Small Rooms, Big Values: Making the Most of a Small Home
We all can’t afford to live in celebrity-size homes in the heart of the city. In fact, residents of large cities like New York are accustomed to living in small dwellings. Many NYC apartmentshave less than 500 square feet of space to work with. Downsizing is gaining traction for empty nesters, but plenty of millennials are thinking small as they look to make a smaller environmental footprint. But wherever you live, from a New York apartment to a Richfield, Minnesota home, you can vamp up your tiny living quarters with these tricks.
Do Drapes
Drapes can make a room appear more expansive than it actually is. Simply color coordinate your room’s drapes with the color of your walls to achieve the effect. Sheer drapes are great for small spaces because they make your room seem larger. Pottery Barn offers a variety of different drape styles, including sheer options.
Find Functional Furniture
Furniture plays an important role in making your small living space appear larger. If you live in a small space and lack storage, furnish your home with multi-functional furniture, such as ottomans that double as a coffee table and extra seating. Additionally, select armchairs and sofas that are on raised legs to create the appearance of more space. This style of furniture lets more light shine through your small living quarters, making it appear, you guessed it, bigger.
Whatever you do, don’t even think about pushing your furniture up against the walls. Place your furniture about 12 inches away from the wall to open up your small space.
Make use of Mirrors
Natural light is key when it comes to making your living space appear more open. Even if your home doesn’t have a lot of windows, you can optimize your space and create your own natural light with mirrors. Strategically place mirrors around your home to create reflections that make the space look bigger. For design inspiration, visit the Z Gallerie website. There are dozens of chic mirrors to choose from that fit a wide range of design styles.
Consider Color
The gray backdrop of this space by JMS Custom Homes (#313 in the Fall Parade of Homes) is warmed with earthy taupe for an expansive feel. And in this case, a bright yellow chair contrasts perfectly.
Like natural light, the color of your space is crucial. Not only is the color on your walls important, the colors that you use in your furniture, accents and decor are important, too. The experts from StyleCaster suggest choosing rugs and fabrics in plain colors or small prints because the unified colors visually expand a small room. Color coordinate your knickknacks and books with your room’s color scheme to make your space appear grander, too.
See Stripes
While this design trick is not for everyone, it’s a surefire way to make your room appear larger and add interest to your home. A striped floor tricks the eye to make it seem as if it goes on forever, which means that your space will seemingly appear greater.
Buy Big
Drama and interest are king in this bedroom by Mattamy Homes #229 featured in the Fall 2016 Parade of Homes.
You might be thinking that it’s counterintuitive to purchase large home decor accessories and furniture to make your small living space seem bigger. However, home design experts cite that furniture that fills an entire room, like a bed or large pieces of art, adds a lot of drama and interest to a space. Additionally, large floor-to-ceiling bookcases might seem imposing but they can actually serve as a wonderful storage space and make your space look larger.