It seems that every home needs more space and it’s amazing just how much stuff we store away and hold onto–even things we no longer use, need, or really even want. If your closets are nearly bursting open, or your kitchen seems too tiny, or, you living room feels crowded and cramped, you’re certainly not alone.
The reason for these perceptions, and the inescapable reality, is that it’s quite common to buy decor, furniture, fixtures, and more at different times. This is why model homes look so fabulous, because these are put together with a single concept, all during a short time frame. This means the overall look, feel, and function are seamlessly stylish. It’s also why homes are featured in magazines.
Ways to Improve Storage Space
No matter how well organized you keep your personal schedule and work life, it’s a bit more difficult to do so in your home, particularly, in closets and cabinets. That’s for one simple reason: we often put the most used items in easy-to-reach, convenient places, which also means everything else is just clustered to make more space. The simplest and easiest way to gain more storage space is to purge what you don’t use or need.
“Storage spaces are at a premium in most homes. Have you ever heard someone complain, ‘I just have too many closets?’ No, you haven’t. Let’s think outside the closet and create more storage space using the space already in your home. Here are several tried and true and easy tips to create more storage space.” —About.com
After you’ve rid the space of unnecessary items, you can then take your organization a step further by arranging items vertically. Another clever trick is to use storage containers, which can also be stacked vertically, under the bed, and in closet corners or on shelves. Put like items together and arrange the most used things for easy retrieval, what’s referred to as “prime real estate,” or the area between your knees and shoulders.
How to Make any Room Look Bigger
Making a room look bigger can also actually increase space. We all know that dark colors make a room appear smaller than it is and that over-sized furniture takes-up at lot of space that could be used for something else, or, just left empty. Here are some more clever ways to make a room look bigger:
- Scale down on knickknacks. The more that’s on an end table, coffee table, and wall shelving, the more it appears cluttered and actually makes the table or shelf surface look smaller, which adds to visual clutter.
- Strategically hang wall art. One neat trick is to hang wall art, but not too much. A room will have a sense of being larger if you hang one large piece of wall art instead of several small ones.
- Use hidden storage space to your advantage. Living rooms get messy and unorganized easily. Remotes are scattered, game consoles take over, magazines and books are littered about, and it seems worthless to organize it all over and over again. So, use a coffee table with drawers and shelves, and an ottoman that has hidden storage space.
- Rearrange furniture. Speaking of furniture, just placing pieces against the wall isn’t always going to present the most space. Think about traffic flow and if it’s awkward, that can usually be changed.
Another thing you can do is to open up your rooms with light. That doesn’t just mean lamps and lighting fixtures, but also window coverings. If you open your window coverings yet they still obstruct even a small portion of the windows, that blocks sunlight, which increases shadows and decreases the sense of space.
Use these simple tricks and even a small home will look and feel much larger.