One of the most significant downsides of living in a small space is that there doesn’t seem to be enough room for appliances. Unfortunately, you cannot call a space a “home” without appliances. They are designed to make life easier, and without them, it would be like living in the Stone Age.
However, having small living quarters has become somewhat of a trend, especially in cities where prime real estate comes at high costs. As a result, more and more appliances are designed specifically for small living spaces like condos, one-bedroom flats, or studio units.
These small, almost miniature-like condo appliances allow you the comforts of a full-sized home. But to make the most of them, you’ll still need to make wise decisions when choosing which ones you need. You certainly don’t want to sacrifice every inch of available space.
Here are a few pointers that can help one choose the right appliances for their small home.
What Appliances Do You Need?
The first step is to decide on the appliances you can’t do without. Such appliances for your small condo would not only make your life a bit more comfortable but would also help you save money as well. For example, if you were the type of person who prefers home-cooked meals, frozen food, and vegetables, that would be sensible unless, of course, there’s a supermarket nearby.
Some condominium buildings offer laundry areas complete with washers and dryers. Others may provide laundry areas where tenants can install their washing machines. Another example is an air-conditioning unit. Some buildings have centralized air conditioning, meaning you won’t need to worry about buying an air conditioner of your own. Try to make use of your building’s facilities whenever they’re available to limit the number of appliances you’ll need to purchase.
Once you’ve determined all of your must-have condo appliances, you’ll be able to decide where they should go.
Where Will You Place Them?
You’re probably familiar with the phrase “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Nothing is more important than an organized, albeit small, living space. But once you already have an idea of the appliances you need, it will just be a matter of finding the right place for them.
The best way to do this is to start with the larger items. These usually include the fridge, oven, washing machine, and dryer. Meanwhile, most of the other appliances can be placed on countertops, such as the microwave oven, rice cooker, blender, and food processor.
The only appliance for a small condo that you might not have to worry too much about is the air conditioner. Condominiums that don’t provide centralized air conditioning will likely have areas where you can install a window-type air conditioner. If not, floor-standing air conditioning for condos is also available, and they’re available in various sizes.
Think Tall, Not Wide
Condominium units are usually limited in terms of floor area, but the floor-to-ceiling height will remain standard. Therefore, when choosing appliances, think tall.
Some appliances are designed to squeeze into small spaces but offer the same performance as standard appliances because they’re taller. A good example is a fridge/freezer combination. A standard fridge is around 36 inches wide and 69 inches tall. A slim fridge designed for small spaces is only about 24 inches wide but 80 inches high. Unfortunately, you should note that compact refrigerators won’t have the same capacity as standard units, even with the extra height.
You’ll also be able to find slim washers and dryers for small laundry areas. Compact ovens are also available for small-sized kitchens.
Compact Yet Trendy
One of the tricks developers use when designing condo units is to limit internal walls. One-bedroom units may have walls for the room, but the kitchen, dining area, and living room won’t have walls separating them, so the area appears larger. The problem is that all the appliances will likely be exposed.
Fortunately, there’s a solution to this problem. You’ll need to search for compact appliances that also have a trendy appearance. You’ll be surprised at the wide variety of designs available on the market. Your condo unit won’t only be trendy with careful planning and selection but highly functional as well.
Creativity Goes A Long Way
Sometimes, a condo unit may be too small. But before you begin sacrificing the appliances that you know you’ll need, you may want to be a bit more creative. You might be pleasantly surprised by how a little bit of creativity can create a space where there once was none.
Suppose you’re wondering how, here’s a good example. Most condo units have built-in floor-to-ceiling closets, which means there is space, but it’s dedicated to storage. With a little bit of work, you can convert that area to accommodate an appliance or two, depending on your design.
Some Condo Design Ideas
You might be thinking that by converting closets into areas for your appliances, you’ll be sacrificing storage space. Not necessarily. Storage shouldn’t be much of a problem because there are plenty of ways to create extra storage spaces. With the right furniture, you’ll have plenty of storage space. For example, instead of using standard chairs for your dining table, look for bench design chairs with storage underneath. Beds and sofa sets can also provide additional storage.
If you’re having a bit challenging at being creative, don’t worry. There are plenty of small condo design ideas in magazines and websites.
If you belong to most condo unit owners or tenants, your unit will likely have minimal space. But this doesn’t mean that you’ll need to sacrifice too much on functionality in terms of appliances. However, it does mean that you’ll need to plan a bit more carefully before you purchase any appliance.
It’s also likely that you won’t be able to purchase all the appliances you’ll need in one go. But as long as you’ve planned what you’ll need and where you’ll place them, it will just be a matter of following through with that plan.
Condo living can be comfortable if you’re well organized. Take the time to look for the right appliances for your unit and be creative when searching for additional space, and you’ll start loving living in your condo more.
