5 Essential Products for Small Homes 

Literally use my oven every day.... and I'd rather use it then have a toaster, toaster oven or bread maker or "insert appliance here" sitting on my countertop and/or having to lug it around everytime we move. And pre-pandemic I may have agreed with you but now I really appreciate having an integrated and full sized oven and stove top to cook home made meals which are far more nutritious and healthy than eating out all the time (when that's an option).

I never understand peoples aversion to doing the dishes. If you’re in a small apartment you probably don’t have many dishes anyway. Clean as you go when there’s a break in the cooking and the rest at the end will take less than a few minutes. It can be made even easier if you treat yourself to one of those sponges that integrate the soap into the handle. Game changer.

As much as I love our IKEA daybed for our guest room I would never recommend it for extensive use to anyone, let alone as an alternative to an actual bed. While it has slats, the mattresses are way too thin for long-term use. We’ve had to use it during covid in order to quarantine within the same household and after 2 consecutive nights it was a nightmare. You can definitely feel that your body has been crushed against the wooden slats the morning after. The only option is to get a better thick mattress and use it as a single bed, which might not work for some. A foldable bed with a proper mattress and multi-use as the one shown is worth saving up for imo.

I recommend a toaster oven. It's small, it's a great way to cook foods that are too large to fit in a traditional bread toaster, and it offers some of the same cooking methods that an oven provides such as broiling. If I knew toaster ovens were a thing ages ago, I would never be using a normal toaster.

I live in an apartment that has no oven and no dishwasher. My partner and I were just talking about getting a countertop dishwasher and something to use as an oven - love the air fryer idea. Our new kitten loves my recycling so thank you for the cupboard bins that was an added bonus!!!

Personally can't belive you use your oven so less, For my family and me its almost in daily use starting from a bread for breakfast, some vegtables for lunch or a lasanga or similar for dinner. Also the occasional baking for Sunday or Events. So while an air fryer sounds good its not an option. But the Beds are are great tip :D

One of the things I like about smaller appliances is that when they are unplugged they are not pulling a dead draw electricity like the 220 outlets for traditional stoves. I have used a toaster oven for years. I bake in it, including 12" pizzas.

1. Daytime beds often use not so good mattresses. It's better, than transforming sofa, but still not so good as regular bed. And what's even worse - I think they not a great replacement for actual sofa. 2. In Japan there is a better alternative, than air fryer - they have little ovens, slightly larger than microwave, that can fit regular oven tray, or a skillet with frittata or something. Anyway, if you want more space it's more likely to get 2-top induction instead of 4

I placed my desk at the edge of the bed and my monitor on a swivel table. That way we can just swivel it and watch a movie in bed. I also got amazing bookshelf speakers. So now I have a brilliant work from home and tv setup in one

It’s not just Asian mums who don’t like rubbish in the house, mine hated it too and I’ve got into the habit of taking the rubbish out everyday. Because of this, i don’t own any rubbish bins. I use my oven fairly frequently, I can cook a whole dinner in it the meat, baked / roast potatoes, other roasted vegetables, Yorkshire puddings to desert Apple pie, etc. I do have an air fryer and use it a little more than the oven. I wouldn’t like to try to cook a ready meal in its plastic tray in the air fryer. Give it a go and let me know how it goes. I loathe dishwashing and love my dishwasher more than any of my other appliances. If i didn’t have one, I’d probably be living off take out, ready meals and sandwiches 😂

We ditched the full size oven. We (just two of us) are renting and the kitchen is set up, with a gap in the run of counter top, for the tenant to fit in their own oven. We decided to bridge the gap with a cut-off piece of counter top, then fitted open shelves in the space below. The shelves house a portable halogen oven, a portable plug in single ring halogen hob, cutting boards, lap trays and extra wire racks for the halogen cooker. All easily accessible for every day use. We also have a very functional Kallax unit in the kitchen ;-) home to all our other things we need regular access to. Microwave, toaster, fruit and veg baskets, cereals, coffee machine. Thank you for the video. Some great points to think about.

Long ago, I settled on futons. I am usually limited to apartment size and moving costs as well as help in moving, so I needed something with a minimal footprint while also being something I can manage by myself. So I opted for a wooden full-size futon. It's simple to disassemble for moving, can be transported in a car, can be set up as a sofa, and can be pulled out into a 2-occupant bed when necessary. I'm now of an age and living in the Covid Era where I no longer have overnight guests, whether platonic visitors or romantic encounters, so it's entirely my choice which way the futon is standardly set up: bed or sofa. The best thing is that they're not 'precious'; they're pretty basic in appearance, inexpensive to acquire secondhand, so if you relocate a long distance, you can sell/donate the old one and get a replacement in the new location. I do like to bake; I'm also a big fan of roast turkey (I could live on them all year every year). But I'm contemplating building a tiny house, and having an oven-alternative and induction cooking are things still in the mix of consideration for me. I'm currently trying out a multicooker (a Zavor, not an InstaPot) and whether I want to give up my ginormous crockpot. I recently downsized my Zojirushi rice cooker and need to sort out whether it could replace some of these appliances. I've also been trying out multi-function microwave ovens (a convection-cooking one previously and a 'grilling' one with heating element currently) but haven't found the best combo MW as yet. I mainly see dishwashers as having only one real use: sterilizing things. Seriously, I enjoy the meditative practice of washing dishes. I usually put things in to soak overnight, then wash things in the morning, which starts my day off with a sense of accomplishment. I just don't see me wanting to buy and install a dishwasher. I prefer a much larger trash bin in the kitchen, but I could change for the cabinet door mounted ones you show in your video. I like the efficiency and versatility of them as well as the reclaiming of floor space! Again, trying something similar currently with monitor/flatscreen integration now. I've been putting it off, but I have to switch out my plasma flatscreen with a Smart TV flatscreen and connect up my Roku with it. I already cancelled my cable service, so need to finish setting up internet access to the new flatscreen. I'll next decide on content subscriptions (maybe try serial short-term subscribing or sharing subscriptions with others).

Hongkonger here. Changing bin bags frequently might be an Asian thing, in my home, we change out bin bags (2 small bins) twice a day, after lunch and after dinner. No food scraps stay overnight.

Hi Daniel have you ever considered the Scandinavian way of having a drying rack and cabinet combined where the draining is over the draining board for the kitchen sink.

I tried your bed design but instead of drawers I used four 1x4 KALLAX shelves on their sides. This kept the bed relatively low to the ground while opening up 4 'rows' of storage, in which I use IKEA's seagrass-weave baskets (tied together using the twine that the baskets come with, so pulling the first in the row pulls out all those behind it) for ease of access and for good looks. I love it and never would have thought of it if not for your original DIY design.

Kitchen gadgets are always a problem, that's why, before I buy stuffs I think I need, I make sure I have enough space to store them in. I have been thinking about getting a countertop dishwasher, and changing my old small oven into a 2in1 convection oven/microwave, which saves time on reheating food. I also knew people who owns smaller washing machines, that fit in the bathroom, and could be attached only through the water source/faucet and drains into the bathtub. But only if one has enough bathroom space. I have been living in my 20sqm room for almost 3 years now, and I say it is quite difficult to organise things around, and deciding on which storage or furniture to get without compromising the space. I love this kind of content, I hope you make some more in the future.

If my kitchen space was severely limited, I would get a couple of portable induction plates and a convection countertop oven, like the one briefly shown in the video (which is essentially an air fryer, but much more practical, IMHO). I agree with your criticism of standard range ovens as being little used - I rarely use mine. Rather, I have a Breville countertop oven and I use it most everyday.

Choosing a dishwasher over a conventional oven is definitely coming from someone who doesn’t use the kitchen much. That said, having more options available for a variety of cooking lifestyles these days is definitely helpful. My city friends who have many choices of restaurants and cafes within walking distance means they are far more inclined not to cook; having a full-scale kitchen isn’t necessary. Non-cookers are indifferent to working kitchens in the same way that I have no use for setting up my bathroom for makeup and hair care.

In my country toaster ovens with build in hot plates are very popular for renters. They are small, offer the same advantages as a regular oven but they are cheap and easy to move around. There are also typical ovens on the smaller side that can fit in smaller areas. I feel like these options are more popular in Europe rather than in the USA.

Just a small thing regarding the ovens - my 20 years old oven has air circulation built in, so it's also not keeping the hot air at the top constantly. But for someone who does not use an oven that much, replacing it with storage space is definitely a good idea.

Must say the ikea sofa/bed we got was a great choice for our guest room. Doubles as a chill out room when there are no guests!

Ikea has stackable single beds, which can be laid side by side to form a king bed. I use these in my home office. Triples as a couch, single bed for 1 person or King bed for a couple when we have guests.

We loved using shikibuton mattresses and tatami mats that can be folded and put away, inspired by our time in Japan!

Love this content, great production value as usual!

I have the same system from brabantia for my kitchen garbage situation but my version I screwed th 6l bin for kitchen waste and the 12l bin for general rubbish. I live alone so it's much easier to clear out both the bins without taxing the actual door under the sink. Still have tonnes of spaces for other stuffs under the sink. Also I wash my dishes. I hate dishwashers with a passion. I do have a washing machine though. 😆 Lastly I have the tefal air fryer that doubles up as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker and even works as a sou vides (sp). I'm very impressed with it...

A tip for day beds: put the mattresses in a duvet case. You won't be sleeping on the bare mattress but you don't have to put sheets on and off; just open them like a book.

YESSSS! I love those bins! I have them in white. I didn't know about independent hinge, but will be purchasing it after this video. I use the smallest for the trash & medium one for recyclables. I too prefer to throw out trash frequently throughout my apartment.

2. There are air fryer toaster oven combos. My breville air is able to fit even very large Dutch ovens. I agree on ovens taking up way too much space and cook tops being a better alternative. Instant Pots are also incredibly versatile.

I use my oven pretty much everyday but if I ever move into my dream tiny home the air fryer and portable induction hot plate will definitely be my cooking solution.

6:15 Or, you could get a convection microwave oven. Panasonic make great ones 🙂.

Thanks for the video! I would also suggest considering multifunctional devices to cut down on the number of distinct devices and save space e.g. a countertop convection oven with steam and air frying function like the Panasonic Cubie. Or a pressure cooker with sautéing and air frying and sous vide capabilities like the Ninja Foodi multi cooker.

In Poland we have always had a small waste bin under the sink. Now due to recycling stuff going around, we need to have more of it. Solution to this is drawer with built-in waste bins. Small one for food and plant waste and for "mixed" waste. It can get smelly quickly, so it must be dumped daily, in summer even twice a day. For glass there's no container, because we're using so little that there's no need for that.

Well the oven has two good functions. 1. for cooking. 2. storage unit in an asian family. 😂 My parents even use the dishwasher as storage!

Hi Daniel, just wanted to say how much I love your videos. I’ve been binge watching them for the past few days. Big fan!

I agree with all of these suggestions. I rarely (never) use my oven but the city requires it to issue a certificate of occupancy. I have the smallest built oven I could find and a two burner induction cooktop (which I use all the time). I have a small air fryer/ convection oven that I prefer to use and I eliminated the need for a microwave. I also have a instant pot that I use. I had a 18” dishwasher but currently have a 24” dishwasher. I would love to replace it with a countertop under the sink.

I live in a small space too, around 20sqm. For waste management, I noticed that combining wet and dry trash makes it smell more, so all "wet" trash goes to a small bin beside the sink, and the dry ones are in the regular bigger bin by the door in a cabinet. I also agree with foregoing the tv. I don't watch tv that much anymore, and just stream or watch RU-vid (live stream news) for my regular stuff. My monitor doubles as a tv, but I don't have a firestick, and that works for me. I had an airfryer, tried it twice, and I figured I don't think I'll be using it as often as I would so I gave it to my mom :P Currently in the process of changing my bed to something smaller and modular, and yes, that ikea sofabed is in my list.

I love my air fryer very much. It works amazing. I cook half of the food I eat in it. It's fast and convenient. Turn it on, set the timer and then I workout.

For the oven / air fryer solution, highly suggest the Brava Smart Oven. It’s able to cook at different temperatures on the same tray via UV light. So steak and potatoes in just a few minutes, with one cooking dish to wash.

We use my husband's extra large work monitor as a TV, he has a sleeper couch in his office and we use that for watching TV. I have planned to get a day bed for our guest bedroom/ my office as it will be more useful for us on a daily basis.

Such a helpful video! Thanks for pulling all these together. Never knew countertop dishwashers existed!

Great timing!!! Tell me why as I am looking for things to get for my apartment this works out so well! Thank you!!!

Ovens can be a great place to store stuff for those who don’t use their oven but can’t/don’t want to remove it. We love our air fryer. We also use our toaster oven daily. We have a large kitchen but I don’t like to waste energy heating the whole oven for something small.

You gave fantastic ideas! I'm buying the bins and countertop dishwasher, thank you so much for this kind of videos!

You can always use your oven to store all baking and cooking trays plus chopping boards etc.

We built a new kitchen in our house 4 years ago and didn't put an oven or hob in. We have a multifunction microwave so I do all our cooking and baking in that. It roasts a chicken in 35 minutes so who needs a full size oven!!?!?!? We have two of the IKEA induction hobs though most of the time we just use one, the other is unplugged and out of sight. We have an IKEA Bekvam trolley that we put the hob on to use it as we don't have an extractor fan either!! However, we did leave a 60cm gap so when we sell our house any new owners can easily install a hob or cooker. I love having the extra counter space! I also have the same bin... 🤣

The bin idea is so smart! Thank you Daniel!

I use my air fryer daily and hardly use my oven. It’s more for heating up pizza as it’s too big my air fryer and to bake Eid cookies like once per year.

Im actually considering a wall bed. It’s a hefty price but the amount of space I’ll save on my 338sqft studio would be amazing 😭😭😭

I recently had to rent a furnished apartment for 2 months while ours was being renovated, it had one of those half size dishwashers and I found it useless for a family of 3. I would have much rather had the storage space that it was taking up. I will definitely look into your bin solution👍😁

i had a countertop dishwasher that i just attached to the sink.i didn't have to add water or hook it up to the main water lines. Every time I used it i attached it to the faucet and when i was done i just unhooked it. It took like 2 seconds. It was a really nice size for a single person and cost about $300. It was a real game changer. When it released the water it would fill the sink so I just used a water stopper to keep the water in the sink and used that to soak my next load of dishes so I waste less water. It was never enough water to overflow. The one I had was by Farberware. I also had a compact washer and dryer which was great for my apartment since it was a huge pain to go to the laundrymat. It really helped during covid. The combined cost of both was $700. The one I had was made by Panda.

A big drawback of daybeds is that I really don't like my bed -- which is my sanctuary of personal space -- to be used as a couch. Especially when used by people who are not me. My bed is a place where no one has any business being, besides me and my wife. Add to that, that sitting on my bed with dirty clothes, eating snacks and what not, is a big no-no. I understand the efficiency and practical use of a daybed, but for me it's out of the question.

air fryer and portable induction hob along with the usual kettle & toaster - that's all i use

I love these types of videos

bough and air fryer and a rice cooker a bit over a year ago and they've been amazing investments. I use the air fryer every day and the rice cooker almost just as frequently, either for rice or for cooking fish, stews and sometimes even to bake bread! I have an oven too, but id have to wash more dishes if I used the oven for everything haha

Great stuff!

Tabletop combined oven/microwave is also a nice solution: way smaller than conventional oven, but offering the same functionalities, they are 20% bigger than a microwave maybe and you can still roast a whole 2kg chicken or a 32cm diameter pie. I tend to think it is more a Japanese appliance, but I find it very convenient. TV are *BAD* monitors: too much glare, it would kill your eyes.

Air fryer and portable induction hob would save me a LOT of space. I often find myself using my cooktop as a bench (turned off at the wall). Being able to hang my cooktop on the wall or put away when not in use sounds very attractive...

Also with air fryers the use of silicon inserts saves on the mess

I wake up every morning and bake my own break. Seriously each and every morning. So the oven is definitely gonna stay.

I need those bins! I t has been the bane of my life since I moved into my apartment 7 years ago!

Great, useful video!

This is a really nice video, it just makes me so happy to watch it! I'm appreciating my tiny oven and I appreciate that the sponsorship is so subtle and well integrated into the content, and not forced but an actual interesting thing. And the esthetics of the house are great!

I have a countertop convection microwave oven and for a time, I used a portable induction hob. I once had a very small dishwasher. I wish I still had it!

Air fryer is made out of plastic. Releases toxic fumes. Sharper image is made out of glass and metal. Much safer! I use family or friends ovens for Holiday cooking!

Steam oven can be very small and it is way more efficient and eco friendly than frying or oven. The best thing is that it reduces grease, as you are removing the water part of the grease equation. The Brabantia bins are a great solution and I can imagine installing these right now. Super renter friendly as I would not imagine any landlord being too fussed with the inside of a cupboard having a couple of screw holes

This is insanely good planning/advice

Not sure if anyone will see this, but atleast Candy makes an oven with a smaller dishwasher and cooktop all combined. Mine has been working great for a few years already.

I use a computer monitor and a 3rd gen Chromecast dongle hooked up to a all in one audio system and whenever I'm sitting in my bed I turned the monitor to fix my bed and then turn it towards my chair which I can view sitting down or even in the kitchen. Of course I live in a small studio apartment and I could turn it the other way if I had a couch.

One idea to mention, I have my desk on wheels, so I wheel over my giant monitor to my couchbed to watch movies and play games.

I have thought about living in smaller spaces and for a kitchen you need a smart pot (idk how to say this in english) and a small countertop oven. With those 2 things you can cook everything

Id love to see an overview of your projector/audio solution!

There are a ton of induction cooktops and convection oven toaster/microwave combinations available now days that are not too expensive. Personally I think the small kitchen I have is poorly designed with full sized appliances when a much better use of space can be had with modern and more energy saving tech. I would also think that most small apartments/studios will not have a lot of cupboard space unless they are modern designs.

Funny because I don’t really need a toaster and my fridge is huge but I definitely need my oven. I love bread, baked chicken, lasagna, I can’t live without it. I wish I could take out my stupid dishwasher, we don’t use it and it’s huge, old too. I also wish our microwave was inside a cabinet or off our counter, not that I don’t have space…I just freaking hate it. I just need to reorganize and declutter the kitchen.

The link for the Barbantia garbage can does not seem to have the bracket. I am in Canada like you. Are they still available ??? Thanks

I ditched my oven, but because I use my microwave to heat up food frequently, or a cup of water for tea, mine has triple responsibility. It’s my cooktop hood, microwave, and convection oven. I’ve roasted and baked in it. It was the best solution for me.

Murphys bed are great options to turn guest bedrooms into a multi use room for when you dont have guests saying

I guess it depends on your family and habits, I use my oven nearly every day. Of course, I'm in the UK, and my oven is not the gigantic monstrous huge thing like the one I had in the US. And it's already a convection oven can cook the same lower fat way as an air fryer.

My dad absolutely HATE dishwashers, so i grew up without one because he said it was like a family event when we all did the dishes together after eating, he has had dishwashers in most homes he has lived in just to fill the empty hole in the kitchen meant for it, but it has never been hooked up xD

lol i use my oven every day. its so much easier to cook your dinner in than a stove because you can just put the food in there and walk away. while my food cooks I can clean, work, hang out with my cats, take a shower, what ever I need to do. I've never owned an air fryer or a toaster oven. These have always seemed like a waste to me.

Looking at a bin solution but don't like most of them require touching it as opposed to floor pedal.

I use an air fryer oven because i have a family of 6. It's a little bigger than a microwave and you can air fry, bake, etc in one appliance. Its quicker and easier to manage than an oven. It stays on my counter in the corner. Then i use my oven for pan and pot storage and if i want to make a huge meal i can still use it.

I have the bins! They don't quite fit in _any_ cupboard though. I didn't measure and ended up having to mount them elsewehere.

Where did you get or print that Vancouver map from. I've been looking for a clean looking map. Please let me know Daniel.

Plz make these kinds of videos like minimalist ideas and gadget love to watch them

The idea of portable convection stoves and air frier as your only cooking option is REALLY depressing. I'm sincerely thankful I've never been so bad to reduce myself like that.

Link to the bin please

I think if you work from home the Monitor is a must. Using just laptop can make you spine and neck looks worse because you constantly look down ("computer neck"). But better to ask some professional about this. I think it's bad idea to sacrifice with good monitor, stable table and good chair.

this video is so enlightening. the dish washer is a genius.

I live in a 39 ft RV. My couch is a love seat. My bedroom is basically all bed. 6" of counter space in front of my sink. Most turkeys are bigger than my oven. My pantry is only a few inches deep. What do you have for me??

Where’d you get your alarm? Thanks.

I have a family of 4... So I use my oven almost every day. I also use the air fryer and the Steamer every day lol

be careful with that ikea step stool. it has a design flaw that can cause it to collapse when standing on the lower step. that step is basically just attached with two dowels on each side.

11:45 This layout is exactly what I am planning for my garage conversion. Could you provide your dimensions or better yet floorplan?

9:37 have the lids open at the same time the cabinet is opened?

As an owner of a “too small” oven with minimal workspace for things like air fryers or multi-cookers, I can tell you it is a painful experience!

my mom is the same way re: small rubbish bin that gets changed often (using grocery store bags, generally)

0:10 where can we find this adjustable table?

I expected advertising, but these ideas are really well thought out. Nice video!

how do you only use the oven once a week?? eating out a lot? we use it almost every evening for dinner

Where can I buy the cabinet trash cans? Did I miss a link??