How to downsize your home

Ready to live in a smaller abode? Scaling back need not mean sacrificing style or feeling cramped. Our guide shares some brilliant tips on how to downsize successfully

- NATASHA BRINSMEAD 

For most people, there comes a time when downsizing your home can be a great idea. Whether it is life events, such as children flying the nest, or down to a practical need to scale back financially, there are lots of reasons why moving from a larger house into a smaller residence can come about.

Although it is understandable to worry about making the transition from spacious and sprawling to compact and cosy, there is absolutely no need for downsizing to mean living in cramped or uncomfortable conditions. Providing you plan your layout well and think through what your priorities are, ‘bijou’ homes can actually be a real joy to spend time in.

Here’s how to get the very most out of the footprint of your home — no matter what its proportions.

HOW TO DOWNSIZE IN STYLE

Rather than viewing downsizing as something that will mean making sacrifices, try to shift the way you think about making this move. Smaller houses can offer so much in the way of practicality, meaning less wasted, unused space and more prized spots and places.

Acclaimed architect and author of The Not So Big House series, Home By Design and The Not So Big Life, Sarah Susanka aims to help people understand that the sense of ‘home’ they’re seeking has almost nothing to do with quantity and everything to do with quality.

“After designing homes for 15 years, I have come to an inevitable conclusion: We are all searching for home, but we are trying to find it by building more rooms and more space,” says Sarah in