#KISS - Making the most of space

Living in small spaces for a long time educates you to make better use of resources, at least when you want to keep things simple and functional. That's what has happened to us in recent years. And even though we now live in a different, larger place, we still retain those minimalist principles.

Tidiness is important in all spaces, and even more so in small spaces, as it is easy to perceive clutter. Visually it is a problem when there is clutter. That's why we are surely interested in maintaining order. But how? Here are a couple of useful ideas that have helped us.

Vertical furniture. Some of them are drawers, shelves or custom-made wardrobes. They are easy to use, but keeping them tidy is a separate chapter. The trap of having drawers is that, as the contents are out of sight, it is often a temptation to keep them untidy and throw anything in there that we doubt where it will end up. But if we can overcome that temptation, it will be a real advantage.

In the photo you can see some plastic trays that I keep on my desk. It's to keep my papers and documents that I want to have at hand tidy. In the first tray (bottom to top) are some important magazines and brochures that I receive regularly. I keep them there chronologically and when I need them I just need to reach out my arm to grab them. I know where they are. In the middle tray I have my university papers, such as lists, forms and some personal notes for scheduling my assigned subjects. Having them there is also an advantage because I can easily take them and put them away. And since I'm at the desk, I can write down anything there and put them back.

In the top tray I have some miscellaneous. In fact, it's the least tidy tray - and it's the most visible! The fact that it's small and visible helps me keep clutter at bay, and not go overboard with what I put there. I think that's an advantage.

Aerial spaces. There are some very useful and aesthetic aeroclosets for bedrooms, kitchens or other places where we want to take advantage of overhead spaces. I think they are useful because above some floor level furniture there can be an area that can be useful for storing things that we want to have at hand, and we don't run the risk of tripping as there is something at floor level that prevents us from getting too close to them.

For example, here we have some shelves in the bathroom that are fixed to the wall above the toilet. There we put light personal hygiene products that come in handy there, since we use them in front of the sink. As I mentioned, the toilet means that we don't bump into them, with those glasses. Also, the fact that they are made of that material makes them hygienic and practical to clean, as they are easy to assemble and disassemble.

I think, to some extent, most of us have a tendency to clutter, it's just that some of us keep it at bay, and some of us get carried away with it. I have my place to have ‘clutter’, as is that tray I showed you on my desk. But the rest is generally tidy, due to the fact that we don't have a lot of things, plus the little space and the education we have acquired helps us a lot. We must continue to make the most of space, in our home, in our minds, in our lives.

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