Not all homeowners have spacious properties where they can purchase any furniture without the challenge of cramming their space. Some homeowners have to deal with limited spaces. This means they need to be considerate and downsize their decorative elements and furniture to make the space look bigger. If you’re one of them, you need not worry. There is an ample source of help you can find within your reach.
For example, if you need help figuring out where to start, consulting professionals like Allison Smith Portland Interior Design is one way. Apart from giving you tips and advice to transform your space, they can send their team of experts to do your entire interior design for your home at a small fee. They will use strategies to maximize your living space while maintaining the desired aesthetics.
Remember that even though there are limitations and challenges, if you live in a limited space—like balancing aesthetics and function—know there’s always a solution. You can get the most out of every square meter by following the right tips. On that note, here are a few interior design tips that might be helpful for you.
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Using Multipurpose Furniture
If you live in a small home, it’s essential to make sure that every piece of furniture serves many functions to maximize your space while making it aesthetically pleasing. There are many pieces of bulky furniture that serve a singular function. And, when you have lots of furniture, it takes up too much space, leaving your home cluttered and disorganized.
Among the popular types of multipurpose furniture is furniture that doubles the storage. Some examples of these include the following:
- Storage bench with two cabinets and two drawers
- Flip-top storage bench
- Storage beds
- Sofas with storage underneath the cushions
You can also find multipurpose furniture that’s specifically built for small spaces. Some common examples include the following:
- Sofa sets that you can convert into beds
- Bed headboards that have storage space
- Dining tables that can expand or contract
- Bookcase with a fold-down table
- Floor lamp with table attached
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Keep Your Small Space Organized
Keeping your small space clean and organized can help you easily make your home look larger. Having clutter all around can close up your space and make it appear smaller. Unfortunately, many homeowners—especially those who own small homes—disregard regular cleaning and can’t decide when to throw clutter out.
Many have tried to solve this dilemma by adding less furniture and items as possible, hindering daily functionality, as they hide it under the façade of minimalism. But that isn’t always a good idea.
Instead, if you own a small space, you must put careful thought and intention into what you own and make sure that you have specific storage areas for the items in your home. This will help you avoid clutter around your house.
You can also be creative if you want to hide clutter. In this regard, you can use the following:
- Wicker storage bins
- Baskets
- Cord covers
- Kitty doors
These will not only hide clutter away but keep your room open, organized, and spacious without sacrificing items and furniture that would’ve been otherwise helpful.
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Have Accent Walls
Another interior design tip to transform your small space is to have one accent wall in your space. It brings more attention to one point of your room while giving breathing space to other areas.
Apart from having accent walls, you can also paint your door, wall, or fireplace in a different color to make it more outstanding.
You can also achieve the same result by using wallpaper. However, make sure you have a large pattern that adequately covers the accent wall since small intercut wallpaper designs can look like clutter. This can make a space feel smaller and less appealing.
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Try Using Round Shaped Furniture
Apart from furniture built explicitly for small spaces, you’d also want to try round-shaped furniture like round dining or coffee tables. Not only do these pieces of furniture take up less space, but they also create a feeling of softness. This is because they don’t have had or harsh corners to interrupt the flow of the space.
Since most people are programmed to believe that sharp corners are harmful, using round-shaped furniture is a good idea, especially if you have little kids. Apart from aesthetics, they make a room feel more comfortable and approachable.
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Paint Your Walls With Light Colors
Another interior design tip to transform your small space is painting the walls with white or any other light shade colors. Dark wall colors are not recommended in slam spaces because they absorb light and make the small room feel smaller.
Meanwhile, walls painted with light colors reflect natural light, which makes the space feel open and airy. They maximize the effect of light in your small room.
Using light colors on all your walls will make the space look expansive and seamless, as it helps your eye smoothly flow around the room. It’ll also contribute to a calm atmosphere, especially if you are using warm undertones like orange or yellow instead of overly cool ones like green and purple.
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Make Sure There’s Enough Space Between Furniture
It’s important to leave a space of about four to five centimeters between furniture instead of confining them together. Apart from increasing space breathability, this pace is crucial to help you gain enough walkways as you navigate your room.
You can also pull your couches away from the wall if your layout or space allows it. The space left between the furniture and the walls will make your space look and feel bigger.
Another option is to angle some of your furniture pieces, like the armchair, in a corner, as it helps create a sense of roominess.
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Add Mirrors And Other Reflective Surfaces
Putting mirrors in a room is one of the most significant ways to add aesthetics to your room and create an illusion to make your space appear larger than it is. Just like painting walls with white paint, a mirror helps expand a small room.
The reason behind this is that the pulsive reflection of a mirror helps increase the volume of any space or matter, which is the concept behind what makes a room seem bigger than it is. But you can only achieve this if you place the mirror strategically in your room.
One of the best places to place a mirror is on the opposite side of a window. It is because the mirror reflects the light coming from the window, making the space feel larger and balanced. This position will make the mirror look like another space and window, creating the optical illusion of an expansive space beyond the confined room.
You can also achieve the same effect by using other shiny or reflective surfaces such as marble or glass in table tops.
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Add More Lighting Elements
Small spaces often feel dark because they either have small windows or no windows at all. Thus, if your room has less natural lighting, it would be best to make up for that by adding many light sources.
You’d want to add some style by adding some appealing ceiling fixtures, which include the following:
- Pendant lights
- Chandeliers
- Elegant flush
You may also opt for table lamps and scones to create a bright and cozy atmosphere in your small space.
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Use Vertical Spaces
Having vertical elements in a small space creates the illusion of more height in the room. You can achieve this by adding vertical wall paneling, floor-to-ceiling shelving, or a single-hanging wall hanger. Alternatively, you could use horizontal elements like furniture pieces that are wider.
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Make Sure You Let In As Much Natural Light
The natural light through windows makes a room appear more open and extensive. Thus, if your small space has windows, it’s imperative to make sure that you’re not blocking natural light from coming in by using window treatments like curtains during the day.
If you’re unsure of the ideal window treatment, you’d want to go for blinds instead of curtains or shutters. These window treatments maximize the daylight entering your room, making your space feel larger and more open. They fully roll up and sit just above the window, exposing it and allowing as much light as possible to enter your room. You’d want to choose a color that complements your walls to make your space look more appealing.
Curtains may not be a great option because they bunch up at the end of the curtain rods, blocking out some light and creating a cluttered feeling, especially if they’re immediately beside the windows. Similarly, shutters only allow a small amount of light to enter the room.
Conclusion
Living in a small space can sometimes feel limiting. You may wonder about the design strategies to maximize the space and make it more aesthetic. However, following the above tips, like using multipurpose or round furniture, you can easily make your small room look more extensive and beautiful. If you don’t know where to start, consulting an interior design professional would be best.
