Find Extra Space

Honey, I shrunk the condo!

You’ve finally done it! You moved on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.

Yep, you finally got a piece of the pie!

There’s only one problem. Said deluxe apartment in the sky is 500sqft. And, you don’t want to know how much the mortgage is per month.  

Such is the life of an urban dweller in Canada in the 2020s. Our cities are getting taller, and our spaces are shrinking. It’s a trend that’s unlikely to change, so if you want or need to stay in a major city, then you’re going to have to adjust to this reality.  

Not everyone can move to the country, after all. Not everyone wants to.  

So, we need to make do with less space. But how can we best do that?

Here are some tips to living that condo lifestyle, while still having the things that you love.

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Find the space within

It may not seem like you have a lot of space in your condo. After all, you are always tripping on things and bumping into your partner.  

So, how is it that the cat keeps going missing? Just 500sqft and good old Fluffy somehow finds a new spot to hide every time you start up the vacuum.  

It’s because the cat finds the space in your place that you aren’t using – under the bed and the couch and in the corners of your rooms. With a little creativity, you can also use that space too.  

Storage boxes that fit in these spaces can help rid your space of clutter and give you more room to move.    

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Go up!

By far, the least utilized space in your condo is the part above your head. Despite taking up the biggest chunk of space, it’s mostly empty.  

Change that.  

Creative use of hooks and shelves can double up your usable space in the blink of an eye.  

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Turn a double play

Another way to steal back space is to utilize a future that is designed to double up its purpose.  

Beds that act as storage. Coffee tables that can expand to become a dining table. Workstations that fold back to the wall and can be used as hanging storage once the workday is done.  

The creativity shown in this space is endless.    

Self-storage is your friend

Sometimes you still need more space even after you have pulled out all the tricks. In that case, there is always the option of locating self-storage in your city.  

Every major city in Canada will have easily accessible downtown locations, that will offer inexpensive storage space, where you can keep belongings that you don’t need every day, but rather only occasionally. You don’t need your golf clubs in the winter, or skis in the summer, after all.  

The vertical life isn’t going to go away anytime soon, so we need to find ways to make it work. Follow us at @MoveBuddyApp for more space hacks in the days ahead.  

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