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4 Strategies to Live Large in Your Small Home

A home with a red door located in a suburban neighborhood

Small space living is a trend that is becoming more popular, but living in a small home does not have to pinch your style. Everyone wants their home to feel open and welcoming, no matter the size. With a bit of planning and creativity, you can find a way to live large in your small home.

Get creative with multi-purpose furniture. This will not only save space, but it will also save money as there’s no need to purchase multiple furniture pieces if you can have one item that can do more than one function. For instance, swap out your lounge chair or sofa for a sleeper couch. Replace your coffee table with an ottoman to double up as extra seating for guests. Try a room divider that includes built-in shelving. Buy tables and consoles with drawers to incorporate more storage space. Wall-mounted furniture is also another great space-saving option. It is easy to find wall-mounted tables and desks that pull down when needed.

Look up! Create storage where there was none by adding floating shelves to your walls utilizing the vertical space. Mounted storage cabinets are also a great space saver and give you more storage options. Televisions and lamps are other items that can be mounted on the wall to help turn wall space into floor space. Decorating the walls with subtle vertical stripes can make a low ceiling seem higher by drawing the eye up. The same effect applies to a fun light fixture, crown molding, tall window treatments, or high shelves.

Keep scale in mind. A larger room can handle furnishings and decor that are larger in scale. But the smaller the room is, the more petite the furnishings and decor should be. Low-slung furniture looks proportionally better in rooms with lower ceilings. Remember to leave “white space” in a room giving the eye a place to rest. A room rarely looks good when every square inch of it is filled. In the kitchen, slimmed-down appliances, including a 24-inch-wide gas range and a 27-inch-wide refrigerator, can give a small space a gourmet feel.

Be selective with patterns. Large areas of pattern can make a small space look busy. Try layering smaller patterns over larger textured pieces to lighten the room’s look. Contrasting colors or an abundance of dark colors in a small space can also feel overwhelming and like the room is closing in on you. Conversely, a monochromatic color scheme or even varying shades of the same color can make your space feel larger. Soft, pale, neutral colors on the walls and floor will give the biggest illusion of space.

Zippy Shell is the perfect solution for those looking to downsize their home or move into a small space. With portable storage, you can forego the hassle of having to drive your stuff back and forth to an off-site storage location. With Zippy Shell, we will deliver a storage unit to your home, where you can load your belongings into it directly. Make your moving and storage needs simple with Zippy Shell today!

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How to Break the Ice with Your New Neighbors

A woman waves at someone

Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, sometimes figuring out how to meet new neighbors can feel intimidating. You’re already moved to a new place, and things are a bit out of sorts, so your confidence and creativity might not be at their peak. It can be especially difficult to meet new folks in a new city because you’re still getting to know the new terrain.

We often take for granted how effortless our existing friendships may be in a city where we have roots and history. Then, when you add today’s digital culture where people spend more face time with their phones and computers than with people, it can be hard to make new friends. We get it! Here is our helpful and fun list of things you can do to break the ice with your new neighbors.

  1. Think about your interests. Do you like hiking? Well, strap on a backpack and head to the local trailhead. Do you like reading? Consider joining a book club or hosting a monthly gathering to discuss the latest titles. Is there another interest you’ve been considering, like learning French? Well, this is the perfect time to take a class! Finding friends who have similar interests will accelerate getting to know one another.
  2. Walk the dog regularly. Barring any crazy weather, getting out with your pet can be one of the best ways to meet the new neighbors (plus, your dog will love you for it). Check out new paths for the week. Maybe try walking at various times. This is a great way to get some fresh air, clear your head, and make a new friend.
  3. Join the local gym. You don’t have to be a fitness buff to want to get in shape or shed a few pounds. The gym can be a great place to meet new people. Trainers and exercisers alike usually know a lot about the city and could introduce you to folks with similar interests.
  4. Share an act of kindness. Did you notice that your neighbor has some yard clippings that could be brought to the curb? Do they need snow shoveled from their sidewalk? Maybe their newspaper is still lying in the street. Sometimes a small act of kindness can go a long way to making a new friend and striking up a conversation.

Lastly, let’s get old-fashioned. There’s something to be said for simply walking over to your new neighbor’s front door and knocking (novel, right?). Introduce yourself and let them know you just moved into the neighborhood. You could swap phone numbers and toss in a few questions (be friendly, not nosey) about the area to get a conversation going. It’s simple but effective.

And, hey, if you’re the new neighbor and see someone who has just moved in, maybe take a step outside and introduce yourself to make it a little easier on the new guy. Everyone could use a new friend. Who knows? Your next best friend might be right around the corner. If you are planning on moving to a new neighborhood soon, give Zippy Shell a call! We’ll be sure to make moving and storage simple for you so you can focus on making friends with your new neighbors!

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How to Cope with Relocation Depression After a Big Move

A couple sits next to the moving boxes in their new home

Everyone knows a big move can be one of life’s most challenging events, both physically and emotionally. So if you feel stressed or anxious during a move, that is perfectly normal. Many times just the sheer physical exhaustion of moving is enough to throw you into a temporary funk. Making a move can indicate a positive change in our life, like a new job or a new relationship. Still, no matter how positive you expect the move to be, there can be pre-existing depression or even a new feeling of depression that moves with us. It can also happen to anyone, so there is no shame if you begin to feel down during a big move. If you have recognized and determined that you are suffering from relocation depression, here are some things to focus on.

  • Feelings of depression or anxiety are often heightened when you are rushed or forced to move quicker than comfortable. Allow plenty of time to prepare for your move and start the process as early as you can. Expect to need time after the move to get back to normal. If you can, book some time off work to unpack and recover from the physical and mental effort. It will give you space to adjust to the changes.
  • Try to carve out space in your new home that will automatically “feel like home.” Set up a favorite rug, blanket, or pictures that make you feel like you are home. Having this little bit of comfort can help your new home feel safer and more settled. Find a way to integrate the things you love in your new home’s design, and you will see how quickly the space will gain personality and warmth.
  • Recreate some of your old routines. You may have a big desire to push ahead with unpacking, but it might be better for your mental health to stay on an established schedule. Little things such as familiar meals, regular exercise routines, reaching out to friends and family that you usually talk to can go a long way towards easing the transition. In other words, do the things that made you happy in your old place, even if you have to do them in a new way.
  • Find something to be excited about in your new city. Put on your tourist hat and head out and do all the touristy things your new city has to offer. This has the added benefit of giving you a chance to familiarize yourself with the city. Walking increases calmness, so explore the walkable sections of your new city on foot!
  • Try to make relationships in your new city by getting involved with local interest groups, taking a class, volunteering, or extending invitations to neighbors and coworkers to hang out. Just be sure to set realistic expectations about the amount of time it takes to foster new relationships; it can be tricky!
  • Above all else, if your relocation depression or anxiety is debilitating or lingers longer than you think it should, speak with a professional. You may need additional help. 

Moving is stressful, and we want to make sure that we go above and beyond what the competition does to ensure your satisfaction. Zippy Shell is here to take the stress out of your move allowing you to focus on your physical and emotional health during this exciting time. Give us a call today to see how we can help make your move simple.

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Kitchen Organization Hacks

Moving to a new home? Try out some of these tips to set up your kitchen in the most efficient ways possible!

Proper food storage

Know which foods must be refrigerated, don’t need to be refrigerated, and which should be frozen. This will help give you a guideline of where your food should go. Store your meats in the bottom of your fridge where it is coldest and where any leaks would avoid contaminating any other food. Dairy can be stored on the top shelf, where temperature is most consistent. Don’t store items with a short expiration date in the door, as this is the warmest part of the fridge.

Use up the empty space on the back of doors

The space on the back of your pantry or cabinet doors is going to waste. You can use a shoe organizer, pegboards, or mini shelves to hang up extra items on your door space such as pans, measuring cups, food, and more.

Uniform containers

In your pantry and cabinets, things can get messy quickly. Use clear, rectangular storage containers to keep your food sealed fresh and pest-free. This also allows you to easily see all your food items with no need to dig through cardboard boxes or bags.

Organize zones

Organize all your kitchen items by what they are used for. Create different zones for storing items such as food, cleaning supplies, cooking tools, and silverware and dishes. This will make your kitchen more organized by having related items all in the same location.

Declutter

Kitchens are one of the biggest clutter magnets. It’s not hard to get sucked into purchasing gadgets that you think will get a lot of use, when they will collect dust for years. Some of these helpful decluttering tips can get you started for when you don’t know what to get rid of first.

Have Zippy Shell Help

If you are moving to a new home, have Zippy Shell help move all your items for you! We will safely deliver your belongings to your new home and even help you move everything inside to allow for an easy set up.