Works for Me Wednesday...Small House Survival

Our family of 6 lives in a 60+ year old house with three bedrooms, one bath, very little closet space, and even *less* storage. While our 1700 square feet is certainly not *tiny*, it isn't spacious either...and while most people we know have a garage *and* an attic for storage...we have *neither*! So...we are learning the fine art of using space creatively. I have realized that the secret to living well in small spaces is learning to *think outside the box*. We have a *loonnnggg* way to go in this process, but slowly but surely we are getting there!

Following the death of an elderly cousin recently, we were offered a loveseat that I originally turned down, as it would not have fit into our living room. However, later that day, I had a brainstorm while washing dishes at the kitchen sink (another plus of old-house living...no dishwasher...which is fortunate, because that seems to be where most of my brainstorms appear! :-)) I realized that the loveseat would probably fit perfectly in our entry hall...and I suddenly had a vision of turning the entry hall into a reading nook. I've always thought it was odd that a house that was otherwise not spacious had so much space in a virtually *worthless* room-that-wasn't-even-really-a-room. But now I was inspired! Our front door has a half window and the lighting in the entry is great...we would put the loveseat opposite the front door, add a small bookcase on the side wall, and have a perfect place for people to read or study.

The loveseat fit perfectly in the space...with about 3 inches to spare! And our new reading nook is one of our favorite places in the house. I can do individual schoolwork with one child in the reading nook while the other children are busy in the living room and dining room (which doubles as our school and all-purpose room :)). It's a quiet spot for people to read, draw, or nap. When a child needs some extra TLC, we can head to the entry hall and snuggle on the loveseat. And because the entry hall opens onto our bedroom, it's the perfect spot for a child to sleep if they are sick or have had a bad dream.

If only it were that easy to add another bathroom!!

Thanks so much to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for hosting WFMW!!