Many of you can relate to living in a house with small rooms. How can we make make small space look bigger?
Today we are going to talk about how you can visually expand the look of your space even though it’s really small.
Mirrors
Mirrors can be the very first thing that we can consider to make small home space look bigger
Put big mirrors on your wall. For example, if you have blank wall and you have no idea what to do with it, place a big mirror there or your dining wall, or behind a sofa.
If you have a tight budget, as you know big mirrors are quite expensive, buy small mirrors and install them in a collage. Visually it looks like a big piece but in reality they are just inexpensive bunch of mirrors.
Curtain
This is important since I see a lot of people install their curtains incorrectly.
Usually what people do when installing curtains is they install the rod right at the top of the window. The curtains are all squashed in with the window frame.
To make your space look bigger make your curtains wider and higher than your actual window. Make your rod wider extending it outside the window frame by 12-15 inches.
If you have an average ceiling height, make your curtains from floor to ceiling. But if you have a very high ceiling, at least extend the curtain 12 inches above the window frame.
Visually, it makes the space looks bigger. It will make your window look bigger as well. The space will look brighter if you installed curtains this way. However, the issue with this, the curtains are available ready-made and they are not that long. So when you install your curtain higher it will not reach the floor.
So you will need custom-made curtains. If you already have a curtain and don’t want to buy a new one, since you already love the one you have, what you should do is look for a fabric that complements your curtain.
For example, your curtains is cream with green geometric lines then you can look for a plain dark green and extend your curtain at the bottom.
If your curtains lacks 10 inches, then you’ll have 10 inches band and it will look like an intentional design.
Choosing Furniture
When it comes to choosing furniture, what I notice is if people have small space they buy really petite and small pieces like a sofa that your thigh can barely fit into.
Because it’s that narrow the issue with that is, yes you have a sofa, but you can’t fully enjoy it because it’s uncomfortable. The important thing is need a normal size looking furniture to comfortably use it.
For example, if you have studio and you want to buy a sofa, instead of buying a 3-seater, get a 2 seater version. It’s still deep and comfortable like a normal sofa, and it’s a just 2 seater since a regular 3 seater won’t fit. But it’s a comfortable place to sit. The important thing is the proportionality of the furniture to your space.
Buy a normal size furniture not just oversized to not overwhelm your small space. Please read our post about Furniture Buying.
Cabinets and Closets
Speaking of furniture, all of us have cabinet and closets that’s really big and bulky.
Paint it or choose a color that is closest to your wall color. If you have white walls, buy a closet that is white or have your existing cabinet painted white. If you have a navy blue or dark walls paint your cabinet a dark color as well. That way, your big pieces of furniture will just blend in.
Your closet will look like it’s just part of your wall. By doing that it will make your space look bigger, even in reality, that closet is just taking up the same floor space.
So, for bulky furniture, paint it the same color as your walls.
Storage
Next is storage since that is the biggest problem in a small space. Correct choice of storage can make small home space look bigger
What can we do to maximize storage in a small space. First of all, get rid of excess stuff.
If you have a small space, even if you put a lot of storage, it will still look cluttered and tight due to excessive amount of stuff. So if it isn’t needed and you haven’t used them in a year, donate them or get rid of them. It’s important that our house looks fresh and bright and it feels good to go home to a nice and clutter-free home.
So let’s get rid of unnecessary stuff !
If you have peg boards you can also use those for storage and you can organize them nicely.
Another option is, the doors of your cabinet. You can store a lot of things there, like accessories, jewellery etc.
For the bathroom, you can buy those storage, that you can hang on the door. you can put your toiletries there, if you have a small bathroom and you don’t have much storage.
Also, underneath the furniture…
So for the bed the one with built in drawers are nice. But if you already have a bed without one, you can still store a lot of things under there. Just get some storage bins.
Also use multi-purpose furniture like Coffee table with shelf. It’s better if you can get your hands on a table that has drawers or it can be a storage chest.
Some dining table have drawers as well there’s a lot of furniture that has additional storage. You can buy these instead of the normal one so you can maximize your small space in terms of space planning
Other Options
One option, if you are having some renovation, is to elevate your floor. When you elevate one portion of your space the bottom area you can use as a pull-out bed. Can you imagine if you have your bed there when it’s all closed off at day time, it would make everything more spacious.
But if you don’t want your bed in there, it’s totally fine. when you elevate your floors, you can use all that space for storage. You can store a lot of items by just elevating one portion of your unit, that’s the first option.
If you’re not doing any construction, there are ways to maximize the storage of a small space by utilizing your walls.
Don’t forget the vertical space since the floor space is very limited. So we can’t do anything with that but maximize your walls. Hang cabinets, shelves, or hooks that is still pleasant to look at. There are a lot of things you can store on your walls.
Conclusion
If you have a small space you need to prioritize. If you live in a studio unit, and only available space is for a bedroom and just one area for living or dining, think of what’s more important for you. Do you have a lounge area for living or a decent dining space? You can actually do both if your priority is a lounge or living area. Have a sofa there, and choose a table that is convertible for dining.
But if your priority is to have a decent dining area, what you need to do is put a bench seating with pillows to have a lounge look. But the dining space is still the main focus.
If your priority is dining and living, and not the bed, just get a daybed that can convert or used as a sofa. Just prioritize your space. Don’t try to fit everything full size.
Because one space can be transformed, dining can be a living space and vice versa, it will all depend on the furniture choices.
So that’s the basic ideas on how to maximize your space. Hope this post help you in maximize your storage, optimize your furniture placement and how you can visually make your space feel spacious.
All the best on your home decoration project!