by Cecile Cinco
Two decades ago, the standard house for sale in a subdivision has 3 bedrooms big enough to fit 2 single beds and you still have some space in between. Now, that has changed to 2 bedrooms which can fit 1 bed. More and more 1-bedroom row houses are being built to accommodate families with low income to give the opportunity of owning a house. It’s not surprising that in most of the designs, you can reach the door from your bed!
It’s still better, though, to own a house instead of renting, but that’s a different topic. When you’re one of those wanting more space because you have more stuff your floor space can accommodate, then you might gain from this post.
Assuming you have your stuff like furniture, arrange them in a modular way. Arrange big items close to the wall. That way you have the walking space in the middle. Reaching to the left or right will be easier than having your walking space by the wall and everything else on the other side.
Keep stuff you don’t need but won’t throw away under the bed or in the farthest cabinet.
Use the wall. Instead of picture frames, install shelves or wall cabinets (then put your picture frames on the cabinet door if you so insist on displaying them). Hang your TV too. There are several tv stands that are designed to attach to the wall.
Use the ceiling. I’ve seen a small house where the clothes cabinet is hinged to the ceiling. The hinge is on the top front part, the ceiling serves as the cover. There is a hook at the bottom part that hooks to the ceiling when you bring the bottom up. I thought it was really cool. You just make sure you hinge it to the horizontal beam with big screws that can handle the weight of the filled cabinet.
When you’re yet buying:
Think modular. Modular furniture, for example, can follow the form of the space provided. You can rearrange them to fit.
Think stackable. Anything stackable saves space like monoblock chairs.
Think functional. If it’s mere display, think again.
Think multipurpose. If something can do more than one purpose, great! The more it can do, the better. I like my kitchen scissors. It has a can opener, bottle opener, grip, fish scaler, peeler, knife, flat screwdriver and sometimes I use it as a pot holder. 
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