Tips on How to Organize Small Condo

1.      Wall shelves – great for maximizing vertical space. Use your wall space from the floor to the ceiling.
2.      Door storage – there is a variety to choose from: whether shelves or racks, don’t hesitate to hook space savers at the back of your doors.
3.      Trunks – Trunks are big and they’re spacious inside: perfect for storing linen or old books and toys. You don’t have to worry about the space it occupies for it can double as a coffee table or as a mini bench.
4.      Ottomans – are very much like trunks, only the other way around. They’re initially made for seating or as foot rests but they do have space inside that can hold stuff as well.
5.     Under-the-Bed storage – go for the clear plastic ones that are especially made to be put beneath the bed. Store bed sheets, seasonal clothing and apparel and even tools that you don’t use often.

6. Stackable Plastic Drawers – look for drawers that can be customized. If you would only have space for a couple of drawers per room or corner, you wouldn’t have to worry of where to place that huge chest of drawers. Plastic drawers are cheap and can be stacked according to the kind of space that can accommodate it.
7. Hooks – hooks are very helpful especially when placed in the strategic places of your house. Use hooks for your coats, hats, umbrellas and bags. You can also use hooks for your keys, mobile phone, and ID card.
8. Shoe organizer – shoe racks are bulky and won’t even hold all of your countless pairs, while cabinets don’t have proper ventilation and would be more useful holding other stuff. Opt for the hanging shoe organizer, one that can go over your door or wall.
9. TV Shelf – the television is an essential home appliance and even houses with the smallest spaces give room for one. use the opportunity to buy a shelved TV rack, one that can hold not only your TV but as well a books, DVDs, magazines and the like.
10. Bed frame with drawers – this works like that of under-the-bed storage and it won’t collect too much dust

Tips on Living with Small Condo

The small space lifestyle is on the rise, whether it's your first place or you're down-sizing from a large family home. With condo sales continuing to boom in Toronto this trend is not cooling off anytime soon. Since the average size condo is estimated at only 750 square feet there is definitely a need to make the most of your small space and that can be difficult for some. My own condo suite is less than 600 square feet and I know that it is easy to feel claustrophobic if you don't design your space smart. Based on my experience and design education I've developed a list of tips to live large in a small space:

Invest in condo-sized furniture
Condo owners often make the mistake of buying bulky house-sized furniture for their small condo suites and then find that their space is swallowed up by large pieces that just don't fit. It can be a costly mistake which is easily avoided before you throw down your credit card. The condo boom didn't just spur on record real estate sales in Toronto, it also gave way to a number of stores that specialize in condo-sized furniture. My favourites are Casalife, Style Garage and West Elm. When looking for seating to outfit your suite choose tailored styles with tight backs, shallow seats and slim arms or armless. Stay away from chunky, heavy furniture that encroaches on your tiny square footage.

Buy furniture that does double duty
When you have minimal square footage in your home buying furniture that doubles it's functionality is key to smart space design. Take a leather bench for example. It makes a great coffee table by placing a chic tray on top and when you need extra seating just remove the tray! Invest in nesting tables as your side table that can be easily pulled out and moved around your space for placing drinks and plates on. Another great piece that can have a dual personality is a sleek console table. It works as a front hall table for keys and other items but can easily be converted into a desk by moving a dining chair in front.

Choose neutral tones for your furniture & walls and make your accessories the attention grabber
If you want to create a sense of living large in a space space I recommend painting your walls a light neutral tone throughout (especially in open concept spaces). Dark colours make walls visually retract and when you want to enhance your square footage this is a negative. I also recommend buying neutral toned furniture and letting your accessories add the punch of colour. You can make a statement by choosing a bold colour for just one key wall and add colour & texture through accent chairs, accessories, pillows and artwork. It's a lot less expensive to switch up accessories as colour trends change than to buy a new sofa or spending hours re-painting walls.

When it comes to furniture & accessories, less is always more
Embrace your small space living and don't clutter it up with too many pieces of furniture. This is an opportunity to live minimally and create great flow around your space. You don't want your guests (or even yourself) bumping and tripping over furniture as they mingle in your home. Since the average condo in Toronto is just 750 square feet the actual living room usually measures 12 x 15 feet. So you truly only need one sofa, a side chair, a coffee table or bench (think double duty), and a side table/nesting tables to make a functional and spacious living room. So many stores offer sleek, stylish, low TV consoles that can hide the not so attractive HD PVR Box and Blu Ray player, but if your flat screen TV can be mounted on the wall even better. Invest in great closet organizers so that your space is always clutter free.

Create the illusion of living large
To create a sense of space seek out pieces with glass tops and go for leggy furniture... when you can see the floor beneath it gives an airy feel and doesn't weigh down your small space.  A large well placed mirror can also give the illusion of a larger space, especially in a dining room, hallway or bedroom.

Small Condo Living

Many people are facing difficulty in managing space in their condominiums. The main reason is modern condos come with limited space. A typical condo has a single bedroom with around 600 square feet of floor space. Hence, adopting a smart and innovative condo design is an ideal solution to solve the problem.

Many homeowners prefer condominiums over other types of homes. This is certainly true in the case of urban areas where the property prices are very high. The situation is worse in the case of condos situated in the heart of the city as these condos have even less floor area.

In such a scenario, it is necessary to have a condo design which makes optimum utilization of the floor space. Many builders have come up with innovative designs for condos which are small in size but feature space saving designs. Such a condo helps homeowners to have all their belongings and other accessories incorporated within the limited space.

These designs work to use the areas of the walls as well as the roof. Most of the modern condos come fully furnished. In the case of these condos, the inner part of the roof area has space for installing roof mounted air conditioning units. This saves a lot of space on stand alone units. Similarly, such a home has in-wall areas for installing TVs, refrigerators, and other appliances. Moreover, the corner areas of the room can be effectively utilized by placing corner sofas or sectional sofas which serve a dual role of sofa as well as bed. All these features help to make the best utilization of the space.

By using in-wall areas as well as roof areas, most of the appliances and gadgets like refrigerator, TV, air conditioning unit, wall speakers, corner sofa and bed can be easily placed in modern innovative condos. Due to these benefits, many modern homeowners prefer to buy this kind of condo that comes with these varied space saving features. Many reputed builders are engaged in making these kinds of condos to suit the needs of different homeowners.

Some builders also offer custom made condos so that you can have the design you desire. Though custom built homes are a costly affair, they offer an opportunity to have things as desired so that you can decide the placement of your various belongings in your home. Thus, a modern innovative condo design can be very useful for keeping all your belongings even in a small place. All you need to do is choose the right kind of design for your small home to enjoy all the luxuries even with limited space.