Rising land values make it difficult for the average worker to purchase an adequately sized home. This has resulted in a lot of smaller properties being sold and a market that’s saturated with sometimes extremely small real estate. This leads people to wonder: can you create a functional home even in a small space.
A Functional and Small Home
If a property is small, it doesn’t always have to mean that it’s cramped, cluttered, and lacking in space. Small spaces are almost always viewed negatively, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. Through clever utilization of many aspects of home design, from paint, material, and even types of furniture, you can make the most of your space. Below are a few tips to achieve that.
Use reflective materials to give the illusion of space. The fastest way to increase the size of the room is by using mirrors to give the illusion of depth. And it doesn’t just have to be mirrors! You can use white paint or any light colors for your wall to provide it with a light and airy feel. Other shiny materials like reflective tiles and glass furniture (provided they’re in a safe location) can also give your space the depth to make it feel bigger. Of course, placing a large mirror in your living room or other rather small areas can give it the illusion that it’s twice its size.
Sliding Doors for Less Floor Space
Here’s a simple trick that many people realize: sliding doors consume less space. Therefore, you can make your area feel even bigger. You might have to sacrifice the wall beside the door, but that would directly free up an open path for walking. Ultimately, this makes your space feel more connected and less disjointed, creating a sense of size even if it’s a cramped hallway.
Utilize Transforming Furniture
If you’re limited in space, you need to be smarter with what kind of furniture you will use. Opt for folding tables, especially ones connected to a wall and can be pulled up when not in use. Murphy beds and sofa beds also give a new dimension to a single room, allowing it to have two functionalities at once. If you’re particular about the size of your dining table and can’t avoid having a large one, consider an expanding table. These types of furniture can be shrunk down to twice their size and then expanded when necessary. Look around for such devices; there’s quite a lot of them in the market.
Mount What Can Be Wall-mounted
Use hanging or high-mounted components to fill the often-underutilized space between the tops of furniture and the ceiling of a room. Many gadgets can now be wall-mounted, from TVs to computer monitors, to speakers and other devices. It makes a lot more sense to take advantage of vertical space, especially if your living space is relatively small. This takes furniture off the ground or at least clears off space for other necessary implements. In the same way, it’s best to utilize your empty walls and use wall-mounted shelves to have vertical storage space. Prop your bookshelves and cabinets to the ceiling and enjoy the wider floor space.
There will always be available storage. Other than vertical spaces, think of empty corners and hidden nooks. Or even underneath your bed or sofa. Many storage-saving items are created with the sole intent of holding items underneath furniture like beds and sofas, so make the most out of them. If you’re lacking in closet space, this might just be the solution: a long but low plastic container underneath your bed to hold your irregularly used clothes.
Make Smart Use of All Usable Surfaces
Regardless of the size of the house, there’s most likely going to be unused space there. Instead of just letting these spaces go to waste, make smart use of them. Areas like cluttered storage rooms, unused attics, unkempt basements, ceilings, cramped corners, and others are normally jam-packed with stacked-up clutter that they’re not being maximized. You might need to hire a roofing contractor to make the most of an attic or refurbish your basement. If doing so gives you valuable, usable space, then it’s more than worth it.
Final Thoughts
Small spaces will always be a struggle, but you can make do with what little you have with the tips provided here. It’s always more about how you use your space versus what space you have. A bigger house is great and all, but you still need to be smart about it.
