Today we are continuing the tour of my Cozy City Condo . Next week, I’ll share some of my most successful tips for living in a small space. The condo was small, but I have lived in even smaller. I’ve got some easy tips for you on how to live comfortably in a small space, kids or no kids. Right before we moved out of this 1200 square foot/ 2 bedroom /2 bath condo , it was the two of us, 2 kids, and 3 cats all living here. Yes, I said 3 cats. sigh. 

Living in a small space can be functional and beautiful. Don’t let the size of your home stop you from decorating and organizing. All spaces can be beautified. Trust me, I use to help my Granddad flip trailers and after we were done they looked awesome. I’m convinced that no matter the space or budget, there are many things you can do to make your home AMAZING!

Now, back to the tour. You’ve  seen the main living areas and the master bedroom. Looking down this hallway the master bedroom would be directly to your left. Gavin’s room is the first door on the right, the double doors lead to a deep laundry closet and the last door is a full bathroom. Misted Green paint by Benjamin Moore is also featured in this hallway. Using a cohesive color in the entire living space along with all hardwood floors makes this small space look and feel a lot bigger.

Gavin’s room was decorated twice. This picture was actually before we finished decorating, but it still shows that even the most minimal decor can still be executed in order to make the space beautiful and functional. The color used in this room is a gorgeous blue called Buxton Blue by Benjamin Moore. The blue almost has a tint of grey which gave it a very calm affect.

This closet did NOT originally look like this. You guessed it, the closet had the dreaded wire shelving. Unlike Jude’s recent closet re-do, we were able to buy prefab units from Lowes and only customize the shelves in the middle. Doing easy projects like this helps you to build up to a more difficult level. This was my first closet re-do. Remember you can do it too!

Like Jude’s closet, I insured that the clothing bars could also hold adult sized clothing hangers. I’m sure our tenant appreciates that. These units were very easy to install and are super functional. You have an option between adding shelves inside the cabinets or shoe dividers. All of these cabinets have shelves inside.The cabinets held small toys stored in bins, books, board games and other miscellaneous toys. We had no toys in his actual bedroom. In the drawers we stored stuffed animals, dress up clothes and shoes.

Can you believe it stored that much stuff!!

Welcome to the laundry room  closet. Now that I’m looking back at the pictures I’m kicking myself for not painting it Misted Green  and adding those cabinets that I really wanted.  Regardless, I still really loved that laundry closet and to be honest it was more functional than my current laundry room.   Our laundry room in our house is so tight I can barely move. This being a closet that opened in to the hallway, I had tons of room.

Recognize those baskets, yep those are the ones in my laundry room now. They hold so much stuff. And have lasted over 6 years.

So, are you asking yourself about the hangers? I know I’m a little OCD but I do not like wire hangers and I have this thing about having everything hanging on the same kind of hanger. In fact Jude has about 5 blue hangers and the rest are white and it drives me crazy. Anyone else have a decorating or organizing pet peeve? Come on, you know you do…

The best thing I ever did when decorating this condo was to paint this bathroom Branchport Brown. Not only did it keep it looking spotless, it was a very elegant color. The wood floors that were in the main areas were very close to this color. By painting it on the walls and using similar accent colors in the other rooms, the bathroom added to the cohesiveness that I’ve been talking about.

In a small space the more cohesive the better. A color palette that works with each other and doesn’t vary too much, really works well in a small home. In larger homes it’s a little easier to take bold color risks because you have more transition points like hallways, stairways and entryways.

Featured Benjamin Moore Colors

Come back Monday to see my tips for small space living….. and to find out about our up-coming giveaway (this one is unique and so fun) Until then Have a wonderful weekend!

Tell us about the smallest place you have lived in…. A dorm, apartment, condo? What did you do to make it feel like home.