You can live in a 300 square metre house and yet feel crowded. Equally, you can live in a 60 square metre flat and feel that it’s spacious and airy. The future of housing, with the population rising and more people sharing rooms and homes, requires a smarter use of space. Improperly furnishing your place, neglecting to consider space maximisation in a small house, will mean you’re living a cramped life needlessly. Instead, make absolutely sure that you’re extracting value from every square inch of space in your home by following the tips outlined below.
Paint Smart
The feel of a space differs significantly depending on how you paint the walls – and the feeling of the colours you work with. Some colours create a warm feel while others are cold, and the general idea is to use colours that feel spacious, such as white, instead of colours that actually make the room feel smaller. Dark rooms can feel gloomy and uninviting – lighter rooms feel breathable, airy and expansive in comparison.
Furnish Smart
Furniture pieces are more than just functional, in the sense that their purpose is not just to provide you with a level surface on which to eat, or a seat in which to sit. Nowadays furniture is designed to have more flexibility and adaptability built in, which means modern furniture might be the right option if you’re trying to save space.
An excellent example of space-saving furniture are wall beds – not only adaptable in saving space, but they provide a sense of modernity, and they can allow for different settings within the same small living space. Other tips for smart furnishing include:
- Arranging things appropriately. Generally speaking, you need to avoid stacking furniture in the middle of the room, which makes the space feel crowded. Have the smallest and lowest furniture in the centre of the room in order to accentuate the space around it.
- Get rid of boring or useless furniture pieces, and instead make sure that anything that’s rarely used in your home is either providing visual relief from the clutter or is an integral ornament to your home. If it’s not, it should go.
- Do not forget that you have a 3D space. Use the vertical depth of your home wisely to store more and spread your belongings throughout your space. An easy example of this is floor-to-ceiling shelving. Having more surface area to work with means you’ll have the ability to arrange places for your small items, making them easier to find.
Be Experimental
You have to be a designer to know exactly how things should look in your home – but you’re nonetheless encouraged to just experiment with your space. It’s a fun activity to spend some time moving things around, seeing what the outcome is when item A is swapped with item B, and so on. Rearranging the furniture in your house will help you see your space differently, opening up holes in the space you own that you didn’t know existed before.
See cramped or small abodes as a challenge and not a defeat, and work to make the very most of your conditions with the tips provided above.
