Downsizing to a smaller home is often framed as a compromise – less space, fewer things and a reduced version of what came before. But speak to people who have done it well and a different picture emerges. Without the buffer of excess space, the way you live comes into clearer focus, and the best outcome isn’t a scaled-down life but a more edited one.
Below, we've corralled words of wisdom from those who have downsized and loved it – including Nick Knowles, Alan Titchmarsh and more.
Choosing the right home
Moving into a smaller version of the home you already have can feel less like a fresh chapter and more like retracing your steps.
As Deryn Wright, who spent two decades in her family home in Kew before downsizing, put it: 'We didn’t want to feel as though we were going backwards by moving into the type of small terrace we’d lived in when we were younger.’
Those who navigate this transition successfully often have a similar mindset – not simply trading big for small, but choosing a home that offers something the previous one didn’t.
When Nick Knowles traded a four-bedroom Georgian house for a cottage in the Cotswolds, and Alan Titchmarsh moved from a Hampshire farmhouse to a bungalow in Surrey, the shift wasn’t just about size, but about a change in architecture and pace of life.
What to Read Next
'The house is wonderfully modern and completely different from the Georgian farmhouse where we were before,' Alan told us. 'It's liberating.'
Decluttering your possessions
If the logic of downsizing is simple – less space means fewer things – the reality is a bit more nuanced. Parting with those things that have formed the backdrop of your life can be tough.
When Nick Knowles downsized, he found himself letting go of 80 per cent of his possessions. ‘I gave my belongings to friends, charities and recycling,' he told us. 'It was the most cathartic thing I’ve done in years. We carry around so much stuff we don’t need.’
And when Caroline Bloor moved from her family home to a two-bedroom cottage in Kent, she turned the process into something closer to a community effort. ‘I set up a WhatsApp group for my extended family called "Caroline’s clearance sale" and took pictures of everything that needed a new home. Passing precious things on to people I knew made it easier, but I did sell some items through a local auction house and all the charity shops nearby benefited hugely.’
It’s a reminder that decluttering doesn’t have to be austere, it can be generous and unexpectedly connective.
Optimising the change
Once the decisions have been made and the boxes thinned out, the success of a smaller home tends to hinge on how well it’s planned.
In Deryn and Tim’s case, careful attention to proportion and flow made all the difference. High ceilings lift the rooms, natural light moves easily through the house – almost every space is dual aspect – and the layout has been reworked to suit how they actually live.
They chose a ‘broken-plan’ living area with pocket doors that can either extend the entertaining space or close down into something more intimate. Storage is folded in almost invisibly, from a hidden larder behind the dining table to built-in wardrobes set into what was once a stud wall.
Stylist and author Emily Henson took a more radical route after moving to a seaside bungalow. ‘After the usual scrolling on Pinterest, I was inspired to knock down all the walls and old fireplace that separated the living room and kitchen. I also knocked through the ceilings, so they are now double height and there is a mezzanine above the kitchen which is my little library/reading nook.
'Everything is open and free flowing. When my kids were little, having doors to close off rooms would’ve been more appealing, but now it is just me living here, it works for my lifestyle.’
What links these approaches is a willingness to question default layouts. In a smaller home, every wall, doorway and cupboard can contribute to a smoother way of living.
Adjusting your design approach
Downsizing should recalibrate your approach to decorating too. Whilst decor won’t physically change your space, it will contribute to how expansive it feels.
When Sophie Bateman (@sophie_b_in_sussex) moved to a cosy cottage in West Sussex, she leant into the continuity of an all-white scheme. ‘The colour palette is soft and harmonious, which we carried right through the house,' she says. 'As our home is always busy, I felt it needed to be a calm, soothing backdrop to the energy of family life.’
That visual flow helps avoid the stop-start feeling that can make smaller spaces seem more confined.
A new approach to picking furniture is just as important. For Sophie, a career spent working with antiques came into its own. Unlike much modern furniture, which often adheres to standardised dimensions, older pieces can be narrower, lower or simply better suited to the quirks of a smaller footprint.
'It took months to find the right kitchen table,' says Sophie, 'it had to be long enough for us all but narrow enough to suit the space. We eventually found the perfect one in an antique dealer’s barn near Petworth, with a pale fruitwood top and Scandinavian-style painted base.'
There’s also value in rethinking what 'proper' furniture looks like. Emily Henson took a more improvisational approach: 'One of my bedrooms is too small for a wardrobe, so I have a small clothing rail, a long wooden strip with hooks on the wall and a large basket on the floor as if it’s a shop. I used to be a visual merchandiser for Anthropologie 15 years ago, so I learned how to make clothes and homeware look good on display. It works really well.'
It’s a useful reminder that in a smaller home, flexibility often trumps convention.
Using your garden
If you downsize to a home with a garden, it can take on the role of an extra room – not in a grand, architectural sense, but in the way it extends how you live day to day.
Brendan Murdock's London home features concertina French doors that open from the living room onto the patio, blurring the line between inside and out. Once opened, the spaces merge to form a single, seamless living area.
Beyond that, there’s a question of purpose. A garden works best when it’s not just decorative, but genuinely usable. For Sophie, that meant adding a structure with a very specific role: 'It is home to my shepherd’s hut, which serves as an additional room that I use to connect with my former life as a musician, to work and to escape the bustle of family life.'
