Tiny home fever has swept the nation, and we’re seeing more and more people downsizing their homes to free themselves of material possessions, reduce their expenses so they can work less and live more, and reduce their carbon footprint.
Even those who are not giving up their homes for tiny homes are taking their design cues from tiny homes. Architects for these smaller spaces have to get creative so they can fit everything a family needs into just a few hundred square feet (or less), and people are fascinated with the solutions they come up with. Many people are using these solutions in their larger homes, just so they can become better organized or make better use of their space.
Here are some of the most memorable tiny house trends we saw in 2017:
Compact Appliances
You can’t really put a full-size refrigerator or stove into a tiny home. Well, you can, but your kitchen and your overall space would become a lot more cramped if you did. By using compact appliances, you can still get the same functionality you need but save a lot of space. Plus, if you have a smaller refrigerator, you won’t be as prone to buying more food than you need. You will be forced to buy only what you need for a few meals, which will ensure that you always have fresh foods.
You can use compact appliances in your full-sized kitchen just to save space. Then you will have more room for preparation or entertaining. Or you will just clear up more room to make your home seem larger and easier to navigate.
Creative Storage
Tiny homes have to be creative with storage – they just don’t have the room for clutter, and they don’t have the room for a lot of cabinets. With tiny homes, you see creative storage like a cabinet that’s a few inches thick inside of a sliding door, kitchen cabinets that fold up and flat against the ceiling, or even a few inches of space below the kitchen floor to store the dining table when not in use.
You don’t have to hire a contractor to build these types of storage options in your home. Expand Furniture has some creative storage options that you can add to any room. We have slim bookcases that have multiple shelves with doors that can hide what’s on those shelves. We have modular shelving systems that can be put together in multiple shapes, giving you plenty of storage and enhancing your décor. Fabric bins can be used with the shelves to store small items or to keep items out of sight.
Advanced storage solutions include our Murphy beds with shelving and our lift and store beds. We have the solutions you need for any room or any space.