Minimalist Lifestyle With Kids: Small Apartment Organization

I have been following Alison Mazurek’s Vancouver tiny home journey for awhile through her beautiful Instagram account @600sqftandababy and her blog 600sqft.com. We’ve become friends from afar and she is one of my minimalist mom idols. Living in a small space and keeping things tidy with two small children in the mix is a next level challenge. Her home is so well done and I love her honest approach—things feel natural, not forced or staged. This interview with Alison focuses around minimalism with kids and family life in their 600 square foot home during the pandemic.

Alison and her family in their home @600sqftandababy

Kristen: How long have you lived in your home and who do you share it with? Tell us a little bit about your home size and layout.

Alison: We’ve been in our home for 11 years now. It’s a 600 square foot one bedroom apartment that myself, husband and seven year old and four year old live in. Our apartment is essentially a box with high ceiling and big windows. There’s a door on the bathroom and two sliding doors to the bedroom. The open layout is part of what makes small living so possible for us but it’s also one of the biggest challenges as an open floor plan can look cluttered very easily.

K: When and how did you make the decision to stay in your current home versus moving to a larger space as your family grew?

A: Part of our decision to stay was because of the outrageous cost of housing in our city of Vancouver but it was also about a commitment or at least an attempt to live with less and have fewer things. Particularly after having our first baby, everyone said we had to move to a bigger space and we dug in harder refusing to move away from our walkable city life. As we have grown and added a second kid we continue to learn what we truly need to be content (it’s not much!). We never thought we would still be living here with a seven and four year old but here we are!

The kids have Kali Duo fold down wall bunk beds to save space, which can double as an art board during the day. @600sqftandababy

Kali Duo wall bunk beds folded out @600sqftandababy

K: How much are your children involved in the decision making process when it comes to minimizing and organizing? Do they have fun with it or do you see some resistance?

A: We’ve involved them from a young age. Often reminding them when they haven’t played with a toy in a long time that maybe it’s time to pass it along to another kid. Every couple of months we ask them to go into their room and choose three to five toys they don’t play with anymore to pass along to friends or donate. I also remind them when they don’t want to clean up their room that if it’s too much to clean up and take care of our things then we probably have too many. It honestly gets harder as they get older and they can compare what they have to other kids. We are not extreme minimalists but I love how our space limits our consumption of material things. It took me a long time to learn as an adult that “things” truly don’t make me happy so whenever I feel a bit of guilt about the things my kids don’t have; I remember that teaching them that experiences and relationships matter more than things is important.

K: What does your laundry routine look like? Do the kids help with washing and folding?

A: Oh laundry. We generally try to do laundry once a week barring any disasters. When we do laundry it’s a few loads at once. We use our dryer for some things and hang the rest on a drying rack in our bathtub and make sure the fan is on in the bathroom. I highly recommend putting your drying rack in the bathroom in a small space. Putting the hanging laundry anywhere else in our apartment is very much in the way. Then we pile all the clean clothes in the living room and fold it. I am starting to get the kids to help with sorting or putting the clothes away. That was a blessing of lockdown, to realize that the kids could help out more around the house.

Kid’s keepsake book @600sqftandababy

K: How do you process children’s keepsakes: schoolwork, artwork, crafts, baby mementos, etc.?

A: I don’t hold on to many mementos. I’m happier to see baby clothes and accessories passed on to friends or family and have many more lives on other’s cute babies. I take tons of pictures of my kids so I’m hopeful those memories will suffice rather than hanging onto a physical object that I don’t have room for. For artwork (and some special schoolwork) I’ve found a system I’m really happy with where I take photos of their artwork and then print out a softcover book of their artwork. This book becomes a special keepsake and a way of honoring their art whereas the actual art gets recycled and out of our space. Here’s a post about it: Kid Art in A Book: An Update

K: With the holidays coming up, how do you handle the conversation around physical gifts with friends and family?

A: Because we’ve been doing this (living small) for a while, our friends and family are pretty respectful. Most of our friends also live small so we tend to not buy each other gifts, instead buying consumables or just spending time together. But, if you are just starting out I would recommend having an honest conversation with family or friends that tend to over-gift. The best gifts are often experiences like passes to the aquarium, science world, botanical gardens, or ice cream shop gift cards. Or I’m always happy to receive things the kids need like water bottles, rain boots, sweatshirts etc., so I would let family that loves to give gifts know the things you really need (ideally from small or local shops). I wrote a letter a few years back to help get the conversation started: Starting a tough conversation about fewer gifts (I wrote a letter to help!)

Alison’s modular sofa allows for various arrangements in her living room. @600sqftandababy

Built-in storage wall for coats and outerwear @600sqftandababy

Built-in storage wall flows into the kitchen/pantry @600sqftandababy

K: How has COVID shifted your relationship with your space?

A: Hmmm... COVID has shifted everything and in some ways nothing hasn’t it? Some days I have felt suffocated by our space, the constant tidying and the noise! Other days I am so grateful for our small space that lets me stay home during the lockdown and only worry about money a little bit, instead of a lot. I worry about the winter and how we will stay safe and sane without the indoor activities we used to rely on. But I know we will find our way through it. I’ve questioned city living when we can’t hang out in coffee shops or go to restaurants and community centres with ease. But those weren’t the only reasons we live here. It’s for a walkable life, smaller carbon footprint, friends a few blocks away and the beaches and mountains. More than anything COVID has made me appreciate friendships and family. If we are all together (and healthy) even in a small space everything will be alright.