Have you noticed the significant increase in the traffic in your town or city lately? Or seen new businesses popping up at every corner? Yes, urban areas in South Africa are currently experiencing huge growth as more and more people are heading to metropolitan regions to work, live and play.
Of course, this means that the demand for property is getting bigger and bigger on a daily basis. On the other hand – to keep up with the rising housing needs and inflation rates – it feels like properties are getting smaller and smaller.
No need to fear if you deal daily with the reality of living in a matchbox! Check out our eight DIY tricks that can help you turn the smallest area into the roomiest space.
1. REFLECTION SECTION
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, make my home the biggest of them all,” says every interior designer ever. In fact, the illusion provided by an oversized full-length mirror on a key wall in a house will instantly make a small space look large. For the really adventurous, create a statement wall by hanging multiple rectangular mirrors against a wall (this also helps elongate the space) or hanging mirrors on facing walls.
2. PAINT PERFECT
Many people think that by accentuating one wall of a small room in a deep, darker or bold colour, makes the space feel larger. Unfortunately, the only thing that’s accentuated is the tiny space. Instead, paint the walls and trimmings of a small room in different shades of a neutral colour such as white, off-white and cream – the brightness of the white-shades will work wonders to open up a room.
3. RAISE THE ROOF
While neutral walls and trimmings will have an expansive effect on a small room, a bolder colour on the ceiling can make the size of your room go through the roof. Why? A darker ceiling creates an impression of depth and the darker colour immediately draws the eye upwards creating an illusion of height. Win!
4. SPACE STATION
Furniture in a small space is all too often just pushed against the walls in the hope that it will help make the room feel bigger. Rather place furniture (like a bed or table) at an angle to breathe room into the small space. One of our favourite tricks for small living rooms is to place the couch slightly away from the wall – so that it almost floats in the room – and to add a narrow table behind it… And voila! Say hello to space.
5. MULTI-PURPOSE PIECES
A cluttered room will undoubtedly make any room – whether small or spacious – feel a little cramped. While we can’t deny that books, blankets, toys and other comforts are all just part of living in your home (and that’s what you should do in your house, right?), there are smart ways to store these to make a house feel bigger. Invest in pieces that serve multiple functions like an ottoman that doubles up as storage space or a dining room table that folds down to a the size of a side table. At the end of the day, you’ll still be able to live without feeling cramped.
6. ROOM WITH A VIEW
The right kind of window-dressing is one of the easiest ways to make a small room feel bigger. Keep the same colour principal mentioned in ‘Paint Perfect’ in mind when hanging curtains or blinds for a small room. In other words: avoid dark drapes; in fact, skip the drapes all together – rather hang light, thin sheer flowy curtains or blinds as this will help add to the illusion of a bigger room.
7. THROW SOME SHADE
Getting the right lighting in a small room can actually highlight its space. One, harsh top-down light ultimately focuses all the light into one space and when the room is small, it will only accentuate the tininess of the space. The use of few smaller laps throughout a small room will draw the eye around the room and, so, create the illusion of depth, height and space. Light-bulb moment indeed!
8. BIGGER BATHROOM
Not only has small living areas become standard nowadays – bathrooms have also been scaled down significantly. Luckily, you can use the mirrors, paint and multipurpose furniture tricks mentioned to make your bathroom feel bigger. Stuck with a small shower? Using a clear or white shower curtain will help create the illusion of space in a small bathroom. Even better? Hang the curtain high – as close to the ceiling as possible – to enhance the depth and height feeling of the room.
Do you have any small space tricks up your sleeve that we didn’t mention here? Tell us below so that we can share it with our other readers.
