While we all wish we lived in a luxurious, spacious home, that’s not always the reality. With recent rising housing prices, many families are taking up smaller quarters. We’ve all felt cramped in our own homes from time to time. Maybe your closets are overflowing or you’ve stuffed too much under your bed already. If so, it’s time to learn the best ways to utilize the space you do have.
While you might not be able to add more space, you likely have more square-footage than you think. Don’t feel limited by your home. It’s time to push the limits of design to turn your place into a space-saving dream. These life-changing interior design ideas below have your small space covered.
Add Cabinets For Storage
Cabinets are a great way to save space in your kitchen, but who said they’re limited to only this room? You can use cabinets throughout your home in unexpected ways to make the most of what space you do have. From your living room to your bathrooms, stretching your cabinet real estate will come in handy when storing just about anything. Cabinets are one of the best small space design hacks that many people overlook.
The trick is to keep your cabinets looking light and out of the way. You can do this by painting them the right color. Lighter colors like white and grey give the illusion of extra space. Avoid darker colored materials that add weight and feel too big for your home. Finally, to maximize your cabinet use, look into rollout organization options so you don’t have to worry about reaching into the back corner to get what you’re looking for.
Choose Small Furniture
Yes, you might be in love with the oversized sectionals in the glossy home design magazines, but how will you fit something so large into your too-packed living room? Large furniture makes your home look cluttered. That’s the last thing you want when you’re already struggling to stretch the space you have.
To maximize the functionality of your rooms without compromising on style, look for small furniture that gets the job done. You likely don’t need an extended dining table for a family of four, and you don’t need the biggest couch you can find for your small family. Be reasonable and realistic with the furniture you choose.
Use Mirrors to Decorate
Mirrors often get a bad rep in the home design world. They’re not just for the vain-at-heart. Decorating your home with mirrors is a classic interior design trick that makes spaces seem larger. You can add a large mirror in the living room, in your bedroom, or even the kitchen. It’s the closest thing to a magic trick you can do that adds square footage to your home. The best part is it’s relatively inexpensive to find quality mirrors, and they always look chic.
Hack Your Storage
Your storage spaces might be doing more harm than good. When you’re trying to manage your entire family, it’s easy to lose track of things like closet space. However, when everything is a mess on your shelves or simply shoved away, you’re actually wasting space.
You can get the absolute most out of your storage space (closets, drawers, etc.) by investing in some containers and bins. These also make it a breeze to find things, so you’ll be glad you did some spring cleaning. It’ll surprise you how much extra space you have in these places when everything is neatly folded and put in its place.
Use Your Corners
When you have endless square footage at your disposal, it’s easy to maintain open space when furniture is separated from the wall. However, this is a whole different story when you’re hustling to keep the space you do have from feeling cramped. While it might seem intimidating to push things into the corners of your rooms, this is how you maintain the empty space within your home.
A corner desk, table, or dresser helps open the rest of your square footage. Draw the eye in these areas upward with shelving, cabinets, or vertical art. These extras will keep the space from feeling too tight, and you won’t have to worry about the room having that “closed in” effect. Once again, choose lighter colors that keep this furniture looking airy and light in your space.
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Your small space might present a unique challenge, but all hope for quality design isn’t lost. As long as you learn how to make the most of your space, you’ll create a home you love even with the limited square footage. The future is moving towards smaller houses, so you’re right on trend with your place. If you have mulitiple levels and want to utilize all the space, but having trouble accessing them, consider a star lift and get a stair lift company to install one.
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About the Author: Ashley Lipman is an award-winning writer who discovered her passion in providing creative solutions for building brands online like Best Online Cabinets. Since her first high school award in Creative Writing, she continues to deliver awesome content through various niches.
Sources: Why are House Prices so High?, Small but not tiny: Houses about 1,000 square feet are growing trend