Everyone of us do not have the privilege of big houses, almost 60 percent of the population lives in medium sized and small apartments around the world. Small apartments might lack in those extra spaces that you can use for your leisure but small apartments can be very cozy and if used and decorated smartly you will be amazed to see how these spaces would turn out to be.
The small spaces hide a lot of extra storage areas with them that we generally ignore or not use. Or we generally do not waste space in decoration of the small spaces because we think we will use them in storing our stuff. So, let us see some ways that we use to make our small apartment feel large and clutter free and how we can design it effectively.
1. Mirrors
This is the best way to give the feeling of illusion of a large space, so in a small apartment use a big mirror which will give the illusion of expansion of your room. It will immediately appear larger lighter and brighter by reflecting natural or artificial light. Mirror when placed opposite to a window reflects the maximum amount of light as much as possible without a lot of elements coming in between.
2. Multi-Purpose Furniture
Small spaces have a problem of space, due to which it looks very cluttered and unorganised. So, to solve this problem we need to involve more and more multipurpose furniture. These furniture’s can adapt many situations depending on the activities. Look for multiple uses in everything you buy. Some of the ways that you can use to add these furniture pieces are: –
- Coffee table with hidden storage inside it or hidden starch.
- An ottoman that can be used as a coffee table and seating both.
- Sofas and couches with hidden storage.
Always remember in small spaces everything needs to be functional. Every furniture placed should have a value and its worth.
3. Light and Transparent Objects
We all know that light colour on the surfaces makes the space look visually large and spacious. Same we need to consider for the furniture as well so when selecting furniture for the small apartment always consider light coloured and transparent objects. Translucent objects can be chic and functional at the same time. If you use your mind will go more towards the space and make it look bigger than what actually it is. Avoid heavy and dark objects around the home. From a floor rug to the kitchen shelves colour try to pick every essential in the home light or translucent. Darker objects draw the viewers eyes towards them and make it look small.
4. Vertical Usage
Think vertically within the space. A space is three dimensional so don’t forget that you have the vertical space as well so you need to make the most of it. Use your wall up to the ceiling wherever possible like instead of supporting a staircase with a handrail use a wall instead and make some storage in that wall. Long height walls also visually open up the space and makes it look larger. Also use long heighted furniture’s like tall unit in kitchen a tall shelf unit in bathroom etc. Make the most of every dimension.
5. Light and Fresh colour Palette
Talking about design hacks and excluding the colour theory is not possible. So, in small apartments also we need to keep the colours light like white, off white, light crème, lemon yellow etc. This make the space look bigger, brighter and peaceful because the surfaces can reflect more light. You can also pick the colours in the shade of blues and greens just make sure they are light in tone.
6. Lamps and Lighting
Lighting is key specially for smaller spaces. Use wall and ceiling lamps which are not heavy in design, which have light and subtle design like a vertical metallic pendant light from the ceiling would look great. Do not use large table or floor lamps it will make the space feel little cluttered and small. Use architectural lighting like LED strips on ceiling to provide volume and necessary ambient lighting. This will not even take up your floor space still give that beautiful ambience just with lights at your place.
7. Open and Free Spaces
Designing a small space is all about visual manipulation. Play with height, colours, textures and multifunctional furniture to define the different areas of your home. Make sure you do not go over the top with the furniture’s keep the space free as much as possible. Use only those objects which are extremely necessary in the home. Be creative and do not make the small apartment look small. LET THE SPACE BREATHE.
8. Levitate Furniture
Use maximum use of your walls and let the floor be little free. One of the best ways to do this is to carry your furniture little off from the floor. This will give a feeling of a lot of space under the furniture which is free. Also buy the furniture which can be moved any time you want. You need to use movable furniture and not heavy or fixed furniture.
9. Subtle Accessories
We all love decorating our spaces. We go to the market we find and article or an art piece and we instantly starts having it in our home so that our home looks more beautiful. But with the small homes you need to be cautious about this step as you have less space and you need to make the most out of it. Some steps that you can follow for keeping accessories are: –
- Use light colour or transparent accessories so that the space will look more spacious.
- Do not keep the accessories directly on the floor, use some furniture below it.
- Install small paintings, photo frames on the wall,
- Use light colour or sheer curtains on the windows for the maximum natural light inside.
- Use PLANTS plants are the best way to decorate, fresh up our space, make it positive and what not. The benefits are uncountable. Not only accessorising but they also help to achieve that fresh colour in the home. Use plants with translucent vases or hang them down the ceiling. Just remember do not go overboard with plants also.
We all love decorating our spaces. We go to the market we find and article or an art piece and we instantly starts having it in our home so that our home looks more beautiful. But with the small homes you need to be cautious about this step as you have less space and you need to make the most out of it. Some steps that you can follow for keeping accessories are: –
