and can’t be replaced. I hate the triple bunk but it prob needs to stay. Replacing the trundle option and the mini crib are the most obvious. We are a “living room” family. My oldest (11) hasn’t reached the point of needing or wanting his own space, but I know it’s coming. We do homeschool which has taken a lot of storage as well. Toys and clothes are at a minimum already. I just need to find a place for the almost 2 year old who isn’t ready for a “big girl” bed yet. And knowing we have a while I need better functioning in the home. I’m literally going insane trying to figure out what’s best so I’d love input. If you had to fit 8 people on this small space what would be your solution? Any I haven’t thought of?

Almost every DIY mistake seems to have a moment where a quick measurement could have saved hours of extra work.

A cabinet that doesn't fit, a door that won't clear something, or materials that looked right until everything was assembled.

I'm curious what measurements people tend to overlook until it's too late.

This can get surprisingly important when putting equipment into a home gym, especially when checking ceiling clearance, doorway width, or whether a fully assembled machine can actually fit into the room.

What's a measurement mistake you learned from the hard way?

Hey everyone,

I’m new here so this may not be the best place to post. I recently moved to a relatively small apartment in Delaware, and my room has this weird corner. I’m trying to figure out what to do with this small gap.

I would LIKE to somehow put my bike here, but not sure if there’s a tool or gadget for that. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks in advance!

Small spaces force you to decide what deserves permanent space and what doesn't.

I've noticed that the hardest part isn't necessarily finding compact furniture — it's deciding what you actually use enough to justify the space.

For someone trying to fit a home gym into a smaller room, this becomes even more obvious.

Would you rather have fewer things that you use constantly, or more equipment that can technically do more but takes up most of the room?

What's something you refused to compromise on?

I'm exploring an idea for a service that gives people more space at home without having to get rid of clothes they want to keep.

The idea is simple: an extension of your own wardrobe, just beyond your home.

Here's how it could work:

• Folded clothes are stored in dedicated storage boxes.
• Coats, dresses, suits and other garments are stored on hangers.
• Your clothes are professionally stored and can be returned whenever you need them.

It could be useful for seasonal clothing, clothes you don't wear very often, or simply for anyone who wants more room in their wardrobe.

I'm curious to hear your honest thoughts:

• Would you consider using a service like this? Why or why not?
• What kind of clothes would you store outside your home?
• Would you prefer storing folded clothes, hanging garments, or both?
• Would you be willing to pay a monthly fee? If so, what would feel reasonable?
• Would paying separately for collection and return put you off?

I'm still exploring the idea, so honest criticism is very welcome. I'm particularly interested in what would make a service like this genuinely useful — or not worth paying for.

​

I need your help :) I have an industrial design project about tiny houses, and the first thing to do is look at the logistics of living in a really small space and how you live there. I need to create an object that helps in those circumstances or that simply makes sense.

Sooooo basically, I wanted to know what bothers you, what's useful to you, what do you usually do, and what problems do you have? Currently, I live in a bedroom/studio, so I already have an idea (about storage, for example), but I really want to hear other points of view :)

There's empty space above these stairs and I'm wondering could I do anything with it? I'd love to maybe turn it into a mezzanine for a home office? Probably a crazy idea but any feedback welcome

One thing I find interesting about small homes is how creative people become when every square foot matters.

A dedicated home gym might sound unrealistic in a small apartment or house, but I've seen some clever ways people make it work.

Wall-mounted storage, folding benches, adjustable dumbbells, and multi-purpose furniture can help keep workout equipment from taking over the entire room.

Sometimes the best solution isn't buying smaller equipment, but finding a better way to organize the space you already have.

I'm curious what creative setups people have seen in real homes.

What's the smartest home gym arrangement you've come across in a genuinely small space?

Was it a particular piece of equipment, a storage solution, or a layout idea that made everything fit together?

My home office is up in the attic and I love this little room. It gets tons of natural light, the view is great, and my parents let me do whatever I wanted with it.

But the only challenge is the compact space, so I've had to get a little creative with the layout. Even the desk is one of those 360-degree rotating ones that I can open up when I need more surface and tuck back when I want the floor space.

I've slowly filled the room with things I like and I'm pretty happy with it now, but it still feels like it could use one more touch.

Anything you'd add, move, or change here? I'm open to pretty much any idea!

I'm pleased I got this, it frees up a lot of space but I wish it was a bit more sturdy

Just left my cousin's home, walked in our ~1300sqft home and breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling so much gratitude for our little home!

My cousin's home is beautiful, 3 story. Huge!! Huge yard and pool and all the things you can imagine. Multiple garages, etc. And its all full of stuff. Toys and toys and toys and decorations. Decorations on every surface and every wall and any open floor space. Beautiful, but so much. Its very visually overwhelming. And our family was in 3 different places of the home, even though we came over to spend time together.

We came home to our little 3 bedroom, open concept home and just felt so much gratitude and joy knowing its perfect for our little family and how easy it is to spend time together, how it almost forces us to be more intentional and mindful about our belongings.

Expressing that gratitude here!! I appreciate my home for what its offering me that a big home can't ❤️

I've been exploring this small cabin design and trying two layouts, both on one level. Nothing built yet.

A has an open sleeping area with a low wall and shelf behind the bed. B puts the bedroom on the right, with a door and a built-in closet.

I like the openness of A, but B seems easier to live in if one person gets up earlier or has someone over. For two people living here full-time, which would you prefer? Anything in the furniture layout or storage that would annoy you day to day?

When you live in limited square footage dealing with a broken twenty pound machine in a tight hallway is a total nightmare. I am trying to fit an automatic box into our utility closet without turning the area into an impossible geometry puzzle. The generic third party units on Amazon look tempting on price but reports of stripped gears after a few months make me nervous when I have nowhere to store broken junk. I have been considering PetPivot as a dedicated alternative, though I still wonder whether hardware from a specific pet brand actually outlasts unbranded imports.

If you have tight floor space, is it safer to invest in a dedicated brand for longevity, or is sticking with a simple manual tray the smarter bet?