While we all dream of gorgeous open floor plans and never ending hallways, sometimes those things aren’t a reality. Maybe you live in a big city and space is limited, maybe you share a home with many people, maybe your dream home is just a tad bit smaller than you imagined. There are plenty of reasons why you might be short on space, but luckily there are also plenty of ways to fix that problem with resourceful thinking.
Step 1 – Cut the clutter
Go through your belongings and be ruthless. If you haven’t used it in a long time and it doesn’t hold any sentimental value then it’s time to sell, donate or recycle it. It can be difficult to go through your own things and make practical decisions sometimes. Consider inviting a friend over to help you go through everything. Having an outside opinion can make a big difference when it comes time to let go.
Step 2 – Choose Function
Make sure the things you decide to keep in the room will always serve a useful purpose, if it can serve more than one purpose, even better. Look for appliances that serve double duty such as a toaster oven or a blender that can also work as a food processor. Transform your headboard into a functional bookshelf. Purchase an ottoman that also serves as a storage space or recycle an old trunk you can keep blankets in into your coffee table.
Step 3 – Evaluate Furniture
Shoot for furniture that is compact, functional and few. Purchase a flat screen TV that can be mounted on the wall to save floor space. Choose a love seat over a long space sucking sectional. Keep few pieces in each room and make sure each piece really counts. If you don’t love it and it doesn’t seem like a perfect fit for the room, then keep looking.
Step 4 – Feng Shui
Look at what you have remaining in your space and try every possible combination. As much as you may try to imagine what the room looks like rearranged, you never know until you try it. You may be surprised by how a small furniture move can create the illusion of a much bigger space. In extreme situations you can even consider a remodel of the space such as taking out a half wall or combining two rooms into one.Step 5 – Sneaky Storage
Find storage in the most unusual places and use it to your advantage. Space under the bed? Use it. Space under the coffee table? Use it. Space under the stairs? Use it. High cabinets close to the ceiling? Use them. Anywhere you can find or create storage, do so. The less clutter you have in sight the bigger your room will look.
Step 6 – Accents that Enhance
Paint, light and mirrors do wonders for a small space. Always paint small rooms in bright colors. Mirrors strategically placed can make a room seem larger. Make sure you are putting your mirror in front of something appealing to look at though or you may be making it worse. Use curtains and wall hangings with vertical to accent the size of your space. Keep wall hangings slightly higher than eye level to give the illusion of a larger room. Diagonal floor patterns can create the illusion of a wider room.
Small spaces are not problem spaces, they are just creative challenge spaces. With hard work, creative effort and a little trial and error you can turn your small space into a your favorite place in no time. Enjoy the challenge and share photos of your small space make over with us when you are done.