Whether you're a renter or homeowner, chances are at some point you too have felt the need to open up the space you call home. Here are a few tips for making your home look larger.
Clear the Clutter
So this step seems like obvious advice, but there is a reason this is number one on our list. Not only does clearing up clutter free up much needed space, but will make storage and organization much easier to maintain if everything has its own place. This also gives you the opportunity to see where your house needs work once all the clutter is cleaned away. So grab a storage bin, a trash bag, your significant other or bribe a friend and get cleaning, whether that’s stacks of junk mail, magazines, old cereal boxes or that dirty sweatshirt still hanging on the kitchen chair from last week.
Get it Off the Floor!
This goes hand in hand with getting rid of clutter, by now most of your clutter should be picked up or thrown away. Take anything left off the floor and store it away, think vertically when organizing and creating storage this really helps to open up your room. In bedrooms and bathrooms that lack square footage use towel bars, robe hooks and over the door storage to keep floor space clear. Apartment Therapy has some fantastic storage ideas.
Smoke in Mirrors
Aside from knocking out some walls an adding on additional square footage, making a room seem more spacious is all about illusions. Mirrors are great for this. Mirrors reflect natural lighting and can really open up a space. Adding a few well-placed mirrors is simple and in most cases relatively inexpensive.
Lighten Up with Neutral Colors
One thing we know is that light colors can really open up a space. Whenever possible consider painting your small space a light, airy, or neutral color. Colors like light greys, off whites, and light blues, and yellows are all fantastic options. If you’re in an apartment that will not allow painting consider using accent décor to add a touch of brightness. Painting your molding and wall the same color can also help to create the illusion of height.
Going Vertical
Use robe hooks, and over the door storage to keep things organized and out of the way in the bath, but for “living spaces” like the kitchen and dining room, shelving is king. Extra shelving helps to maximize space without cluttering the floor. Plus it will make the room feel taller if you store vertically. Use decorative baskets or boxes to store books, photos or vases. This is sure to break up the space and create an open feel.
Create Space with Furniture
Over time, most of us have surely collected a lot of hand-me-down furniture from parents and other relatives. Don't worry - we aren't saying that large furniture or multiple pieces cannot work in a smaller space, it just needs the correct placement to keep things from feeling cramped and cluttered. Furniture placement plays a big role in the look and feel of a room. The best advice we can give is to make sure that no furniture is blocking the paths that people frequently walk. There is nothing that makes a room feel smaller and more closed off than a chair slightly in the way of a doorway or a couch pushed to close to a coffee table making moving around the room a challenge. It is also important to let as much light into a small space as possible so obviously blocking light with any furniture is a big mistake. There are plenty of guides on the web that can help with room layouts for your home.
Hopefully with these quick tips you have gained a few new ideas and inspiration to start your home refresh!
