In American suburbs, we’re seeing houses get bigger and bigger – with the average in some areas reaching 4,500 square feet. While the parts of the country with room to spare can accommodate such large houses, other, more dense urban areas are focusing on the advantages of very small living quarters and the “live/work/walk lifestyle” that comes with micro-housing.

For those considering a renovation of their home’s interior, there are many lessons to learn from the recent innovations in micro-housing. From uncanny storage solutions to spatial organizational strategies, the designs applied to micro-housing can have grand effects on all housing situations.

If you have a large guest room or guest house and are looking for ways to make it more hospitable, consider treating it like a micro-home. Many micro-homes measure less than 200 square feet and are split over two floors. The first floor often holds the living room, kitchenette, and bathroom, while the space above is often a loft bedroom accessible by a ladder. These homes often take on the style of a rustic cottage or cozy tudor. Provided that your guest room/house has a ceiling height of more than 16 feet, this is a significant, cost-effective way to make an astounding guest room. These lessons are even applicable to most two-story garages. Of course, this is also a great strategy for attracting short-term renters to your property, as it provides many more amenities than most rooms of the same size.

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If your home itself is on the smaller side and you’re looking for solutions to organize the space more efficiently, micro-housing is way ahead of you. One thing learned from these small-scale abodes is their ability to hide many essential items behind discreet cabinet doors and walls. For example, all of the appliances and jars in a kitchen can be concealed by large planes that make the space feel larger and less cluttered. This also means that you can add extra shelves and storage systems to your existing closets without compromising the simple aesthetic of the room on the other side. A renovation of a small home doesn’t have to mean an appeal to the “cozy cottage” aesthetic; it can be a nod to your minimalist sensibilities.

There are also some incredibly novel furniture/storage pieces on the market aimed toward micro-houses. Furniture pieces like bookshelves/reading nooks and collapsable beds can be installed as built-ins for your home to maximize the limited space of each room to its full potential. If you are proud of the things you store, some of these solutions proudly and uniquely display your favorite items rather than systematically conceal them.

