Small Space Decorating

Small Space Decorating – Rethinking it!

The Inspiration Behind It All

If there was one thing about my mother’s house that I loved growing up, it was the way she decorated for the holidays. Of course she had 3 floors and 2 daughters to help her decorate! Be that as it may, that was, and still is the inspiration I draw on for my decorating.

Since I live in a house trailer, I focused on my dining room table for the decorating. Which led to the photos you see below.

All of these look lovely to be sure, but what you may not have noticed is that each season had its own set of dishes! Now I don’t have room in my house for all the storage boxes it takes to store the ones not being used. So we rented a storage space.

Oops!

Roll the years forward a few. I can’t lift as heavy a weight as I used to. My husband can’t help me at all because of his health problems. So a set of dishes that once only took 2 boxes now takes 5! Which led to the photo above!

Let’s rethink this!

At this point, hubby looked at me and wondered if the table settings actually reflected the season, after all, it wasn’t Christmas anymore. However, we weren’t ready to bring out the Spring set just yet. The more we looked at it, the more we wanted to make a change. But what change could we make that wouldn’t add to the space problem.

Then it hit us. Crystal! I already have most of the serving pieces in Godinger Crystal so why not just get their dinnerware and use it year-round? I could donate all the sets except for one to the thrift store and reduce the mess in our storage unit.

A quick check on Amazon (our favorite shopping site) led us to this tablecloth and dinnerware. I can easily change table linens as needed throughout the year and still keep my table looking fresh!

Now that’s what I call rethinking small space decorating!

Small Space Decorating – Changing Seasons

First things first, make sure you have a good way to store all your decorations. Come Christmas time, the stores will be carrying wreath boxes. Grab one for each wreath you need to store.

The box will protect your things from one year to the next. This way, you don’t waste your money.

Use a sturdy box to store your items in. This one is made to stack so you don’t waste space with. I bought this one at Lowe’s, but Home Depot carries some also.

Last year my husband and I put hangers up around to room to hold a garland of leaves. It works great for lighting as well.

Don’t feel like you have to do the same thing every year. That’s what makes decorating fun. I keep trying different things each year.

Don’t forget to check in the dollar store for little things. These can add just right sparkle!

Small Space Decorating – DIY!

I was hanging some decorations for Fall when my husband snapped this picture. As you can see, I do all the decorating by myself.

Small Space Decorating-Bedroom Edition

While you are decorating your small space, don’t forget the possiblities that exist in your bedroom!

This was from the first Christmas that I extended my decorations to the bedroom. I collect Snowmen so I created a Snowman Brigade.

The top of your dresser is another good spot.

Stuffed animals can be used for decoration. I recently started collecting dated Valentine Bears. Before that, my husband would buy me Valentine animals.

Of course, this type of decoration is highly moveable! Coco loved to jump on the pillows.

Small Space Decorating-Kitchen Edition

While you are looking for ways to express yourself in your home, don’t forget about the kitchen!

The intention of this photo was to focus on my Christmas table setting. But it also shows my undecorated kitchen, kinda bland and boring. From this view you see nothing of my personality.

Recently my husband offered me the chance to get some new kitchen appliances and linens. Now, he screwed the hooks in but you could easily use Command Hooks instead. The small hooks close to the trim are used to hold lights during the Christmas holiday season.

In search of more room in our house, my husband built me a pegboard to hang my pots on. A little bit of painting and Ta-Da!

The blue pans are a recent addition since I love the color blue.

This kitchen island was purchased from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore shop. Again, a little bit of painting and things are looking much brighter!

My last decorating change was colorful coffee mugs. All of which I found at Amazon.

Small Space Decorating – Outside Edition

Previously I’ve shown you how you can decorate your small home with simple things such as changing your dining table centerpieces. It can make a big difference in how your house/apartment looks.

But what about the outside of your home? I live in a single wide trailer in Florida so I have a small amount of space. It still takes some planning to change the looks outside.

Decorating your mailbox is one easy improvement you can make. The covers are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. If your mailbox is metal, there are magnets on the edge of the cover that hold it in place. If it’s plastic, there are small holes punched along the edge that you can use zip ties to secure it with.

As veterans, we always have an American flag out, but on the other side is a different story. Here I use large garden flags. I tend to change these with the seasons!

I have a number of the smaller flags that I use. Here are the three that I have out right now. The one on the left is positioned so that when I am backing in, I can use it as a guide for how far over I should be. If I’m doing it right, that flag will be just to the right of my car fender.

You can only go so far with flower pots so try adding colorful solar lights to add interest to your space.

Don’t forget the special appeal of garden statues! These come in all sizes and can also be changed to reflect the seasons.

That’s all I have for you now. Stick around to see what else I can find to decorate my space!

Special Decorations from Nature!

Friends of ours who live in a Double-Wide trailer choose to decorate their place by adding swags over the outside doorway. Imagine the surprise when they discovered the a pair of doves made a nest in the greenery and raised a family!

Small Space Decorating

When I was a young girl, we lived in a 3 story house in town. My dad loved to decorate the house for Christmas as did my mom. We had lights in every window. My mom had some kind of decoration everywhere in the house that she could.

Run time forward to today. Hubby and I live in a small trailer. Neither one of us like cleaning so the size fits us just fine. However, I still like to decorate for the season. So I have had to adjust my decorating ideas to fit my space.

The Front Door

Most of us have lovely Christmas wreaths to hang of our front door. What about the other seasons?

This is a perfectly nice wreath for spring but it wasn’t quite what I wanted. So I tried making my own.

I took a basic woven wreath, covered it with ribbon. Then I used my Cricut to make the flowers to glue on. It ended up hanging on the inside of the door.

Again, I started with a basic woven wreath. Only this time I wound a pair of flower garlands around it. Simple but looks good. Something anyone can do.

The Dinner Table

These are lovely to look at and simple to create.

Most people have something as a centerpiece and tablecloths are easy to change.

Last year my husband surprised me with a Crystal Swan and a Crystal set of candleholders. They are beautiful and so very versatile to decorate with. Both are available from Amazon.

It started with filling the swan with ornaments and using red candles at Christmas. Quick change of candle color and add flowers. At the same time I switched the table coverings. Chargers are inexpensive and another way to change the look. Chargers can also serve another purpose. If you have a messy eater, they will catch the food that otherwise would have dropped on the table. The final change is dinnerware. I actually have different sets for different seasons.

Look Around The House!

Take a look around your home. Are there any other places where a small decoration can go? I’m not talking about the massive displays of knickknacks that I remember as a child. Our one home had a build in book shelf that my mom filled with knickknacks. It was my task once a week to go through and dust all of them! In today’s fast paced world, that’s not going to happen.

However, there are other options. Take a look at these pictures. After the season, I pack them up and put them away. It keeps things around the house looking fresh.

Don’t let the fact that you don’t have as much room as others stop you from decorating and enjoying your space. It’s your home, make it reflect your family!