Guest Blogger: How to Make the Best Use of your Small Space

Guest Blogger #503, Entry #1152, May 6, 2012

Sometimes, you can’t choose where you live. Perhaps we’d all like to live in an idyllic suburbia like Vale, but sometimes it just cannot be. Whether it’s because of financial issues, a lack of availability, or just plain bad luck, you might end up having to live in small quarters. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing; there are ways to making a room seem bigger than it is.

Make the best use of your small space

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Consider your colours

Light and bright colours are more likely to make a room look bigger than dark colours. Light-coloured walls open a room up, making it more reflective and airy. Cream- or pastel-coloured walls work wonders on small rooms and goes well with natural light.

Furniture choices

Furniture is, of course, important in any room, but it can take up a lot of space. To minimise this problem, try getting multi-purpose furniture. Some examples of these are chairs or stools that have hidden compartments to store magazines or nick-knacks, a chest that can double as a coffee table, sofa beds, and extendable tables that have extra end bits, which can be folded away when not in use.

Rearrange couch and tables to maximize space

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Add in some reflections

Mirrors are good at creating the illusion of depth. They also reflect light to make a room seem larger and brighter. You could utilise mirrors by simply hanging one on the wall, or for a more subtle effect, have a display cabinet with a mirrored back, or a cabinet with mirrored doors.

Rearrange the couch and tables

You can also organise your furniture to help lend the illusion of a bigger room. If you set your couch at an angle rather than against a wall, the diagonal line will draw people’s eyes along the longer line extending diagonally across the room, rather than the shorter one along the wall.

Also, make sure that your furniture fits nicely into the room and doesn’t make the space seem cramped. Oversized sofas and chairs will more often than not get in the way of a small room; make sure your furniture isn’t blocking any pathways, and that there is enough clear floor space.

Bring in as much light as possible

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Lighting

Good lighting can also make a room seem larger, particularly natural lighting. If you have large windows, don’t hide them behind curtains; keep them wide open whenever possible, as it creates an illusion of the room extending to the outside.

If you must use indoor lighting, try and avoid tall standing lamps, as they will create more unnecessary clutter in the room. Stick to ceiling lights, or small coffee table lamps, as they take up less space, but do the job just as well.

Sarah Paige is an interior expert who’s used some helpful space-saving tips to make her small Vale home look larger and more spacious.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.