Working from home is becoming more popular and necessary for all sorts of reasons. As more time is spent within the same four walls, occasionally things can feel a bit cramped.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways to make your home feel more spacious. Here are six tips for making your home feel bigger.
-
Lighting features
Smart lighting features can completely transform a room. It could be that a room is not making the most of all its corners and angles. A correctly deployed series of ambient light spread across the room could highlight every section of the interior.
Alternatively, a strong central ceiling light is a good opportunity to bring new light into the room. A wide beam of illumination can help bring out almost every detail of the space.
If the space has low access to natural light, floor lamps and table lamps can fill in the corners that ambient lighting cannot fully reach.
-
Add an Outbuilding
A shed or additional storage area outside in the yard or garden offers a practical way to add space.
A well-designed and strong steel outbuilding is an applied solution for modern living. The new space could be used for keeping extra things that are better kept outside the main home.
-
Declutter
This isn’t always an easy one, but it is necessary to keep any extra bits and pieces that you don’t really need down to a strict minimum.
Be firm; if things are of no use, get them out of sight or out of the home. A good method to apply here is that if you haven’t used something in over 12 months, the chances are it is worth getting out of the home.
You could donate unwanted clothes, devices and kitchen equipment to charity, or check with friends and family.
Unused surfaces without papers and bits and bobs strewn across them will make the place look a lot bigger. The work is definitely worth it for the space provided.
-
Mirror, mirror
The reflective power of a mirror carefully positioned in interiors can open up the surroundings a lot more.
The key to the good use of mirrors in the home is that they bounce the light around the home. This can give the illusion that there is more space. It is this sense of movement that will provide the feeling of extra room.
You could also try mirrored panels on wardrobes and doors for extra reflective power.
A large mirror set up opposite a window can expand the whole focus of a room. This will be even more evident once you have freed up additional space thanks to your decluttering!
-
Clever storage
Sensibly applied storage methods can be a lifeline in a smaller home.
Try over-the-door hanging hooks for keeping bags for smaller items like shoes, cosmetics and accessories.
Another great storage idea is to utilize the extra space in bed frames with drawers or fly-lead tables with shelves underneath. Seats, sofas, and coffee tables also often have hidden storage areas perfect for keeping blankets, sheets and books and games safely tucked away.
An important part of home design is getting to the point of thinking that you can store things anywhere there is space.
-
Light colors
Dark paint colors can make a room feel smaller because light finds it more difficult to reflect and move. Lighter colors help this by influencing how the light works its way around the interior space.
Try a combination of white painted walls or monochrome patterns to offer a greater light output.
White painted ceilings are another key ingredient in opening up a space. The ceiling should never be overlooked as light bounces around and will come back down off the ‘fifth wall’ of the ceiling.