There are people out there who are living very big and full lives in tiny homes. Sometimes when I am fighting for space in a room I often grab inspiration from those who are living in tiny spaces. To live big within tiny spaces you are forced to be creative, selective, and efficient. Sometimes it is just what you need to make that room in your home work. Here are some small space solutions you can use in any home..big or small. 1. Place bookshelves behind a sofa. If you need extra storage or a place to show off your collections and photos, a great way to save on space is placing your sofa in front of bookshelves. This also works for beds as well.
2. Give some breathing room on the walls. Sometimes choosing one special thing on a wall can make a room feel bigger. Here the homeowner use a pop of color on one wall and your eye goes directly to it. Since it is the only thing on the wall the room seems big. The graphic wall paper on the t.v. wall creates visual interest but it doesn’t seem busy because it blends into the color scheme.
3. Use fold away tables. This is the easiest way to get an eat in kitchen or extra prep space. Maybe you need a little work space in a living room but can’t fit a desk, this solution could work for you.
4. Think outside the box concerning bed placement. City living usually means kids share rooms. There are creative ways to make it more than two beds work in a space. Maybe this room can give your inspiration to free up a room in your home as an office or guest room and keep you from having to move.
5. Pick a unified color scheme. If you have a small room or just a space you want to look bigger use the same/similar color wall color and furniture. This all white space is has white-grey walls and then all furniture and fabric is white. Add color in things and you have a cozy space that looks larger than it is.
6. Paint your furniture the same color as your walls. Wait? Is this redundant? This tip is a little different than having a fully unified color scheme (walls, fabrics, furniture, trim, ect….) This is taking a bulkier piece of furniture…one that you may need for storage… and painting in the same color as your wall. This helps it blend in and not have such a huge footprint in your room.
7. Let go of the full sized sofa and embrace the loveseat. Many of the standard builder homes have small open concept living rooms and large basements. Send the large sofa or sectional down to your basement and instead create a little conversation nook with a love seat and some chairs. If your living room is all you got but it needs to multi-task, consider freeing up some square footage by using a love seat.
8. Place mirrors strategically. A mirror, in the right place, can always make a room look bigger and brighter.
9. Use your computer as your television. Face your sofa towards your desk, or make a console table serve two purposes. Pull up a chair and your at work. Sit on your sofa and watch a movie. Seriously though, with options like Netflix, Amazon Prime/Amazon Video, Hulu, Sling TV, and iTunes, all you need is your computer. Take the money you save from cable and buy yourself something nice.
10. Love lucite. Lucite gives you function while leaving a small footprint in the room. Simply seeing the floor through the coffee table makes the space feel bigger.
11. Consider round tables. Round tables have a smaller footprint but also can help a room function bigger. Simply walking around a round table is more efficient so it can make a space feel bigger. Another thing a round table can do is break up the boxiness of a space. One of the biggest mistakes I see home owners make is thinking their dining space is big enough for a large rectangular table. Then, when it gets in the room with the chairs everything… it is too crowded. Often, when you choose round you don’t have to sacrifice square footage for the same amount of seating, and it can expand for the five times a year you host a big dinner party.
12. Be a rule breaker. Making a space work for you means you have to be creative and sometimes break the design rules. In the photo above, the “rules” would say dining room table needs to be under that light fixture, but if this rule was followed then there would be no room for the seating arrangement. The table against the wall makes the space look bigger and helps the room work harder. To get what you need out of a small room or space, you often have to break some design rules…it’s okay, get rebellious.
Do you have some obstacles to overcome in a small room or small home? Hopefully this post can give you some ideas to move forward with a space that not only works for you, but you love!
