Having a compact home needn’t mean feeling cramped. With a few clever tricks (and some not-so-clever ones), you can make even the most modest living space feel as though it provides room to breathe.
Let’s take a look at a few winning ways to extract the absolute maximum from even the smallest space in your home.
Let there be light
Your best friend when it comes to creating the illusion of space is light, and ideally natural light. The bigger your windows are, and the greater the ratio between glass and frame, the better. You can deflect and distribute the flow of natural light with the help of a few judiciously-placed mirrors. If you need wardrobe space at the same time, this might mean installing full-length mirrors on the doors.
Artificial light can play an important role, too. Use a combination of downlights, desk lamps and freestanding lights, too. That way, you’ll get light into every available corner, and soften the shadows. This can remove the feeling of dinginess that you get when all the light is coming from a single source.
Photo by Joel Henry on Unsplash
Optimising Storage
The more space you have available to store your possessions, the less clutter you’ll have in your living space. You’d be amazed at how much roomier a space can feel when all the surfaces are clear. You might even find that cleaning the space is much easier, too.
By installing fitted features such as wardrobes and shelving you can make the most out of awkward spaces that would otherwise go unused. If you choose to save some cash and install these yourself, you’re going to want to have measured correctly and used a scriber to ensure it all fits properly.
Keeping it minimal
On a related note, there’s a lot to be said for the less-is-more approach when it comes to furnishing and decoration. Blank walls painted in neutral colours tend to offer less visual information than densely patterned wallpaper, which can easily overwhelm the eye in a smaller space. When it comes to furnishing, it tends to be better to favour a few larger items than many smaller ones. A large rug will help to keep the space focused while helping to reduce the perceived size of everything else.
Use open wall space
An entirely blank wall can seem a little bit shapeless – but placing a few choice hanging decorations can really help to create a sense of size and scale. Go for a selection of smaller pictures, no larger than A4, rather than going for larger paintings. In certain spaces, like hallways, you might prefer to put up sentimental pictures and photographs. After all, you’re going to be walking past them often.