Favorite Gadgets for a Small Home

I ran across a post on the Internet the other day listing “50 Small Things for a Small House.”

While the post was directed at young singles in the city, I think some of these things have value for small house owners as well.

Here are my favorites from the list:

  1. #4 on their list, the combo blender/food processor. I have one of these and it’s always good when you can save a little counter or cabinet space by combining your appliances.
  2. #6 on their list, the shelves disguised as books. Not sure how practical these are; small house lovers tend to be huge book fans and we have a lot of them. But these are cute.
  3. #10 on their list, the small, portable microwave. We don’t own one, but I know many people cannot live without them. This would be great in a small space.
  4. #11 on their list, the trolley mini kitchen, complete with stove top and mini fridge. This would be perfect in some tiny houses I’ve seen.
  5. #12 on their list, the kitchen bowl and spoons nesting set.

The list goes on with small dishwashers, a file hiding ottoman and even a bar-b-que grill that doubles as a planter when not in use.

The list also contains some tricks we small house dwellers already have up our sleeves, such as sofa sleepers, hideaway beds, cabinet mounted bottle openers, flat screen television mounts and shower caddies.

What is your favorite gadget on this list of 50?

 

17 Responses

  1. Linton says:

    Interesting blog! Here are some small cabins built by the Amish in Kentucky: http://www.amishcabincompany.com Energy efficient cabins made in an off-grid Amish facility that fit into the small house, green building movement, using Amish craftsmanship that is well-known for quality construction. Delivered pre-built and fully assembled. With enough of a clearing above and to the sides, they can literally be taken up the side of a mountain by dozer, and off-grid solar power options are now readily available.

  2. I’ve got an immersion blender with a bowl attachment that can handle quite a few tasks you’d normally do with a food processor or blender. You can use it as a stand-in for a hand-held mixer too. Love mine!

  3. Sheryl says:

    The shelves disguised as books is pretty cool! I can’t live without my mini-chopper, which is fabulous for chopping herbs, nuts, garlic, etc.

  4. isn’t it funny when your wedding presents turn into antiques? Or get re-born — such as our crockpot, which is now a slow cooker.

    • Kerri says:

      Yes, I had to laugh the first time I saw our nesting mixing bowls in an antique store. 🙂 They’re worth some money, too, so now I feel bad about continuing to use them. 🙂

  5. I love collapsable colanders!

  6. Alisa Bowman says:

    I do see a lot of appliances that only do one thing. Like in the store yesterday a cake pop maker was selling next to a donut maker which was next to a cup cake maker. I was thinking: if just one of these gadgets made all three — and waffles–I just might get it. But just one? Not enough space.

  7. Alexandra says:

    We have a small microwave in the pantry. My daughter used to own the microwave. I didn’t want one, and certainly did not want one in a kitchen that was supposed to date back to the 1700s, right there, on the counter. If the microwave breaks, I will need to get another small one. Glad to know they are still available for sale.

  8. I have nesting spoons and bowls and I like them a lot for easy storage.