How to Make the Most of Small Spaces
Even now, as we’re spending less time at home, many of us are still wondering how to make our small spaces work better for us. Luckily, we have some suggestions to help you maximize your space and love where you live.
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your house’s small spaces.
Clearing the Clutter and Organizing
Nothing makes a small space feel even smaller than clutter. The most challenging thing about decluttering your house isn’t getting rid of things — it’s figuring out what clutter you have.
Clutter accumulates over long periods of time, and because it happens so gradually, you can become blind to it. It’s called clutter blindness. Clutter blindness happens when you get used to seeing the same stuff around the house all the time; you don’t even recognize it as clutter! But even if you don’t consciously notice it, clutter could be harming your well-being. Studies show that excess clutter can make you feel anxious and stressed out.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be a minimalist to get rid of the clutter. Just focus on one area at a time and sort things into stacks. We recommend starting with common problem areas — the junk drawer in the kitchen, the hall closet or the garage. Make a stack for things you use every day, another stack for things you use every few weeks and a third stack for things you rarely, if ever, use. When you’re finished, donate or throw away the things that you never use. Get into the habit of going through clutter hot spots regularly.
Creating a Focal Point
Once you’ve cleared the clutter, take a look at each room in your house. Is there a natural focal point?
Each room should have a single focal point that attracts your eye as soon as you walk in. In your living room, your focal point might be a fireplace or a piece of wall art; in a bedroom, it’s usually the bed; and in your home office, it’s your desk or bookshelf. If you walk into a room and multiple things compete for your attention, you have too many focal points.
Particularly in small spaces, multiple focal points can make rooms look too busy and messy, contributing to the room feeling cluttered and cramped. Decide on your single focal point for each room, and decorate the rest of the room to complement that central focal point.
Using Mirrors and Natural Light
Adding more natural light is the best way to make rooms feel open and airy, but unfortunately, it’s not always possible to add another window or a skylight.
If your small space needs a little more light, consider strategically hanging mirrors around the room to disperse light evenly. To reflect the most natural light, hang a mirror directly across from your window. Mirrors bounce light around the room and trick your eye into thinking the room is bigger than it actually is. Remember, the bigger the mirror, the more light it can reflect. If you don’t have room for one large mirror, you can get the same effect by clustering together several smaller mirrors. For a truly unique design, mix and match mirrors of different shapes and sizes.
If your small space doesn’t have much natural light, ditch your blackout curtains for lighter sheer curtains. Sheer curtains are made of semi-transparent material that diffuses the sunlight passing through them, letting in a pleasant soft light. Tall curtains also give the illusion of having more space because they make your ceiling look higher.
Sticking to Your Color Palette
Dark colors can look great and create a cozy atmosphere, but they tend to make small spaces feel even smaller. To get the most out of your small spaces, use a light color paint for your walls. Off-whites, light blues and grays give the illusion of more space.
No matter what color paint you choose, it’s really important to stick with the color palette. Using complementary colors ties your room together, making it feel more connected. When you have small spaces, making each room feel as if it naturally flows into the next room is important. Rather than having many separate small rooms, a cohesive color palette makes your entire home feel like one large space.
Alternatively, non-complementary colors create visual noise that can make a room feel more cluttered.
Choosing the Right Furniture
Furniture can make or break a small space. Large furniture that’s pushed against the wall tends to make small rooms look cramped, but there are ways to fix that.
Pulling furniture away from a wall and creating open space behind it gives the room a layered look that adds dimension. Likewise, you can also look for furniture with exposed legs to create separation between the furniture and the floor.
The shape of your furniture is an important aspect of maximizing your space, too. Rectangular and oval-shaped dining room tables, for example, work well in a narrow room, but a circular table is a better option for small rooms.
Another example is using a sectional couch to create separation. If you have an open-concept floor plan, sectional sofas are great options for delineating one section of the room from another.
Apart from the style and shape of furniture, it’s also important to think about how you’ll use it. The best furniture for small spaces has multiple purposes. Whether it’s an ottoman with interior storage or a sleeper sofa, look for furniture that can fill multiple needs.
Living in small spaces can be challenging, but if you clear the clutter, stay organized and decorate strategically, you can make your home feel bright and open without adding any additional square footage.
Even now, as we’re spending less time at home, many of us are still wondering how to make our small spaces work better for us. Luckily, we have some suggestions to help you maximize your space and love where you live.
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your house’s small spaces.
Clearing the Clutter and Organizing
Nothing makes a small space feel even smaller than clutter. The most challenging thing about decluttering your house isn’t getting rid of things — it’s figuring out what clutter you have.
Clutter accumulates over long periods of time, and because it happens so gradually, you can become blind to it. It’s called clutter blindness. Clutter blindness happens when you get used to seeing the same stuff around the house all the time; you don’t even recognize it as clutter! But even if you don’t consciously notice it, clutter could be harming your well-being. Studies show that excess clutter can make you feel anxious and stressed out.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be a minimalist to get rid of the clutter. Just focus on one area at a time and sort things into stacks. We recommend starting with common problem areas — the junk drawer in the kitchen, the hall closet or the garage. Make a stack for things you use every day, another stack for things you use every few weeks and a third stack for things you rarely, if ever, use. When you’re finished, donate or throw away the things that you never use. Get into the habit of going through clutter hot spots regularly.
Creating a Focal Point
Once you’ve cleared the clutter, take a look at each room in your house. Is there a natural focal point?
Each room should have a single focal point that attracts your eye as soon as you walk in. In your living room, your focal point might be a fireplace or a piece of wall art; in a bedroom, it’s usually the bed; and in your home office, it’s your desk or bookshelf. If you walk into a room and multiple things compete for your attention, you have too many focal points.
Particularly in small spaces, multiple focal points can make rooms look too busy and messy, contributing to the room feeling cluttered and cramped. Decide on your single focal point for each room, and decorate the rest of the room to complement that central focal point.
Using Mirrors and Natural Light
Adding more natural light is the best way to make rooms feel open and airy, but unfortunately, it’s not always possible to add another window or a skylight.
If your small space needs a little more light, consider strategically hanging mirrors around the room to disperse light evenly. To reflect the most natural light, hang a mirror directly across from your window. Mirrors bounce light around the room and trick your eye into thinking the room is bigger than it actually is. Remember, the bigger the mirror, the more light it can reflect. If you don’t have room for one large mirror, you can get the same effect by clustering together several smaller mirrors. For a truly unique design, mix and match mirrors of different shapes and sizes.
If your small space doesn’t have much natural light, ditch your blackout curtains for lighter sheer curtains. Sheer curtains are made of semi-transparent material that diffuses the sunlight passing through them, letting in a pleasant soft light. Tall curtains also give the illusion of having more space because they make your ceiling look higher.
Sticking to Your Color Palette
Dark colors can look great and create a cozy atmosphere, but they tend to make small spaces feel even smaller. To get the most out of your small spaces, use a light color paint for your walls. Off-whites, light blues and grays give the illusion of more space.
No matter what color paint you choose, it’s really important to stick with the color palette. Using complementary colors ties your room together, making it feel more connected. When you have small spaces, making each room feel as if it naturally flows into the next room is important. Rather than having many separate small rooms, a cohesive color palette makes your entire home feel like one large space.
Alternatively, non-complementary colors create visual noise that can make a room feel more cluttered.
Choosing the Right Furniture
Furniture can make or break a small space. Large furniture that’s pushed against the wall tends to make small rooms look cramped, but there are ways to fix that.
Pulling furniture away from a wall and creating open space behind it gives the room a layered look that adds dimension. Likewise, you can also look for furniture with exposed legs to create separation between the furniture and the floor.
The shape of your furniture is an important aspect of maximizing your space, too. Rectangular and oval-shaped dining room tables, for example, work well in a narrow room, but a circular table is a better option for small rooms.
Another example is using a sectional couch to create separation. If you have an open-concept floor plan, sectional sofas are great options for delineating one section of the room from another.
Apart from the style and shape of furniture, it’s also important to think about how you’ll use it. The best furniture for small spaces has multiple purposes. Whether it’s an ottoman with interior storage or a sleeper sofa, look for furniture that can fill multiple needs.
Living in small spaces can be challenging, but if you clear the clutter, stay organized and decorate strategically, you can make your home feel bright and open without adding any additional square footage.
