8 Ways to Organize Your Small Bathroom

Eight Ways to Organize Your Small Bathroom: When you live in a small home, one of the top priorities is to


8 Ways to Organize Your Small Bathroom: When you live in a small home, one of the top priorities is to maximize your space. Contrary to popular belief you can store items in a chic way, and keep clutter at bay.

Organizing is becoming more mainstream with shows like Clean House and Hoarders, so we now have endless options to organize.

If you need a little help to get your creative juices flowing, don’t fret, below are eight ways to get started.

Cut the Junk in Your Small Bathroom

The bathroom is a wonderful place to store random items you don’t need. How many half empty hair spray bottles do you have? What about the number of half used disposable razors? One of the best ways to start any organization project is to cut the junk. Bring in a big trash bag or box and start throwing unused items away. If you don’t know if you should keep it or throw it, recall the last time you used it. Chances are you don’t use it often enough to keep it.

Baskets and Storage Bins

Once you have purged access items, it’s time to decide where to keep them. Group like items together to make access of each item easier. For example, all hair products can go in one area, dental care items in another and so on. But these items in decorative baskets or storage bins for easy access that adds a touch of flair.

small bathroom basket for vanity

Organize the Small Bathroom Vanity

Whether you have a single or double bathroom vanity cabinets, they need to be organized. Besides adding baskets or storage bins, purchasing drawer organizers is a great idea.

This allows for things like your toothbrush and other small items to be accessible and not lost in the shuffle.

Utilize Your Door in Small Bathrooms

Adding hooks to the back of your bathroom door opens up the space to hand extra towels, robes or even clothes if you need to. Whether you are organizing your small bathroom or other small space, it’s a good rule of thumb to go vertical. The more you hang, the less you have to worry about items taking up precious square footage.

Shelves for Small Bathrooms

small bathroom organizer

The space behind the toilet is often regarded as “dead space”, but this doesn’t have to be the case. You can find plenty of shelving options to use around the toilet. This can add a great deal of vertical real-estate in your small bathroom.

Less is More in Small Bathrooms

Keeping your counters clear in your bathroom is a must. To have a bathroom that looks decluttered, and organized, your counters are one of the first things in your line of vision. If you don’t have the cabinet space, investing in multi-purpose items is a great way to clear up the junk. Check out this 5-in-1 organizer.

Get Vertical in the Shower

How many times have you tried to squeeze more space out of your bathtub? Households with more than one person living in them can see how fast clutter is accumulated in the shower/bathtub area. A great option for this problem is to go vertical. Adding shelves around the bathtub, or a rack around the shower head really utilizes all the space you have.

Tissue Tower

With all the space you don’t have under the sink it can be a challenge in deciding where to keep extra toilet paper rolls. Tissue towers are a great way to keep multiple rolls close without taking up much space. A win, win.

Guest Post: Miguel Salcido is an avid blogger, father of 2 and a recent proud home owner. He loves studying home design and decor and has his eyes on purchasing some walk in bathtubs for his home.

Five Easy Tips to Expand Your Small Space

Easy tips for your small space. Super simple ways to expand the use of your small spaces while making them feel bigger, too!

Your small space does not have to feel cramped or be inefficient. Remember, living in a small house is not about doing without. Here we’ll show you super simple ways to expand the use of your small spaces while making them feel bigger, too!


1) Declutter

First and foremost, you gotta get rid of all the extra stuff. This one tip alone can make you think your room is twice the size. If you need an objective ‘eye’ have a friend come in to help you sweep some of it away. Be ruthless because all that clutter serves no good purpose and it’s filling up your space making it less functional… and pleasing.. and comfortable!

Of course, along with decluttering, comes organizing. If you need a quick tip guide to declutter, you’ll receive one once you sign up for our Sunday morning Magazine. Look to the right sidebar for signup. Can’t get motivated? There’s help at >> Kick the Excuses and Get Organized

2) Multipurpose your Rooms

We touch on this at 5 Mistakes not to make with your House Plan.  It’s Tip #2.

Gone are the days that we use our homes like we’re ‘supposed’ to. Formal dining room? Who says that space has to be used as a dining room? Or you can use it as a formal dining room but multi purpose it as a library also. Guest room double duties as an office or music room. Screened in back porch can be unique sleeping porch for occasional over night guests. The list is really endless.

Bunkbed with desk underneath
Photo Courtesy of Bunkbeds.net

3) Multipurpose your Furniture

Ahhh.. This is one of my favorite small space tip because we can find all kinds of multipurpose furniture in the marketplace. What are we talking about?

Bunkbeds come to mind. But not just any bunk beds; we’re talking about the ones that have double beds underneath, or desks, or futons. Extremely efficient.

Tables that have shelves underneath. Or even something as basic as having a drawer in the side table instead of just the table.

Chests used as coffee tables so you can store items in the chest. Headboards with built in bookcases.  Breakfast table that doubles as a game table.

4) Get Rid of Unnecessary Furniture

Is your room over stuffed with furniture that you aren’t using? When we’re talking about living in a small house, even one unused piece of furniture can be one too many. Really think about how you are using your space (or how you want to use your space.) If you have extra furniture that does not serve a purpose, get rid of it!

Take bedroom bureaus as an example. How much do you dig around in the drawers? Get rid of the big, hunky dresser and put those clothes in your closet. Whatever was on top of the bureau can go A. to charity, B. on top of bed table, C. bathroom vanity.

Can you imagine how much bigger your bedroom will feel? ..and I’m sure if you think about it, there are other furniture pieces you can live without.

5) Mirrors

Decorative mirrors as seen in this gorgeous small space, expands the visual of the room while adding a fun decorative touch.

HGTV Mirror - Decor by Erinn Valencich
Mirror Photo: HGTV - Decor by Erinn Valencich

Mirrors are an easy, inexpensive way to instantly add visual space to any room. Lean a large mirror against a wall and it will not only increase how big the room feels but you also have a place for a full length check before you head out the door.

Hang a mirror on adjacent wall from a window and it feels like you have two windows! I actually do this trick any time I have the opportunity because I love the feeling of expanding outdoor views.

In a tiny bathroom, extend a mirror across the entire wall for big visual pop like you see in our small black and white bath.

Please share these tips with your friends at Twitter and Facebook. We always appreciate the ‘share’ love! Dee 🙂

Kick the Excuses and Get Organized

Have you ever noticed the messier your house is the less you get done? So why can’t you get organized? We debunk the excuses and help you

Have you ever noticed the messier your house is the less you get done? Or even the more clutter, the worse you feel… So why can’t you get organized?

You have to get rid of the excuses before you can get rid of the clutter. It’s just that simple. All the organizing tips in the world will not help one bit if you are still holding on to your reasons (code name for excuses) as to why you can’t get organized.

We all have priorities of what matters to us. And no matter what we say, our actions really do speak loud and clear about what’s in our hearts. If it’s important enough, we’ll find a way. But sometimes we need to kick some junk out (in this case, excuses) before we can focus on what we want.

I have a free article I want to share with you called Get Organized in 5 Easy Steps, but before we can get to that, let’s address the variety of excuses that we use to hold us back from a little organization and simplicity in our lives.


One of my neighbors in Houston.. hello Barbara if you’re reading this.. had eight children ranging in age from about fourteen years to a newborn. Her husband worked fulltime while she was a nurse (I think 72 hours straight, then off the rest of the time).. Anyway, my point, and I do have one!

My point is, she had one of the most organized (and clean) homes on the block. I remember she had a laundry system where each child had their own basket. Whoever was doing the laundry..and all the kids pitched in.. would simply fill up each basket for the owner to retrieve and put away. Of course each basket was neatly stored on a built-in shelf in the laundry room before it made its way into the kid’s rooms. I suppose Barbara and hubby had a basket too, now that I think about it.

The reason I illustrate the story of my Houston neighbors, is because I knew that would be one of the first excuses to pop up! “Not enough time.”  So let’s lay out some of the most common excuses first:

  • Not enough time
  • I’ve always been this way
  • Everyone else in the family is a slob
  • It’s too overwhelming
  • I don’t know where to start

Let’s tackle them one by one.

Not enough time

First of all, you do know that time is the one thing we all have the same amount of on any given day, right? Obviously we fill our time up differently, depending on our priorities.

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I’m not going to get into a big debate about this because here’s the bottom line: It takes less time to be organized then to be disorganized. Yes, you know it’s true! If you take five minutes to hang your clean clothes up, you’ll save that in one morning of desperately searching for a particular garment. Now multiply that by several mornings of searching and you get what I mean. Or how about searching for keys or misplaced school books? You know I’m right. 🙂

I’ve always been this way

Girl, this is probably the lamest excuse in the bunch! Do not use this one, because it holds you back on so many levels it’s not even funny. Your past does not have to equal your future IF you make a decision to change your actions. Different actions get different results, period.

Everyone else in the family is a slob

OK, even I will admit this can be challenging. If you get in gear and start organizing but then everyone else throws stuff around, it can get frustrating. If it’s your kids, perfect! You have the opportunity to teach them to be good stewards of their belongings. After all, you’re the mom. If it’s your spouse, ya’ll can either have (what we like to say in Texas) a ‘come to Jesus talk’ or an understanding that you don’t see eye to eye.

But all is not lost if your spouse refuses to change his/her messy ways! There are plenty of areas that you can declutter and keep organized. Your purse, your car, your papers, your closet, etc. Even getting these spots in order will bring you tremendous relief and clarity. And there is always the possibility that your organization will encourage your spouse to keep the house a bit tidier.

It’s too overwhelming + I don’t know where to start

These two go together because I’m giving you the free organizing article I told you about earlier that will address both of these issues. I have some very simple tips in there so you can get started today towards organizing your life!

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When you sign up for our free magazine.. that’s delivered directly to your email each Sunday morning.. you’ll receive a link that takes you to Get Organized in 5 Easy Steps.

If you already receive the Sunday email, but can’t find your copy, just contact me here and ask for the link.

OK, so sign up right NOW in the footer!  Dee 🙂

Small Bathroom Ideas

Small bathroom ideas for your bath, big or small. It’s essential to get smart with how you use your space with small bathrooms. Creative ideas




These small bathroom ideas are sure to perk up any bathroom, big or small. From built ins to creative use of space. This page has some of our more popular photos! Enjoy.

There’s clever use of small spaces, as well as cool new trends you might not be familiar with.

It’s essential to get smart with how you use your space when we’re talking small bathrooms. There are a lot of different ways to organize a small bath so it works as well as a larger bathroom. So, jump in and have a look.


Small black and white bathroom with amazing storage idea. SmallHouseLife.com
Remember your bathroom does not have to be big to be amazing! Especially when you have great storage ideas like above.

Small Bath from HGTV Remodels
Small Bath from HGTV Remodels

The small bath above has an ideal detail for small or large bathrooms.. the built in shampoo and storage area in the shower.  Really, the way a home lives is in the details.





I like the rich coffee wood that is mimicked in the rattan and wood drawers next to the sink.

Small-Bathroom-Ideas---Kohler-Frameless-Shower
Photo Credit - Kohler.com

Crisp, modern bath courtesy of Kohler.  Oh look!  They also feature the built-in storage area in the shower.  I like the kind of half sink also.  These are fairly inexpensive at Lowe’s or Home Depot.. and give a luxurious look.

Small Bath design
Photo credit: One of our fav designers: Donald Gardner

Donald Gardner is an architect that we use sometimes when we build houses, and this picture was taken of one of the homes he designed.  This particular bah has some interesting elements.  The vanity is not your run of the mill cabinet, but more of a furniture piece.



Then the sink definitely makes a statement with it’s unusual shape.  The faucet is one I used in a bath I called my ‘farm’ bathroom.  I’ll have to do a post on it so you can see how I used that faucet.  Lovely small bath, although I will say, it’s a bit trendy.

Bath at Horseshoe Bay
Lovely small with lamp.

Warm, traditional bath.  The beauty of this look is it’ll never go out of style.  Granite counter tops with complimenting tile backslash.  Not too crazy about the floors but they work.

Bath Design from ModernFurnitureDesign
Photo Credit:ModernFurnitureDesign

Who says a small bathroom has to be boring?  This tiny bath is crisp and clean with minimal feel.  FYI, the faucet seems to be mounted too high for me.  I think it’ll make quite a splash into that sink.  What a cool chandelier!

Tropical Small Bath design
Tropical Small Bath design

What a fun bathroom!  They didn’t miss a beat did they?  Great job in creating a tropical paradise.  Even the old timey ‘blind’ windows.  Boy, you don’t see those anymore.  Use of pebble tile continues the rustic oasis.  BTW, this pebble tile typically comes in 12×12 tiles and are laid just like any other tile.  Interior wood posts.. and a fan complete this casual, rustic bathroom.

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Small Bedroom Ideas

Small bedroom ideas.. Redo your small house with creative bedroom design ideas that will perk up any room. Small bedroom pictures..

Small Bedroom Ideas for your Bedroom Design


Small Bedroom Ideas is a real treat today because we have so many pretty bedroom design ideas to show you.

One thing I try to do when putting together a post, is give you a good variety of images to look at.. LOL, I say that and then I noticed a common theme through the small bedroom idea pictures below. Many of them have really cool walls.. often some kind of wood attached to the walls to add interest and texture. If you can budget in the additional expense, it’s well worth it!
Small bedroom white and orange
First small bedroom idea by House Beautiful, is a simple, white room with just a pop of color. Gives a crisp, clean look without being boring.

[note color=”#D3D3D3″]Bedroom Design Idea: If you’ll go neutral, you will have lots of flexibility in changing the look by simply changing out pillows, a rug, maybe a painting or slipcover.[/note]

Notice the wood walls I mentioned earlier.. I like the vertical wood pieces capped off with horizontal and then polished with a high gloss white paint.

Small Bedroom Pottery Barn 1
Small Bedroom Photo: Pottery Barn

As much as I love white rooms, THIS warm and cozy small bedroom is one of my favorites! The wood tones perfectly blend with the white (again wood) walls and light colored bed linens, create a welcoming oasis.  It really starts with the bed, doesn’t it?

small bedroom - by Michael J. Lee
Photo: Michael J. Lee

Off to a more modern space. if you checked out our IKEA 386 sq. ft small house then you saw use of the wall storage just as you see in this small bedroom.  Going vertical with storage is a super smart design idea to maximize precious space.  In this one, you even have your bedside table included!  Clever.

small bedroom Crate and Barrel Atwood Bedroom
Photo: Crate and Barrel Atwood Bedroom

Another, cool, crisp small bedroom that manages to appear warm with the rich wood furniture against a backdrop of white.. More white wood walls!  How about the light over the bed?  This room would be perfect in Texas.  🙂

small pink bedroom
For the girlie in all of us, a romantic, whimsical bedroom.  Look what they fit into this small space!  A tiny bed stand with reading light cleverly mounted on the wall to save space.  Natural light unencumbered by window treatments..   and artfully stenciled walls highlighting a funky mirror.  Of course, we know mirrors are perfect for reflecting light and making a small room appear bigger.

Photo: WILLIAM ABRANOWICZ at Martha Stewart

Don’t have a headboard? No problem because this design idea eliminates the need for one.  Just paint yourself one.  Or even wallpaper a headboard on.

Photo credit: Pottery Barn Small Bedroom
Photo credit: Pottery Barn Small Bedroom

Speaking of headboards, how about this small bedroom idea? Looks like old rustic shutters doing double duty as a stunning headboard. Combine soothing blue and white sheets for a real winner.

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[note color=”#FFf666″]Hey! If you liked this post, please share the love with your Facebook and Twitter friends below. [/note]

IKEA – Small House 376 Square Feet

IKEA Small House pictures show us how to get a whole lot of living out of a tiny 376 sq. ft. floorplan. Get small house design tips along

[adrotate banner=”30″]Here is our first IKEA post of a small house.. There’s a big IKEA in Austin, Texas right off Hwy-35, as you go towards Dallas. Hubby and I went there to purchase cabinet drawer pulls and thought it would be fun for our viewers at SmallHouseLife.com to see some of IKEA’s small house decorating. So the small space you’ll see today is a 376 square foot small house with living room, kitchen and small eating nook, bedroom and small bathroom. Oh! and loads of storage.

IKEA Store Texas
Just had to show you the outside of the Austin IKEA because, number one, it’s pretty darn impressive.. you can see it for miles, but also I wanted you to get a good look at that gorgeous Texas blue sky. This picture was taken Dec. 2011.

IKEA 376 Floorplan
IKEA 376 Square Foot Floorplan


Check out the photo above to get the small house floorplan. This will help you visualize the space as we move from room to IKEA room!

IKEAS 376 Bedroom
OK, so first up is the small bedroom. A brilliant way to get the most living out of a small space. Basically the bed is built in by surrounding it with storage compartments. You have the compact bedside tables (with drawers) and hanging storage units,along with full size clothing storage units. And notice the bedside reading light attached to the wall so as not to take up precious table space.

IKEAS 376 Living

Moving right along into the small living room. You’ll have to excuse all the IKEA tags. Obviously there’s nothing I could do about that. So just try and tune them out! Again, storage units mounted overhead to take advantage of the dead space over the sofa. See how the ottoman doubles as storage?


Smart, and you can now get an array of different sized and colors of ottomans almost everywhere these days.. Marshall’s, Ross’s, TJ Max.

IKEAS Living Room

Here another view of the small living room as you look to the kitchen. I like how they used one floor type for continuity into one space from another. This is an easy trick to use to extend the feeling of space when you actually have practically none. 🙂

IKEAS KitchenAhhh, we’re at the galley kitchen. Who would have thought they could even get dining seating in here, but they did! Run the major components against one wall..

Fridge, sink, stove, with complete storage cabinets. Then the other side of the small kitchen is utilized for the dining space and even a butcher block table for additional prep space. The next picture is a close up of the storage space you see over the dining table.

IKEA Kitchen shelfAs promised, a closer look at the storage unit over the dining table. Even though IKEA went for a more decorative look, you could use the storage cubes for cook books, dishes, etc.

So, there you have it.. our first ever IKEA small house tour. We’ll have more soon!

[note color=”#FFf666″]If you liked this post, please share the love with your Facebook and Twitter friends. [/note]

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Table Top Christmas Trees and more..

Table top Christmas trees may be small but they can pack a lot of punch for your small space. Get inspired with this group of small Christmas trees.

Table top Christmas trees are perfect for small houses and small spaces! We have table top trees, along with other Christmas tree ideas for the small area you want to decorate this year. And may you and your loved ones have a safe and Merry Christmas.  Dee 🙂

Photo Credit: Keith Scott Morton - Table Top Christmas Tree

The table top Christmas tree above will fit in practically any small space you want. It’s casual and fun.. practically a Charlie Brown Christmas tree actually. I love the blue and silver. Look at the silver bowl that the tree sits in. Elegant touch to an otherwise casual look.

Christmas-Trees-Embossed-Horchow
Small Christmas Trees Embossed from Horchow

A trio of trees.. quite elegant. Even one or two of these gold and cream trees would be gorgeous. You’ll notice in the caption of each picture, we give credit to where we found the picture. In this case it was an actual store, so you can go their site and purchase, if you wish. Simple, but elegant, to be sure.

Photo Credit Jackson and Perkins

Now here’s a fun little Christmas tree. Green balls with silver poinsettia flowers.. Just enough Christmas cheer to be festive but definitely won’t take up a lot of room!

Whimsical dove small Christmas tree
Photo Credit Keith Scott Morton - Dove Tree

Oh my, the dove tree above is so unique. It just goes to show that with Christmas decorating, you are only limited in you mind. They took this plain little tree and made it magical by simply draping cutout doves to the branches. Beautiful, whimsical effect.

Small Christmas Tree Decorated
Small Christmas Tree Decorated

This table top tree also has doves.. but with a completely different affect. The gold doves are complimented with gold balls and a bright red tree holder with a single gold ribbon at the top and the bottom.

Mini Fauz Christmas Trees from Horchow

Check out the tree duo above. Quite unique I think. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a tree decorated where it wasn’t done as a whole. I mean, the bottom is decorated completely different from the top part. Great idea.

Front Porch Small Christmas Tree
Photo Credit HGTV - Front Porch Small Christmas Tree

Lovely small Christmas tree just outside the front door to welcome your guests and put a smile on their faces.

Double small Christmas trees by the front door
Photo Credit - Jackson and Perkins

A welcoming pair of Christmas trees to grace the entrance of your small home, or to place inside. Blue and gold stars compliment perfectly the rustic tree holders. Makes you want to go inside and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate doesn’t it?

I hope these Christmas trees will inspire you to have fun with your Christmas decorating. Looks like today’s Christmas trees are beyond the traditional lights and ornaments. 🙂

Leave Table Top Christmas Trees for HOME

Small Kitchens Styles with Big Personality

Who says small kitchens are boring? Check out these kitchen styles from light and bright coastal, to sleek modern, friendly farmhouse, unique

[adrotate banner=”30″]Showcase of small kitchens styles with personality bigger than Dallas! All the images in this post are from Kraftmaid.com. We strive to include whatever cabinet specs were listed so that if you want to look at a particular cabinet it should be easy to find.

While we appreciate how gorgeous the cabinets are, this article is designed to highlight different small kitchen styles to give you ideas for your small home. That means we’ll go through and tell you what we like as well as what we don’t like about the various features.

Small Kitchens Kraftmaid Farmhouse Style
Photo: Kraftmaid Farmhouse Style

First up is a modern farmhouse appeal in the picture above.  You have to be fairly bold.. read ‘neat’ to go for the open shelves.  I’ve never had open shelved upper cabinets myself but have always liked the way they look.  And of course you also need some pretty snazzy dishes to pull this off.  Mismatch won’t do.

Check out the farmhouse apron front sink in this small kitchen.  Another feature I’ve yet to experience but love.  We thought about putting it into our Tuscan house but didn’t because of the cost.  They are about three times the cost of a conventional sink. If you go to Lowe’s kitchens and search ‘apron front kitchen sink’ you’ll find the least expensive is a stainless steel sink at about $445.. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I looked up the price of a farm sink like the one in this picture with the raised back.. $1,750! Yeeeaah, pretty but pricey.

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Notice the kitchen table right smack in the kitchen instead of a typical bar. I think it makes for a cozy farmhouse appeal. Cabinets are a maple cabinetry in Biscotti with Cocoa Glaze with a matte nickel hardware.

Small Kitchens Kraftmaid Modern Style
Small Kitchens Kraftmaid Modern Style

Very slick contemporary kitchen.. and how about that back-splash? Almost looks like a tin of some sort that you can get in sheets to go on the ceiling.. Not sure I’d want that for the long haul. Cool bar design, though. You have the taller part and then shorter size just perfect for dining for two.

Modern, natural finish, quartersawn cherry cabinetry. Slab doors add a dynamic feel to the space. With Contemporary, less is more.. and the lean look is ideal when you’re short on kitchen space.

Photo: Kraftmaid Coastal Style
Photo: Kraftmaid Coastal Style

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Ahhhh, pretty, pretty! Bright and coastal kitchen. Again, open shelves but they added a row of cabinets at the top with doors. Nice how they are lit inside. Kind of the best of both worlds with open shelving and then the closed ones to compliment.

My favorite part of this small kitchen is the floor! Love it. Just pick out two different wood colors and put them together for contrast.  I like the sharp contrast in this picture but it would look good in a slightly less contrast, also.

Cabinetry in Biscotti with Coconut Glaze and warmly lit satina glass doors.

Kraftmaid Black and White small kitchen
Kraftmaid Black and White small kitchen

OK, folks, you know I LOVE black and white!  The black in this kitchen is used sparingly so as not to overpower.  Glass doors with contrasting black back panels create a dramatic backdrop for putting special serving pieces on distinctive display.

The white marble counters give a formal feel.  You could go a little more casual with a different counter.  Maybe granite?

Kraftmaid Scandinavian kitchen
Kraftmaid Scandinavian kitchen

Speaking of casual, this small kitchen is that and more.  Long rows of open shelving for dishes, light woods and beaded cabinet doors give this kitchen a smooth Scandinavian feel.  I’d probably go with a tile floor because the wood is a bit overdone between the cabinets and wood floors.  Even a brick pattern tile would look good.

Kraftmaid Marquette small kitchen
Kraftmaid Marquette small kitchen style

Not sure those counters are blue above? ..but except for the possibly blue counters, you’ve got a classic theme here with the dark wood and brick patterned back splash.  A classic subway tile would also look nice.

I’m glad they went with large tile on the floors.  Wood would have been a bit much, don’t you think?  Then Marquette cabinets in Sunset Cherry warm up the kitchen with a layer of rich woods to make this a traditionally styled kitchen. Accent lighting under the cabinets imparts a cozy glow.

Kraftmaid Galley small kitchen
Kraftmaid Galley kitchen with floating bar

Now this kitchen above has a nice blend of a rich wood for the hardwood floors and creamy white cabinets.  I think a granite counter to pull the dark wood and light cabinets togehter would actually look better than what they have.

No wasted space with cabinets even in the bar.  Smart move in a smaller house that’s for sure.

Cove molding and the square raised door panels add quite the architectural interest to this bright and spacious kitchen in Kraftmaid’s cream Thermafoil.

Kraftmaid Kaffe cabinets
Photo: Kraftmaid Kaffe

Clever use of space in the galley kitchen above.  The bar isn’t a bar in the traditional sense.. with the lovely glass cabinets you can’t exactly scoot up and have a cocktail.   But that problem is solved with the cute table height eating space for two.

Tall wall cabinetry in warm Kaffe resembles beautiful art on these walls and provides much needed storage to a small kitchen.

Kraftmaid transitional kitchen
Kraftmaid transitional kitchen style

Fun, fun!  I left the most unique kitchen for last.  There are many interesting elements to this striking kitchen.

Sleek, contrasting door finishes with 4′ slate tile back splash.  Now I do have to warn about a slate back splash.  Slate is somewhat common in Texas.. less than it used to be because people started noticing the problem I’m getting ready to tell you about.  Here’s the BIG negative: It’s porous.  And porous materials absorb everything including grease and spats from cooking.  You can’t get it out so it starts looking splotchy.  If anyone tries to tell you it has sealant on it and it’s fine, I’m here to strongly disagree.  I’ve never seen a sealant yet that can stand up over time.  Your lovely slate will start looking dirty; trust me on this.

Notice how the microwave is built into the right side of the bar.  Smart.  Hubby and I often finish out our kitchen bars with the panels like you see here.  It gives that ‘furniture’ component.  Much better than painted sheetrock that gets kicked while sitting at the bar stools,  and starts looking tired.

Well, that’s it.  I hope you liked our journey through all the different small kitchen styles.

If you want to peruse the Kraftmaid cabinets, you will find them at Home Depot or Lowes.

How Someone Else Can Pay Your Mortgage

How to get someone else to pay off your mortgage. A simple, conservative way to have your small house mortgage paid off by downsizing and using..


small house with keysSound radical? It’s not…

I’ll show you a simple, conservative way to have someone else pay off your small house mortgage by using your home equity wisely.

It all began with a phone call from a dear friend in the real estate business. She called to update me on what she’s doing in our troubled economy and we got to talking about downsizing. My husband and I are currently selling our big fancy house to simplify our lives. She and her husband are considering downsizing from their big fancy house.

We got to talking about our different options and what downsizing to a smaller house could do for us financially.

I suggested an idea to her and she liked it so much, she encouraged me to share it with my readers. Of course!

Alright, here’s the great idea! 🙂

Take the equity from selling your big house and pay cash for a modest home. Well, what’s special about that? This home is not going to be the one you live in. You’re going to lease it out.

Now, find a small house that you want to call home and purchase it with a mortgage.

Your renters will pay off your mortgage. You might say.. well, if I just used the equity to pay cash for my own home, I wouldn’t need renters to pay it off. True. But look at the difference in the two scenarios.

BTW, we are using equity for cash but if you like this idea, you can use any funds available.
[box title=”Get qualified advice before proceeding!” color=”#336699″] Figures below are ESTIMATES for illustration purposes only. This article is designed simply to consider possibilities. I am not a licensed financial planner or accountant.[/box]

PLAN A – $160,000 Equity

157,000 pay cash for new home
3,000 closing cost
——————————–
You now own your personal home free and clear.

Hurray!! Actually this is pretty darn cool and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing it. We just believe there could be a better way.

PLAN B – $160,000 Equity

157,000 obtain mortgage for new home
4,000 closing costs are typically more when acquiring a loan
8,000 down payment
———————-
$1,211. monthly payment <<approximate only! I figured this at 4% interest, 30yrs. and with high Texas property taxes. Interest rates fluctuate, as do taxes, insurance and such.. These numbers are meant to give you an idea of how this can work.

$145,000 pay cash for new rent home
3,000 closing cost
———————-
$1200-1300 monthly rent <<have qualified real estate professional advice you on what this price home would rent for in your area.

Use the rent money from your tenants to pay your mortgage.  Sweet.

Added Benefit: Once the mortgage is paid off, you also own an income producing property that can enhance your quality of life. Double sweet!

In a nutshell, here is the difference between Plan A & B:

Plan A, you own your own home without debt, and in thirty years you are in the same position financially.

Plan B, you own one home without debt and another one with a mortgage.  In thirty years (or 15 or however long it takes to pay off the mortgage)  you have an extra house that provides income.

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NOTES

You might wonder why we used the personal house with a mortgage and rent house free and clear.  Generally you can get a better loan on a personal house as opposed to an investment property.

If you really want to be prudent when considering Plan B, you’ll set aside approximately 10%  of the monthly rent each month for potential repairs and vacancy. Being a landlord is not for everyone, but it can open up some interesting financial possibilities.

I’ve owned rental property almost my entire adult life and I’ve found the key is to properly screen potential tenants.  Also, so that I’m not chasing down rent checks, I use an auto debit company that takes the rent out of the tenants bank account and puts it into mine each month.  Plus when you sign on thru this link, we both get two free months of service! Sweet. 🙂

Amortization Calculator to figure different priced houses, interest rates, etc.

Black and White Small Bathroom Ideas

Black and White Small Bathroom. Get small bathroom ideas with black and white images, tips, suggestions. Lots of great storage and appealing..

For a timeless look, go with the black and white bathroom.  It looks so fresh and I love the crisp, clean classic style.  You can jazz it up by giving it pops of color.. red, yellow, blue.

We bought lots of products at Lowes. Shop Bathroom at Lowe’s

Small Bathroom Black and White Image
Small Bathroom - Black and White

My husband and I built this tiny bath as a seldom used upstairs bathroom. It was in a Tuscan home and I wanted the style to look as good in twenty years as on the day we built it.  This small bath size measures 8′ x 5’3″.

And of course, we wanted the illusion of space so as not to feel confined.

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So, one of the ‘space enhancing’ features of this small bathroom is extending the mirror over the vanity the entire width of the wall.

BTW, the vanity cabinet is 34″ wide.

Then we put a fun, vibrant picture on the opposite wall to reflect in the mirror as you walk in.

Having a large mirror also reflected the lights over the mirror.  I think that vanity light had 6 bulbs, so in essence, it seemed like we had twelve lights which gave off a lot of spark.

The light was purchased at Lowes. The counter is black granite.

Notice that we brought the tile up on the walls for continuity. You can see how it is behind the toilet and on the opposite wall as seen reflected in the mirror.

Small Bathroom mirrored medicine chest
Extra large medicine cabinet 26h x 20w

Speaking of mirrors, to further the look of wide open space, we used a mirrored medicine cabinet. We accomplished two objectives with this particular medicine cabinet (purchased at a close-out sale at Home Depot.) It also greatly extended our storage space. I loved how the entire cabinet was mirrored inside as well as out.

And we used a really big medicine cabinet for just that much extra storage for our small bath. As noted, it was 26″H x 20″W.

Small Bathroom black and white paper towel
Give guests the option of using paper towels.

Something we like to do with a guest or hall bathroom is to give our guests the option of drying their hands with paper towels. You can see to the left how we did this for our black and white bath.

You can even use a wall mounted paper towel holder.. but if you do that, make sure it goes with your overall theme like the one we used was black iron.

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Peek a boo Shower Curtain gives a bigger feel to bath.

For the shower curtain, we bought (online but I think I even saw this one at Walmart!) one that allowed us to see through to the bathtub wall. We did this for two reasons. One, once again we wanted as much feeling of space as possible.. but also so people could see how pretty the tile was.

When going small you need all the help you can get, so we added an inexpensive shower ledge for shampoo and such.

Black and White bath storage alcove

The built in counter and storage alcove that you see in the picture above illustrates how you can create ‘big’ in a small room.   This was not part of the original floor plan and indeed I had to convince both my husband and our framer because they both thought it was too insignificant a space to be of any use.  This ‘dead’ space measures 23″ wide by 18″ deep and I want you to just look at how much it adds to this small bathroom.

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In my opinion, it’s the difference between a tiny cramped bath, and a small yet functional, enjoyable bathroom.  In that small space, there’s now a nice counter area with an electrical outlet.. a good size drawer, and big storage below and above.

Black and White Hexagon Floor tile
Black and White Hexagon Floor tile

Above is the close up of the black and white hexagon floor. This is a fairly easy tile to find. And inexpensive too!  It was about $3.00 per foot at Lowes.

TIP: Use charcoal grey grout instead of white. It’s much easier to keep clean. I was a little worried about the dark grout when my husband suggested it, but I think it turned out great.

Another element I want you to notice is the black tile used as a border all along the bottom of the wall. There is actually tile you can buy for this area. It has a little curve along one side and you’re supposed to put it along the bottom next to the floor. I just used regular 4×4 tile there instead because I didn’t want that curve.. it would serve as a dust catcher in my opinion. Going with the regular tile saved money too, because any time you go with something a little different, it costs extra.  That’s one way the manufacturers make extra profit.

As mentioned, we purchased a lot of the items for this black and white bath at Lowes. Click here to check out Lowe’s current promotions.

[note color=”#FFffe0″] If you liked seeing our small black and white bathroom, come visit us on Twitter.com/SmallHouseLife or share this page! Thanks, Dee 🙂 [/note]

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5 Mistakes NOT to make with Small House Plans

SmallHouseLife.com walks you through five of the more common small house plans mistakes and how to avoid them. Get these elements right

blueprint floorplan
Photo credit: Can Stock Photo Inc

So many small house plans to choose from; how do you decide?  Selecting the right floor plan for your small house is essential to the enjoyment of your new home.

Get this part right and you can enjoy your small house for years to come.  Get it wrong, and it can be a huge disappointment.

SmallHouseLife.com walks you through five of the more common floorplan mistakes and how to avoid them.  You want every square foot to flow, live large and be functional.

Small House Plans –  Mistake 1

Not enough planning and preparation.  You’re excited about building a new home and you dive right in there looking at all the cool floor plans without taking the time to drill down on the essential elements that will work for your family.  Yes, you’ve decided on the number of bedrooms or that you want an office, but have you stopped to consider exactly what your needs are?

Only once you determine the particular desires of your family, can you get a clear picture of which floor plan will work best for you.

My suggestion is to sit down with your spouse (if applicable!) .. and even the kids (if you have them!) and have everyone write down what they want in a house.   Separate bedrooms for the kids?  Office.. or two? Outdoor living space, big kitchen, little kitchen, quiet reading spot?  The list is endless, but it’s also unique to each family.  So take the time to write down everyone’s wish list.  You will have to trim the list, especially because you’re building a small house, but the important thing is to get it on paper.
[note color=”#FFFFE0″] TIP: Separate the needs from the wants. List what is non-negotiable and what can be scratched if necessary. [/note]

Small House Plans – Mistake 2

Not considering how rooms can perform double duty.
Once you’ve figured out what your small house plans wants/needs, you’ll want to start thinking about how you can get them all into your small floor plan.

Frank Betz Small Floor Plan
Frank Betz - Nickerson floor plan - 1627 sq. ft.

So you must have a formal dining room?  Uhhum.. ok, but can you also use that space as a card room or library?  Need a separate guest room so your guests can be comfy?  It could also be the place to go for your quiet reading (when guests aren’t occupying it.)

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<< See the floor plan to your left?  We’ve built this house several times and lived in it once.  We used the ‘Dining Room’ as an office and put our huge 7 foot dining room table in the ‘Vaulted Breakfast’ area.  Our teenage daughter was in ‘Bedroom 3’ and my office and workout room were in the front ‘Bedroom 2’ for the morning sun.

Which actually brings up another very important point: How is the layout in relation to the sun? I built a house one time where the kitchen and breakfast room didn’t get a ray of morning sun. I just never thought about it at the time I picked the house plan. It bothered me till the day we sold because I love sunshine in the mornings.

Thinking of how rooms can perform double duty can actually be fun to consider.. And it is crucial to multi purpose space with small houses.  The key to optimum functionality is creative use of the space. This requires us to think outside the box of conventional room purposes.  We want the rooms in our new home to work beyond the ordinary!

Small House Plans –  Mistake 3

Not considering how the layout will ‘live.’  I’m going to stick with the floorplan in the picture here for illustration of this common mistake.

First let’s talk about what works in this plan.  We liked the layout of the split bedrooms because that segregated the spaces better than having all the bedrooms bunched together..  We also liked the open family, kitchen and breakfast areas because we are casual people.  And we liked the big Patio right off the Family room.

Now let’s discuss what did not work for us and how we changed the layout to ‘live’ right for our family.  This floorplan has one of my #1 pet peeves.  I cannot stand to have a straight view of a bathroom.  Notice how as you come into the Foyer, you can see right into the hall bath.  What we did was flip that bathroom as you see in this little picture. small bathroomSo from the foyer, we were then looking at a wall instead of the doorway to the small bath.. plus because the door opened the other way, even with the door open, you looked into a wall (inside the bath) instead of the commode and sink.

[note color=”#FFFFE0″] TIP: Turn the floor plan around that you’re considering and look at it from different angles. It helps give a different perspective. [/note]

Small House Plans –  Mistake 4

Selecting a small house plan that’s expensive to build.  Of course this only matters if you’re budget conscious, but if you’re thinking of small houses you probably care at least somewhat about cost.  And, what you save by using a simple small house design, you’ll have extra for some ‘must have’ perks like hardwood floors, a country sink or cool water feature.

I remember when I first started building.  I thought it was only about the square footage.  Keep the house small and it would be cheap, right?  Wrong!  LOL.. I had selected the cutest house you ever saw and it was only about 1400 square feet.  But here’s what made it expensive to build:  Lot’s of angles and cuts to the plan, fancy arched windows, lots of outdoor spaces which still cost money even though it’s not part of the interior square footage.
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BTW, the floor plan we’re using for this illustration is relatively inexpensive to build.  It has a very simple, low roof line and fairly compact design.  Here are the areas that add to the cost: vaulted ceiling in the Family room, tray ceiling in the Master suite, the fireplace, and where you see ‘columns’ we made into bulky arches.

You’ll want some small house design extras but just be sensitive to the fact that every one of them costs extra financially.  So pick your spots wisely.
House for Sale

Small House Plans –  Mistake 5

Forgetting that you might want to sell one day.  I can’t tell you how many people I know who are living in their 2nd or 3rd ‘last home.’  Of course, you want to make it your own.  Part of the fun of building a custom home instead of buying a resale house, is that you get to put your design flair touches on it.

That said, I encourage you to strike a happy balance… just in case you do end up selling.

If you want a hot pink bathroom, by all means paint the walls pink and buy vibrant pink towels and accessories!  But I’d suggest the tile (floor and bathtub/shower) be a neutral cream or white.  You can still get the look you’re after without compromising future resale value.  And yes, you’re going to have to paint the pink walls a neutral color before you put the house on the market.

Say you’ve figured out you can be happy with two bedrooms.  If you’re building a tiny house or very small house (maybe less than 800 feet) that’s fine, but anything bigger and I’d probably squeeze a tiny third bedroom in there for optimum resale.  This kind of goes back to Mistake #2.. if you’re rethinking how to use rooms anyway, you can use that 3rd bedroom you don’t need for a sewing room or music retreat.