If you feel crowded in your home, there may be ways for you to expand the feel of your space without adding on to the house.

Read Mary Rice's Article on small spaces

This may be off-topic, in which case I ask for forgiveness, but there is an old Jewish story about how to get  used to a small house.  A poor man went to his Rabbi, & said, I cannot bear how small my house is.  I have 6 daughters & 6 sons, & only one room.  The Rabbi thought a while, & said, Bring your chickens into the house.  The poor man said, how can I do that when I already have such a crowded house!  But you are my Rebbe (beloved Rabbi), so I must do as you say.  A day later, the man went back to the Rebbe & complained even more bitterly.  Bring in your goat, the Rebbe said.  The man repeated his complaint of the day before, but complied.  The following day, when he went to the Rebbe, the Rebbe said, Now put your goat back in the yard.  The next day, the man came into the Rebbe's house, & said, Rebbe, I have so much mroe room now!  But it WAS better before the chickens entered.  The Rebbe said, Nu (now, then), put your chickens back in the yard.  And the man came back the next day, enthralled with how much bigger his house was than it had been before ....

Yours in Him, Deb

One thing I learned when living in an apartment is to keep the clutter down and the rooms clean. When things are neat and orderly, spaces seem more manageable to me.

I also learned to avoid heavy fabric, such as thick draperies or lots of blankets draped over furniture. Keeping things light and airy gave the illusion of more space. (Although a toasty blanket in the wintertime is very convenient!)

Deborahmichelle (Sparkle) - I like your story.  I'm sure bringing in chickens and goats and then removing them would make one's space seem bigger!

Deborahmichelle:

This may be off-topic, in which case I ask for forgiveness, but there is an old Jewish story about how to get  used to a small house.  A poor man went to his Rabbi, & said, I cannot bear how small my house is.  I have 6 daughters & 6 sons, & only one room.  The Rabbi thought a while, & said, Bring your chickens into the house.  The poor man said, how can I do that when I already have such a crowded house!  But you are my Rebbe (beloved Rabbi), so I must do as you say.  A day later, the man went back to the Rebbe & complained even more bitterly.  Bring in your goat, the Rebbe said.  The man repeated his complaint of the day before, but complied.  The following day, when he went to the Rebbe, the Rebbe said, Now put your goat back in the yard.  The next day, the man came into the Rebbe's house, & said, Rebbe, I have so much mroe room now!  But it WAS better before the chickens entered.  The Rebbe said, Nu (now, then), put your chickens back in the yard.  And the man came back the next day, enthralled with how much bigger his house was than it had been before ....

Yours in Him, Deb

Small is relative, what may be small to you is big to another. Great story Deb!

 Deb, your story made me laugh. When DH went to Kenya the first time, he was shown a small house to sleep . He went in and the goat was on the bed. The owner told him to just throw the goat out. The goat likes to sleep here in the daytime when it is hot. So DH threw the goat out and went to sleep. Woke up in the middle of the night and saw to "beady" eyes looking at him. It was the chicken. Babs

Oh!  Babs dear, that is too much!  It's amazing to hear a 21st century version of an 18th century story!  Love in Him, Deb

Oh Babs, that story has me in stitches!

I'm not a betting woman, but if I were, I would hazard to say my apartment is probably smaller than most anyone on here. That being said, I am anal about keeping things picked up. The smaller the space the more noticeable anything that's out of place.

I keep to a neutral color palate; cream, beige, sage green, with some touches of blue and red.

If something is not used it's given away or disposed of.

My bed is in the main living quarter, so I make my bed every single day, except when I'm sick.

My favorite way to decorate is ambient lighting. Soft lighting creates a soothing atmosphere.

So, slk2042..., I agree with your comments.

BW