Choosing your tiny house furniture is no easy task. There might be a million questions on your mind. I know I did.
What if a dedicated workstation eats up the space for my dresser? What if I can’t fit a dining table? What if everything is too much and too big? And the biggest concern. What if my house ends up looking too cluttered? The good news is that you can have it all. That too, without your space feeling cramped.
All you have to do is follow a few tips and tricks while choosing furniture for your tiny house. And watch it transform into a cozier, calmer, and clutter-free home. So let’s begin.
1. Start with Neutral Colors for Your Tiny House Furniture
Light colors make a world of a difference. Why? Because they are more reflective than dark colors and bring more light to the room. An ivory couch won’t stand out in the way a deep brown couch would. It would blend in with the walls and make your space look airy and open. Not to mention how gorgeous it will look.
2. Get Multipurpose Furniture
Make multi-functional your mantra. Multi-functional furniture will save you a lot of space and also the struggle of arranging and rearranging things. Think lift-top coffee tables that can double as work desks. Benches with storage. Wall-mount folding desk with extra shelf space. And convertible sofa-beds.
If you are confused about what pieces to get and where to get them, you can check out our carefully curated lists of the best options available for each room.
3. Plan and Install Storage Shelves
I hate the sight of clutter as much as you do. My biggest pet peeve? Have my book collection lying around where it shouldn’t be. And don’t even get me started on all the shoes lining up the floor. Your multipurpose furniture naturally can’t store ALL your stuff but don’t panic just yet.
The next order of business is to install storage shelves and organizing units. Shelving frees up the floor and maximizes your space. The mess on the floor gets neatly propped up on floating shelves. Now you have more space and a room with a personality.
4. Use Smaller Appliances
Think big. Except when you are furnishing a tiny apartment. Now is the time to think small especially when it comes to home appliances. Fridges, ovens, and dishwashers all come in compact sizes and work just the same as their larger counterparts. No matter how tempted you feel to get the bigger ones, think about all the valuable counter-top space you will be saving with smaller appliances.
Not only will you have more room for storage, but you can also use the now-empty countertop for dining. Besides, who doesn’t like a clean and clear kitchen where everything looks proportional? The appliances may be small but you will have so many big meals and big moments in your happy new house.
5. Make Use of the Vertical Spaces
Why limit yourself to horizontal spaces when you can make some awesome and creative use of the vertical spaces as well? Because let’s be real, we could use all the storage space we could get.
Those walls and corners have so much untapped potential. I’m talking floor-to-ceiling shelves, pegboards, wall-mounted tables, and bars for hanging cookware. Another thing that always looks cool is a vertical garden. Cooking ingredients and decoration? Yes, please!
6. Mix and Match Furnitures for Multipurpose Rooms
Sold on multipurpose furniture? Consider multipurpose rooms too. Once you have those double-duty pieces, it’s easy to pack a lot of function and utility in the same room. No separate room for a workstation? No problem. Set up a wall-mounted desk in your bedroom that folds up into a wall mirror.
Now your bedroom doubles up as your home office and make-up room. No guest room? No worries. Get a wall bed with an integrated sofa and now your living room doubles as a guest room. Who said you can’t have everything in a tiny house?
7. Choose Modern Furniture
Now that you’re moving into a small space, forget about the traditional plush sofas and chunky chest of drawers. Modern furniture is your new best friend. It’s smaller, sleeker, and more sophisticated. It takes up only a small amount of space and yet feels comfortable.
Some modern pieces may have an unassuming profile but they look more stylish than most old-timey furniture. Again, just look at your Pinterest boards. Modern furniture is the future of home décor so you also wouldn’t have to worry about it getting outdated.
8. Add Plants
After planning out shelves, dual-purpose furniture, and multifunctional rooms, you’d surely want some décor items. Forget about those expensive accent pieces because no décor item is better than plants. They don’t cost a lot and instantly liven up space.
They bring you closer to nature and make your house look 10x more attractive. The best part is that with plants you won’t need much space. Just two of them in a room are enough to make you happy.
9. Introduce More Lighting
This is a bonus but one of the biggest tips for setting up your tiny house. If you have large windows, you are in luck. Let in the natural light because that would make your space look bigger and brighter. Windows will also connect the outdoors with the indoors creating an illusion of a wider space.
Even if your tiny house lacks windows, you can always use table lamps, wall sconces, and chandeliers. Floor lamps are ideal to lighten up dark corners and visually extend the room.
10. Install Mirrors
The oldest tiny house trick in the book is to hang mirrors. Your aim with small spaces is to make it seem bigger and mirrors do a great job at that.
Install mirrors on an ideally white (or off-white) and well-illuminated wall and you will see the difference yourself. The glossy surface of the mirror reflects light, again, creating the illusion of a bigger space.
11. Use Rugs or Carpets
Did you know you could also strategically use rugs and carpets to make your tiny house look bigger? A wall-to-wall carpet provides visual continuity and makes your space feel wider. Different flooring for different rooms or even within that same room breaks that continuity and gives an impression of a smaller space.
Broadloom carpeting is a great way to have that feeling of a bigger space. That is if you are into carpeting. If you are not, you can opt for an area rug. But make sure that all your furniture sits atop it to have that desired effect of continuity.
Moving to a new house is beyond exciting. It’s where you’ll start a new future, have celebrations, and make precious memories with your family and friends. The process of furnishing your tiny house should also be exciting and enjoyable. Keep these tips in mind and you should be all set.
If you have any tiny house furniture tips of your own, let us know the comment section below. Let’s make furnishing fun!