Downsizing Your Home

Perfect Fit

Once you've culled your stuff and identified the spaces within your space, you're ready to personalize. Small spaces no longer necessitate having to use products that sacrifice quality, style, or features to accommodate size. Today's marketplace offers a wide range of high-end compact products.

“High-quality appliances make life a lot easier,” says Angela Warner, a third-generation veteran salesperson at the family-owned Warners' Stellian appliance stores in St. Paul, MN. Today's compact appliances, particularly the European brands, have all the modern conveniences but are just smaller, she says. Homeowners are limited only by their budgets. Some examples include: 24-inch-wide, professional-style gas ranges; two-foot-wide, all-stainless refrigerators; convenient dishwasher drawers; four-burner cooktops and compact washer-dryers.

Even tools for working around the home pack quality in a small size. Milwaukee Electric Tool out of Brookfield, WI, has long been known for its tools for professionals. One of its latest products is a powerful yet lightweight 12-volt subcompact driver. Ideal for all kinds of home repair projects, it weights only two pounds and uses a lithium-ion battery so there are no cords to clutter a tight workspace.

Build your space to meet your needs with today's many storage systems. A variety of shelving and drawer systems can be affixed to walls and set up quickly. For those who can't drill into walls, there are other options such as elfa® freestanding™, a shelving and drawer system from The Container Store.

Keeping the light and openness of a small space is important but privacy is needed as well. RAYDOOR®, based in New York, is one of many companies that manufactures panels that allow light to travel through the space while dampening sound transmission. Other RAYDOOR products include a telescoping sliding wall without floor tracks, as well as pivoting, folding, and fixed panels.