I love the challenge of maximizing small spaces, but yours is really quite a challenge. Three years ago I downsized to a small patio home. One of my life savers has been the elfa door storage systems which are sold at The Container Store. This is a national chain, and they have a website. Google the following:

container store + white elfa utility mesh door & wall rack system components

This page shows the separate components. Clicking on the picture on the upper left of the page will eventually get you to the page with the wrapping paper items. Clicking on that picture gives you a video. Going back to the main page, clicking on the far upper right "View All", leads you to the page which has component systems purchased as a package. Or all parts can be purchased separately. The wire baskets come in two different widths, and three different variances of the depth and height of these wire baskets. They can be hung anywhere along the rail that goes on the back of a door. These are not cheap systems, but all parts are made of steel so are durable. Nothing is affixed permanently to the door so there are no holes in the door. These systems go with you wherever you move. Only an allen(sp?) wrench is used for installation, which is provided. I have 3 of these systems, one on the inside of a pantry door, the second on the inside of a closet door in the master bath, and the third on the inside of a narrow linen closet door. Each has nine wire baskets of varying sizes. Stored items go completely from the bottom to the top of each door. For your floor plan, the inside of closet, bedroom, bath, and linen closet doors are options.

Regarding your w/d problems, what about changing the hinges so the door swings outward. Can the utility panel then be accessed if the w/d are moved back and to the right? Stackable units are also an option if you have the funds. I would look on craigslist first before buying new if you go that route.

Other thoughts -- I had a wall cabinet mounted on either side of my bed, with night stands below. These are used to store books. A simple board across the top, and a valance forms a bridge spanning the two wall cabinets.

There are companies that make wood file cabinets that can also be used as end tables in the living room, or sometimes as bedside tables.

For your kitchen, there is silicone collapsible tub, colanders, funnels, strainers, and storage bowls made by Progressive International. I have the tub which is sometimes used for washing dishes. These items are sturdy when full size and collapse easily. They would definitely save storage space in your tiny kitchen.

Anyway, check out other items at The Container Store as they have some really good ideas.

Have you thought about making floor to ceiling built-ins along the right wall in the living room? (the one wall without doors). You could incorporate a space in it for the Ikea table and folding chairs too, clothing storage, toy storage, etc. Do the two Ikea chairs you have work at the dining table?

Another thought is that you could build benches in the corner of the living room that would work as both sofa and dining seating, with storage beneath.

How tall are your ceilings? And do you have a garage? If no garage, I think a stacking washer and dryer set is your best option. The ones I've seen are a bit smaller than free standing, so that might help too.

Thanks Texasgal those are good ideas. I will definitely be trolling craigslist. I saw a couple sets for ~$400, much less than new. I don't think it would work out well to change the hinges on the door.

marti8a On that wall right now we have close to floor to ceiling storage, wall shelves plus cart catalogue drawers, plus some more shelves. I do like the idea of figuring out some sort of banquet type solution for the table.

Our ceilings are a standard 8' we do have a garage but it is detached, tiny and doesn't have power. :)

I like the idea of a stacking W/D, and also the built-ins. Where are you located? Are you able to be outside a lot of the time? If so, I'd try to make an inviting dining area outside. An inexpensive cover (treated lumber and galvanized roof panels), or even a sail shade for sun block. If it's comfortable, your family will like to dine out there and it will relieve the LR/DR a bit.

Is the card catalog providing practical storage? If not, maybe store it in the garage and use something more storage-friendly in its place.

Jakabedy we are in Northern Idaho so a good bit of the year isn't really suited to outside living. During the summer we do like to eat outside and we would benefit from making it more pleasant. The card catalog does provide surprisingly practical storage. All the little odds and ends get their own drawer.

The card catalog does provide surprisingly practical storage. All the little odds and ends get their own drawer.

Yes, but you do understand that you can fit much less in 5 small drawers than you can in one big one that takes the same overall area, right? I know that card catalogs are uber-trendy right now, but I can't think of many situations in which they are the most efficient use of space. All those little drawers waste all the space in between them.

Here, for example, is a very small one bedroom in NYC. Look at all the storage they've managed to cram into one wall ( you could do this using ikea wardrobes):

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LWGR Office Open.JPG

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"Yes, but you do understand that you can fit much less in 5 small drawers than you can in one big one that takes the same overall area, right?"

I do understand that. I have had this card catalogue for many years now, it is not a trendy choice. It is an item I enjoy using. While I can't fit as much in, I can fit what I need to in and it is easier to find what there is. While it may not be the most efficient item, it is not one I plan to get rid of anytime soon :). We don't actually need tons more storage than we already have.

That wall of storage in your picture looks great. I love that everything is behind closed doors.

The area of the house where we have had the most difficulty to work out the best storage system is the kids' room. It may be that we are hoping to find a magical storage system that transforms our children into tidy human beings. This may not be a reasonable expectation. :)

Yes to stackable washer and dryer...if it will work in your space. I like the storage wall, but I'd try to fit a banquette in somewhere. Extra storage and great seating :)

For the kids...have you considered bunk beds? Or maybe even loft beds? If they're old enough to climb up to the bed, they can be a lot of fun! And you get the accessible storage underneath.

Waterbug_guy I have been having a lot of fun looking at your house. We plan to build a house and I think our approach will be very similar. I love the authenticity of your choices and I am tempted to try a barrel ceiling somewhere.

WD: I have mine in the kitchen. Most people in the the US find that insane but up until 50-60 years ago it was common here and still is in most parts of the world. If I ever have the time/energy/money I am tempted to rip out that interior wall and do basically as you propose, have the W/D in the kitchen.

Even in our tiny house there are cabinets with who knows what. I sympathize with this. It is concerning how many times I find myself looking for something and saying "How can it be hiding? This house is so small."

But you know what when the dirty dishes "pile up" it's like 10 dishes. It's just not possible to have a huge pile of dirty dishes. We use a similar strategy. We have 12 8" plates and 12 bowls, I don't think we could fill a dishwasher. :) I also tell people that a small house is easier to clean for 2 reasons, less space and it takes a lot fewer items piling up to get to the point where I feel something needs to be done...

Lavender: a banquette is definitely something I will be looking into. Right now (with 2 kids, grad school for both of us and teacher certification for me) we don't have time for anything too major but I think I can squeeze that in. Good results for my time input.

The kids have bunk beds right now. We tried loft beds but as you can maybe see in the photo they mainly used the under space as a place to shove their mess... :) They didn't seem to like playing under there, even when we put up "tent" walls to make a fort. So now the beds are stacked as traditional bunk beds.

For ideas and inspiration, check out this site:

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=tiny%20homes%20600%20sq%20feet

tiny laundry idea: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/252975704045668342/

And there are more..

There are some incredibly cute houses there :)

What a cutie!

My friend has two little boys sharing a room....and a lot of trucks, trains and action heroes that have to be put away every evening :)

She uses lots of bins/plastic storage containers of all sizes that the boys can see through. The lids don't usually get put back on, but they do throw everything into the bins, roughly sorted by type. Big Thomas (the train) in one, small in the other, trucks in another, books on the shelves, etc. All the containers go on shelves or stacked against the wall. It keeps the floors clear!

We dealt with the toy mess by getting rid of more than half of them. :) They haven't missed them. They have gotten old enough that they are more interested in books, drawing, nerf guns and legos, the rest of their toys were pretty superfluous. Now they all fit in flat bins under the bottom bunk.

So....what do you need help with in the kids room? It sounds like they're doing pretty well with their storage. Is it clothes, shoes, school stuff?

Clothes are definitely starting to be an issue as our son has started to wear such big clothes. The other problem area is papers, school papers, drawings etc.

What about a chalkboard/magnetic wall? I haven't tried it myself, but I understand it's great for kids' rooms. You can hang up papers and drawing, as well as draw with chalk. I know you can get chalkboard paint....but I don't know if they paint over metal or what, for the magnetic part.

As for clothes, I love vintage dressers. Easy to find (at least here) and fairly inexpensive. I paid $50 at Goodwill....$65 and $70 on Craigslist. If you're close to Pullman, you might not have as much available :)

If you want to do something similar to that storage wall above (but less expensive) maybe pantry units from Shopko? They usually have those two door over two door units on sale...and the shelves inside are great for clothes. My grandmother used those in her assisted living apartment and they were great for storage. Tape some cute pictures on the front and they're very nice!

Found a few links! Here's one that shows how to do a magnetic/chalkboard wall....

http://theculinarycouple.com/2013/04/22/diy-magnetic-chalkboard-wall/

And here's one that tells you about why they sometimes don't work and gives you alternatives...my guess is that it depends on the magnets and how much weight they're holding up. I'd go for painting the galvanized steel...then frame it :)

http://thedecorologist.com/dont-use-chalkboard-and-magnetic-paint-until-you-read-this/

A lot of good, fun ideas, Chelwa. Mine's not fun, but I think it could really help. Replace the water heater with a tankless unit. Prices have come way down, they work very well, and they just hang on the wall. In a cabinet or wherever. Then completely reconfigure the utility room (and kitchen?), definitely doing stacking units and adding clever built-in storage.

My own favorite appearance upgrade has always been enlarging, and adding, windows. Sunshine and the ability of a gaze to just keep going (instead of crashing to a stop ten feet away) do wonders to make rooms feel larger and welcoming -- and for resale value. You already have a kitchen window lined up with the doorway (great!), but is there more view or additional sunshine to be captured somewhere? Do existing windows allow you to enjoy a pleasant view out while sitting down, or do they need to be lenghthened?

Thanks, everyone for your great suggestions! LL, with summer here we are putting a chalkboard up in the backyard for the kids to color on and working on collecting some other fun activities for them to enjoy outside (that don't involve hitting things/people with sticks) :). We actually just got a second dresser back from a friend we lent it to so that should help. Around here thrift store furniture can be pretty sketchy...

Celandina, thanks for your suggestions. We looked into a tankless unit but unfortunately our electrical system couldn't handle the heavy intermittent load. We don't have natural gas so that is also out. If we do end up redoing the kitchen (unlikely but I would love to) I would like to switch to stacked W/D and maybe a WH that will fit under a counter.

This house actually has decent size windows and enlarging them further would really cut into storage opportunities. We are also on a corner lot that gets a decent amount of traffic so we need to preserve some privacy. If had the budget I would love to have the windows placed a bit differently but I don't see that happening. :(

Having nice windows already is a blessing, even if it means missing out on impressing the heck out of yourselves with a transforming one.

Your question is intriguing, but I noticed I have no idea how you actually live there. I love drop-leaf tables for their flexibility and would probably find a place for a good-sized round one in the living room for all "table" activities. Since you know you don't need much more storage, you're obviously safe from having to learn how investing space in "enough" storage would just encourage accumulation.

Just as a point of observation in general, I've noticed that -- except for storage for the kind of extravagant accumulation you're avoiding -- the furniture most people actually use even in far larger homes these days often comes down to just one comfy seating/lounging spot for each resident, from which TV viewing, conversation, bill paying, internet surfing, etc., all take place, plus MAYBE a dining table or counter with chairs. The "maybe" for the dining surface + extra seats because of the people who also usually dine in their comfy spots. Sad to realize for those of use who love but no longer need old fashioned living rooms with writing desks, secondary conversation groupings, game tables, and so on, but there it is...

I hope at least one of the ideas you're looking for pings loud. From this side of the screen, your description of your card catalog's utility has done that for me. It'd be a natural too since I've always loved libraries, so thanks.

Celadina. Thanks. I do really love my card catalog. :) Moving from 1800 to 630 sq ft really helped us realize that space is often just a place to stick stuff... In our current house we find ourselves sitting around the dining table and fairly rarely use our comfy chairs. This probably reflects that most of our at home time is spent eating or doing homework :). It would be lovely to have time to use a comfy chair.

I have also had to face the sad realization that with my husband in grad school and me finishing grad school and starting student teaching we don't have the time or money to implement any household changes more complicated that moving furniture around. I have enjoyed the fun suggestions and hopefully we will have a chance to implement some in the future.

Here's my advice....go to Lowe's (or other big box store) and look at their mistake paints. There are always some nice paints that are the wrong color/mix and they're much less expensive. Find a few you like....and paint the kitchen and living room. Maybe the bedrooms, too.

This will feel like a big change. Have fun with the colors and then find some neat fabrics/throws for the living room and windows. If you don't sew, just wrap the fabric over the curtain rod for a new valance. Goodwill always has stuff (at least in Spokane) and there's so much you can do with other people's 'junk' LOL

That's what I would do, just to give it a 'new' look. If you can't move yet....and you can't afford to make any big changes....a fresh color and a bit of fabric can really make quite a difference. And it's fun! :)

I hadn't thought of looking at the mistake paints. That is a great idea. We painted the living room when we moved in and we love the color but the bathroom and kitchen could both use a coat.

I found some great light blue (almost a robin's egg) at Lowe's...and a gallon was only $10. It was marked $15 and I asked if they could do better (LOL) All they can say is no :)

If you could find a stackable W/D unit(s) that can be placed in the area now designated as a Linen Closet (which already backs a water wall) and relocate your hot water unit to a rooftop (go solar) or crawlspace location, you could reclaim the whole area that is now the laundry room. How ever you choose to use the space, a banquette or some means that efficiently uses space and maximizes seating would create a wonderful second gathering area that could be used as media/mixed-purpose room. Smaller is better; it just needs to be smarter and more creative.

Thanks Vernon! that is a great idea. I would be worried about the water heater freezing under the house in the winter (it gets below 0 F from time to time). Maybe not if it was in an insulated box? Our crawlspace is pretty shallow so I think we would have to dig out a spot for it. I don't think the pay back on roof top on solar would be soon enough for our purposes. I will definitely keep this in mind.

LOL, why is it every time I see one of these "tiny houses", they always have huge, high ceilings? I'm jealous. I've got 588 sq. ft. to work with, and I'm stuck with the standard eight-footer.

Anyway, I'd like to do a floor-to-ceiling shelf wall myself, mainly to store an ever-growing board game collection. But I really don't see a lot I can order online that will go higher than 72".

Maybe when build small now they recognize the value of that extra height. We are stuck with 8 footers as well. Maybe you could build your own shelves?