Maximize space in your <500 sq ft condo

Having lived in a small condo myself (with a whole other person too - my husband), I can tell you first hand that maximizing space is absolutely essential to happy living. Luckily, back then, I wasn't as plant obsessed as I am now so we didn't have as many "things" that needed space, but nonetheless in under 500 sq ft, things can feel cluttered - fast.

Here are my top 5 tricks to keeping a small condo feeling airy & maximizing the space you have:

1. Utilize all closet space, efficiently. We moved into a brand new condo that, as most condos do, only offered one hanging rod that ran left to right behind two sliding doors. Great for hanging clothes - but what about all the stuff I needed folded, or shoes I didn't wear everyday? We measured the depth and length of the closet and realised two IKEA (malm?) units fit perfectly inside and so long as we both didn't need to have the sliding doors open we could easily each open and close the drawers as needed and the hanging clothes fit perfectly on top. 
2. Maximize vertical shelving. My husband is a little book-crazed, so we had lots of books that needed to be on display/easily accessible. We set up a ladder shelf beside the bed and the lower shelves replaced the surface I would have used for my charging phone at night on a nightstand and the upper shelves were home to many a book. On the same topic of vertical storage, we stored a lot of the pots and pans we didn't use often on top of the cabinets that didn't meet the ceiling (why don't cabinets meet the ceiling? It makes no sense to me)
3. Get condo sized furniture. Sure, your parent's reclining lazy boy sofa is FREE and comfy as heck, but just because you succesfully squeezed it into the moving elevator doesn't mean it belongs in a condo. If you plan on living the condo life for a while, invest in custom made or condo purposed furniture. 
4. If you have a balcony, put down balcony tiles down that match or are similar to the same shade of your indoor flooring. Visually, this will bring the eye out towards the end of the balcony instead of the end of your floor to ceiling windows which although an illusion, makes the space feel larger. 
5. Let in as much natural light as possible, condos really are a box in the sky, and when was the last time you felt like the sky was small, stuffy and cluttered? Never. Trust me and vitamin D, keep your window shades open.