You might look into some "tiny house" blogs for ideas.

I know of instances in which people have lined an entire wall, floor to ceiling, with shelving and put doors over it all. Cabinets, really. They had 12" deep ones, but I think even 6" or 4" of actual space on a shelf would hold a great deal. A carpenter could make you a basic bookcase, and then put slab kitchen-cabinet doors on it. You can even hand artwork on the doors, if they're perfectly smooth slabs.

That's a good idea.

I have looked into the tiny house ideas and blogs, they are quite expensive and usually for a much tinier home. My son and I will be doing all the work ourselves so it will be simple but efficient. I saw one idea to put shelves between studs and thought that was very clever.

There are lots of ideas for storage and small space storage on pinterest.

Loft stairs with storage -

http://www.livefromjulieshouse.com/pantry-between-studs/

I love that. I am studying pinterest too. There are so many ideas I just wonder how to put it together to be functional and organized. I am still working on my sketch. And will post it as soon as I get closer to what I want.

Start by looking at a LOT of floor plans for 'small houses' and cottages. Mentally walk through your day in each plan.

If your goal is a big kitchen with a sleeping area out back ... start by designing the most efficient kitchen for what you want to do in it. Don't draw walls and try to make the kitchen fit inside, make the workspace and then draw a wall around it.

The "tiny house" ideas don't have to be expensive when -you- implement them; they're just a way to think about space differently.

your table can have storage under it; drawers, or something.

Ditto chairs.

Basically every surface (whether vertical, like wall; or horizontal, like a bench, chair, sofa or table) can be thicker for one extra layer of storage.

A shelf over every door (my grandpa did this)

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/shelf-over-door/

Shallow shelves behind the door where it swings open. (These all show a shelving unit, but in your case, I'd go floor-to-ceiling.

Even 4" is enough to store serious stuff (a medicine cabinet is 4" deep, usually). And it's nice, bcs it's one-layer storage; nothing's hidden behind).

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/behind-door-storage/

this shows shelving in the little narrow space between the door and the corner wall.
http://pionik.com/pins/pin/416231190542981042

Wow those are great ideas. My dad would have loved helping me with this project.

I still have no definite plans just rough sketch ideas I will try to post one and show what I am doing

I also put shoe pockets on the sides of bookcases.

I'm dying to try rain gutters for storage. I've seen lots of pictures of it for kids books, but also for craft supplies, spray paints, and more.

They'd give you shallow storage, which would be good in a small space. But they'd be open, so visually cluttered. (they do look ingenious, don't they? But I'd put them closer together than that person did, at least in a few places.)

You can't go wrong with a simple wall of covered (cabinet doors) storage, such as a pass through, or an end wall. Even 18-24 inch deep will make a huge difference in the storage. Divide it different ways...you can have some hanging space, some drawers, some shelves, and different sizes all unified by the same type of doors.

Also you might like a wet-room. That is...your whole bathroom is a shower stall. You can make the shower relatively bigger. Bathroom sink is optional since these are usually in close proximity to the kitchen sink...but if you had one it would be IN the shower space. With the lid down....you can sit on the toilet while you shave, or to have a meditative moment.

You also might like storage stairs. And look into the washer/dryer combo unit. Not a stacker (although that might be okay too) but what I am talking about is...you put in your dirty clothes and you come back to washed and dried clothes. No flipping.

But mostly if you want to go small or tiny, you need to wrap your head around what it means to live that way, and abide by a pretty minimalist credo. If you are having trouble....revisit your thoughts, and your habits and see if you are really "living small".

Consider having a "canning kitchen" that is basically a shed or screened porch with a sink and a stove and a work counter. The water supply can be temporary - just run a hose to the input of the sink (like the potting table sinks) - as can the burners on the stoves.

Most canning happens in the summer, so why heat up the house.

You don't say where you are in the country, so we don't know what kind of climate you are dealing with.

I would like to offer you the idea of building a "dog trot" style of house.

When my ancestors traveled from Alabama to homestead in Texas after the Civil War, they built a dog trot house that is still standing today. What it is is two small cabins set a short distance apart with an open walkway between the two. They are both covered with one roof that also covers the walkway. Supposedly, the name came about because the walkway/ breezeway was the place where the dogs laid down to sleep in the cool of the shade .

This same floor plan was translated to larger and more elaborate houses where you walk in through large double doors and can walk the inner hallway all the way to the back of the house. This afforded a nice breeze in the days before electricity.

You could use this concept and have your kitchen and lounging area in one part and your bath and bed in the other. If you screen in or provide removable glass you will have the breezeway as either a lounging place, outdoor sleeping space or outdoor kitchen in the summer.

I agree with another poster who pointed out that you might want to reconsider having steep ladders to get up to other living areas.

With almost 400 ft of area you should be just fine. We lived in a house smaller than that with two kids. And, when I was little, we lived in a house trailer that was even smaller with three kids.

Also, purge, purge, purge! One thing about those days when I lived in small houses is that we did not have many material possessions. We really had very little.

The one thing that I would build into any house that I was designing is outdoor/indoor spaces with screens or glass.

Google "dog trot". Some also call them "cracker houses".

I just came upon an article here in Houzz that deals with dog trot houses. Just type it in the search box.

Wow I just got back here to all these awesome ideas. I will post my sketch below. Keep in mind it's not to scale and I am not finished. I incorporated lots of closed storage in every nook so far.

Alittle more info, I live in the panhandle of Texas. It is mostly hot dry and very windy. I am a gardener and I have a market stand I sell produce. I luv to can or preserve all my own food except meat so far! I am a cook by trade and do not like home kitchens to work in. I am used to and prefer commercial type equipment. That is why I have decided to go with the stainless steel sink with double drainboard and tables.

I have included 2 pieces of furniture my father built.

Also after living in a camper for over a year I will have a large bathroom. I absolutely can not stand a tiny bathroom. I don't need large vanity just floor space ;)

If I was trying to save space, I would combine tub and shower. Rotate the tub 90°, to put that extra space back into the kitchen (even if it is in a corner).

Is that a door from the outside to the bathroom? I would add a window on the N wall in the bathroom.

Move the sink down to the left so you have some prep space between sink and range. I'd also move the fridge north, and add cabinets facing south. Partly this is very efficient storage - everything is easy to see - and partly to reduce the noise of the fridge in the bedroom.

What furniture do you plan to have, besides the bed? A small table, comfy chair? There isn't much room for those in this plan.

Well now my son came up with an idea to use his 24x24 shop. It has not been used at all except to store tools and he just poured concrete. Back to the drawing bird because I'll have to reposition rooms and windows etc because of where this building is located and where plumbing is located. Keeping all these awesome suggestions in mind ...I'll be back

I sort of wish you could get a really -good- convertible sofa, and then you can use the middle of the living room floor for the bedroom. Put the sofa where the chest is, and turn the area where the bed is into some sort of dining/office/crafts area w/ a table.

And then it would be easier to use the wall to the right of the door for one of those 8-inch-deep floor-to-ceiling shelving/cabinet units.
(My SIL and BIL have a wall in their kitchen that I want to cover w/ 6-inch-deep shelves, and then buy kitchen-cabinet doors (for frameless cabinets, since those cabinets are essentially just bookcases) to put on the shelves to cover everything.)

Awesome idea about the bed/sofa. I typically use my kitchen table for everything, bad habit. Since I live alone not many visitors I want to make this space all about me and what works for me. And my grandchild (ren)

Since the shop is too short to do a full loft we may put in a simple bed loft later on. I am still working on plans. Hopefully we can start soon. I would love to get out of this camper before winter.

Divide the "bedroom" from the living area with a bookcase divider, and face the foot of the bed toward the window - on the bed side you have a headboard and a couple of shelves, with a view out the window, on the living room side you have the bookcase shelving.

OK new plans these are contingent on being able to find the windows I want so the window size and placement may change. Added in a lot of yalls ideas and will tweak storage as necessary

Thank you so much for your input. We are building it in a way so that next year I can expand. I have had a rough year financially and health wise. So I am going small just to get out of camper.

It is 22x22. No way to change that right now.

I have to have a separate shower to rinse off when I come in from the garden and I can't stand taking a shower in a tub with curtains all the way around. I am a full time gardener and take a shower every time I come in the house nearly lol.

I think the hinges will be on the right side of the frig so it can open all the way if needed.

The table I drew in will have casters and probably be closer to the front door most of the time.

I agree about a bedside table. I wear glasses so I have to have something.

My mother used bedside pockets instead of a bed table. She really liked hers! You could mount a sconce on the wall to provide light, and then use a set of bed pockets for glasses, etc.
You can sew your own, or you can easily buy them from Amazon or from Etsy.

Doesn't help with a cup of coffee or glass of water, but I suppose you could get a bed tray for those times.

Good idea!

I don't drink in bed so that is not an issue for me. I don't read either. I could include pocket for my phone too.

What if I pull the need towards the living room and make a walk in closet where the head of the bed is and get rid of two small closets?

You can also put a small shelf on the wall; or use a headboard that has shelves or other storage in it. You can put wall pockets on the wall by the bed as well.

About moving the bed, and the closets;

You can't get a walk-in closet (a walk-in closet is like a little room); you could get a wall-length closet.
Me personally, I don't really like those extra-wide closets. I'd rather have storage wardrobes where your closets are.

You are so full of good ideas. I have to show my son these tomorrow.

Even if you don't read in bed, you might want a light by the bed. My bedside light has a nightlight bulb in it (they come w/ regular bases), and I turn it on before I turn off the overhead light, so I can see.

Also--I don't see a dresser; are you going to want one?
You could put one of them where one of the closets is.

Actually I don't want a dresser. I am used to all my clothes being together so I want to design closet to hold everything. I think I do want a nightlight now that you mention that. I will have to figure that out

I am writing to you grandmother to grandmother. I just moved from a 3 BR home with large FR to an apartment. It sounds like you will be living in the place alone. My input is in regard to your safety (I am 70). First the tub and shower: The most common accident elderly people encounter is a fall in the tub. Why not replace the tub with a generous shower with wide door, a grab bar and maybe a bench at the end. Also think about mobility if you ever have to depend on a walker or wheelchair… wide doors and smooth floors throughout. And no throw rugs anywhere.

I did what you are describing with my clothes… no dresser for me. Everything is in the closet, including twin hanging hampers that pull out from a shelf. As soon as one is full, I know I should do a load of darks or lights, And for the nightlight idea, I found one at Home Depot for $10. Plugs in any outlet. It's dark in the daylight and bright as you want at night thanks to a dimmer switch. Love it. Electrical outlets don't have to be at ankle height… put them waist high and you won't have to bend over (ugh!) every time you want to plug in anything. For light in the closet you don't need to wire it if you select a battery-powered button light. Paint the inside of all cabinets and closets bright white to reflect as much light as possible.

Now about the sofa bed. I bought one that has an air mattress instead of the dreaded mother-in-law bar. Comes with its own electric pump and blows itself up in seconds. Ethan Allen makes it. Not cheap. But because it doubles as the sofa, you don't need a bed, box springs and mattress plus outer bedding -- think economy that way. And for naps you don't need to open it. In fact, it you do something with a sofa bed idea you don't need the separate bedroom. Now you'd truly have a great room and it would feel so spacious. Make a fabric folding screen to add color and when you have visitor it would ensure privacy.

And the entertainment center… you can watch TV while you work at the kitchen table if you can angle the TV… maybe an adjustable wall mount would work. For seating if you don't do the sofa bed you may like a chair-and-a-half (or two of them). Extra wide with enough room for a 4-year-old on your lap. It's a perfect grandmother chair. Why not have a big wide sink to accommodate your canning pots instead of twin sinks? Plus you can bathe a baby in a big sink!

"the dreaded mother-in-law bar."

I have a sofa bed that doesn't have this bar. It's a Castro Convertible. I've had many friends over the years who used one as their primary bed for years. And I've slept on ours for a month and found it really comfortable.

The Castro company sold itself to a different company that very rapidly went out of business. Castro came back with ottoman versions of their bed, and I don't know what happened to the patent on their sofa bed.

So I don't know whether there's someone making a similar sofa bed now (it's all fabric, like taut hammock), but if you're on the East Coast, you might be able to find a used one. It would be so worth it to get one, even if you have to get it reupholstered.

(This discussion has reminded me that if my kid ever gets her own apartment, I want to volunteer to buy her a Castro for her place.)

Thanks ladies. I have since redesigned the home 3x due to plumbing layout. I gave up the tub and the mud room will be an add on 6x8 foot room. My daughter has a program and put my sketch in itand made a video. It made it come alive so I am really getting excited to get it done.

This a picture of the sink I am using. Until I have the money to build a separate canning kitchen I am designing my kitchen specifically for harvest and food preservation

WOW, Kim, I am impressed! way to go girl!

Thanks Moni. Hope to see you in the spring, I missed you last year.
We are trying to get this project going full speed ahead but something keeps popping up. Staying warm is the goal for my new little house.

watch me, I didn't see the drawer bed prior to my purchase of two TV entertainment centers. I made a HUGE boo boo, when I ordered my mattress. Instead of extra long twin my mouth said super single. Well, that is a water bed size, and sheets and everything aren't ready available. So, now my bed looks like this:

and now in my present house, my first night here

New home! It will be yours in no time Moni. That is a neat bed. I saw this recently and thought about doing it. It's just bookcases