YOUR DESIGN GUIDE | 5-DAY SMALL SPACE REFRESH SPRINT
Day 1 of the 5-Day Small Space Refresh Sprint: five free tasks, 15 to 30 minutes each, Monday to Friday. Missed the plan? Start here.
Setting up a small space? My Apartment Setup Kit (the apartment guide plus The Room Layout Fix lessons and workbook) has everything you need to set up your place.
When a client tells me a small room feels cramped, the first thing I do isn’t measure.
I look for what’s in the way.
An extra side table.
A chair nobody sits in.
A basket that became a pile.
Three throw pillows too many.
A plant stand in the walkway.
Almost every small room I walk into has two or three things that are only there because they were already there. Take them out and the room gets bigger without moving a wall.
That’s today.
Today’s task (20 minutes):
- Stand in the doorway and look at the room like you’ve never seen it
- Find three things that are in the way, duplicated or just not working
- Take them out of the room (not “away,” just out, for the week)
- Live with it until Friday
1. Stand in the doorway
Don’t start inside the room. Start at the door, where everyone sees it first.
What’s the first thing your eye lands on? If it’s the back of a chair, a tangle of cords or a pile, that’s your first candidate.
2. The three I’d look for
The extra seat. A small room usually needs one good place for everyone to sit, not a seat in every corner. The chair nobody sits in is almost always the one taking the most space.
The doubled surface. Two side tables where one would do. A nesting table that never nests. An ottoman and a coffee table. Pick one.
The small stuff that reads as clutter. Five little things on a surface read as a mess. One tray with three things on it reads as styled. Today, just clear the surface. We style it on Friday.
3. Out of the room, not out of the house
Put the three things in another room, a closet or the hallway. This is a test, not a purge.
By Friday you’ll know which ones you miss. (You usually miss none of them.)
4. Take a photo
One photo from the doorway, before and after. You’ll want it on Friday.
If you only do one thing
Take out the chair nobody sits in.
If you can’t decide which one that is, it’s the one with the laundry on it.
Tell me what you took out
Leave a comment with your three. I read every one, and tomorrow I’ll pull a few into the post.
And if someone you know has a room that feels too full, send them this. Day 1 works best with company.
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Want help with your own room?
If you would rather do the edit with a designer looking over your shoulder, my Room Refresh service is a one-room accessorizing refresh ($350 per room): I tell you what to take out, what to move and the few pieces worth adding, so the room finally feels finished.
More from Your Design Guide:
- Day 3: Shop Your Own House First
- Day 7: Keep, Move, Sell or Donate
- Your Room Doesn’t Need More Stuff. It Needs a Plan.
Day 1 FAQ
How long does the Day 1 small space refresh take? About 20 minutes. Stand in the doorway, find three things that are in the way, and take them out of the room.
Do I have to get rid of the three things? No. Put them in another room, a closet or the hallway until Friday. It is a test, not a purge, and by Friday you will know which ones you actually miss.
What if I cannot decide what to take out of a small room? Start with the chair nobody sits in. If you cannot tell which one that is, it is the one with the laundry on it.
Originally published on Your Design Guide. Read the full post and the comments on Substack: https://yourdesignguide.substack.com/p/sprint-day-1-the-20-minute-edit
