How to make your small home appear more spacious
Whether you live in a tiny cottage or a bijou flat, there are always clever ways you can create space. Here are 10 ideas to make your small home appear more spacious.
By moving around your furniture, looking at the lighting and use of mirrors in your home along with other fixtures, it is possible to create a brighter and airy feeling to your home.
Size isn’t everything, and often, it’s one thing that you can’t do anything about. So, if you want to feel more comfortable in your surroundings, here are some top tips for making the most out of the space that you have.
1) Add mirrors
Mirrors help in two ways; they can make a space look both bigger and brighter. Not only can you double up on the perception of space within your home, but you can also bring the outside world in.
Place your mirror on a wall near a window that overlooks some nice scenery such as your garden or a park, and you’ll get an even better feeling of space when the reflection brings in a view of the great outdoors.
2) Add the right furniture
You may think that a room may look bigger without any furniture in it; however, this is not always the case. With the right mixture of furniture and the right layout, it is possible that you could make a room appear more spacious.
Having an uncluttered layout that allows you to easily move around the space will help. However, it is important that you don’t add in too much furniture. The right balance will provide you with a sense of space.
3) Take advantage of any high ceilings that you have
If you live in a studio apartment that has high ceilings, you could use the space to create a loft above you. This could either be used for storage, or it could be used as a sleeping area.
If your ceilings are not high enough to create a mezzanine level, then you can take advantage of the high ceilings by using floor to ceiling bookcases or storage cupboards.
4) Build more storage areas
Any clutter around your home could make it feel as though it is disorganized and small. If you have stacks of possessions throughout your home, it can make your home feel claustrophobic and messy. But, before you declutter your home and get rid of possessions needlessly, you should consider your storage options first.
One great way of creating storage space is to add a closet under your staircase. This will let you hide away many of your possessions, leaving you home uncluttered.
Think about having floor to ceiling cupboards or units. If you are leaving items on show, such as on a bookshelf, make sure they are neatly organized as this will make your home feel tidier and more spacious.
5) Change the purpose of your rooms
Just because a room is designed for a certain purpose, it doesn’t mean that you are limited to using it in that way.
You could convert a closet into a small office. This will, in turn, free up some space elsewhere in the home while still allowing you to keep an office space.
6) Let more light in
Light can let make your home feel much bigger than it actually is. By bringing in as much natural light as possible, you will be able to make your home feel more spacious.
Of course, you may not be able to change the size of your windows; however, there are things that can be done to ensure your windows let in the maximum amount of light possible.
Instead of using curtains, think about using roller blinds or even get some plantation shutters from the Woodstock shutter company. If there is anything outside your home that is preventing light from getting in, make sure you clear this. For example, you may have trees of bushes outside of your window. If you are able to, trim these back.
Be sure and clean your windows often so that you have a clearer stream of light entering your home.
7) Use bright and warm colours
By using bright and warm colors on your walls and furniture, you will be able to make your home seem bigger and brighter.
Think about painting your walls white, beige, or even cream. You could opt to create a bit more of a dynamic effect by painting one of your walls in a different color and making a feature of it.
This should also extend to all of your furniture.
Furniture and walls that are too dark in color may leave your home feeling smaller than it actually is.
8) Play with light inside your home
By setting up different lights around your home, you can brighten the room and add height. Avoid positioning lights anywhere that they will cast a lot of shadows. You want your lights to throw as much brightness on everything around them.
Experiment in your home to see how much light you can add you to your space.
9) Use an ottoman for storage
If you want to hide things away in your living room or bedroom, one of the best ways of doing this is with an ottoman. This is an undetectable way of concealing your clutter.
It is easily accessible meaning you can get inside and get the items out when you need them – but it is also functional providing somewhere to sit too. One of the great things about ottomans is that they come in a range of different designs that will suit your home decor.
10) Hide away your clothing
Finding a way of storing all of your clothing in a way that doesn’t seem cluttered can be hard. Instead of forcing everything into your wardrobes and cupboards or having to buy additional furniture to store it all in, put all of your out of season clothing into storage boxes and keep it underneath your bed. Then, use a dust ruffle under your bed to hide the boxes so that they are out of view.
