Small Space Living can seem daunting, but people are doing it all over the world. There’s even TV shows about it, magazines, websites, documentaries and hundreds of books.

We haven’t read all of the books on Small Living, we’re pretty busy building a building after all, but here are our top 5 picks of inspirational reads:

📕 My Small Space: Starting Out in Style – Anna Ottum

Anna Ottum’s book is perfect for first-time buyers and renters looking for inspiration for innovative design ideas. The author, Anna Ottum, is an NYC based photographer. This means that the book includes beautiful photography. But don’t be fooled, it’s also full to the brim of tips and tricks for small living.

📗 Minimalism: Essential Essays – The Minimalists

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, better known as The Minimalists, have been writing essays about minimalism on their website for years. This book is a collection of some of those essays and covers topics such as simple living, de-cluttering, finances, and more. You can find a free PDF version of the collection here and don’t forget to check out their popular documentary, Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, on Netflix.

📘 Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces – Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

This book is written by the co-founder of apartmenttherapy.com, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, so you know he knows what he’s talking about! Full of inspiration for decorating your small space, this book focuses on basic concepts that don’t feel out of reach either skills-wise or money-wise.

📙 Insta-Style for your Living Space: Inventive ideas and quick fixes to create a stylish home – Joanna Thornhill

After flipping through this book, you’ll be dying to live in a small space. It acts as an easy to follow guide on innovative storage, budget-friendly upcycling ideas, and of course, making your home insta friendly. And Joanna knows what she’s talking about. Based in London, she’s skilled interior design, production, styling and creative direction, and more! 

📕 The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well – Meik Wiking

Denmark is known for being one of the happiest nations in the world, and lots of people put this down to hygge. Hygge doesn’t have an exact English translation (not sure what that says about us really!), but it has been described as ‘the art of creating intimacy,’ ‘the absence of annoyance,’ and more. This book may not exactly be about Small Living, but it is about living your happiest life. Which is the aim, is it not? Plus it was written by a guy who literally studies happiness for a living. 

You can buy all these books on Amazon but if you’re able to, why not see if your local book store has them? #ShopLocal