by Will Bravar | DEC 20, 2019
Whether it be due to rising real estate costs, urban densification, or simply wanting to leave a lesser footprint, people seem to be inhabiting smaller and smaller homes these days. This space crunch is requiring a novel reevaluation of how we make use of and organize the space around us. With the right approach, we think making more from less square footage is a smart choice. We also rightly feel that just because you are living in a smaller space, you shouldn’t have to live a smaller life.
Here are some of the most effective ways to live LARGE in a small space.
Lose the Idea of a Single Use Room
With open plan living, we have all become used to seeing one room perform multiple functions. It is not hard to take that idea and make it apply to each individual room as well. For instance, the bedroom is only used for about a third of each day. Why not use it as a home office when not sleeping in it, or a workout room when the work day is done.
Smaller spaces require smarter strategies which leads us to our next point.
Invest in Multi-functional Furniture
The greater adaptability required from each room is only made possible through the use of furniture explicitly designed for this purpose. With a bed or a sofa taking up such a large footprint in the home, any way of gaining that space back becomes vital if you are to use it for another purpose. If you can have a bed, a sofa, and a desk share the same floor space, all the better. With advances in hardware and design minds spending more and more time on this problem, solutions are coming in ever more useful and beautiful forms.
Use a Temporary Surface for Temporary Tasks
This is an extension of the above idea. Tables, nightstands, desks - they all take up a lot of space. Having a surface that folds, slides, or collapses away gives you back all of that valuable space which now can be put towards another use.
Check out Anthill’s newest modular wall system NEXUS.
Carve Out Plenty of Storage
You have to gain your square inches back somewhere. Look to make use of every nook and cranny to stash all of the stuff that accumulates with life. See if that bench or that bed can also house some storage. Losing clutter will help make your small space seem more significant and will help you make more efficient use of the area.
Edit, Edit, Edit
This goes hand in hand with smart storage as a way to reduce clutter and make a small space livable. Have fewer things and spend wisely on quality pieces that either enhance the beauty or the livability of your home.
Utilize your Height
Most furniture usually stays confined to the lower half of the room, taking up a valuable footprint without giving that much in usable volume for storage. Think of your space as a volume spreading upwards from the floorplan. Using cabinetry that extends to the ceiling can in many instances, more than double the usable space inside.
The typical closet design is also really wasteful with one single rod hanging from the shelf. Fill the space with extra rods and shelving and have room to keep your wardrobe organized and intact.
Raising your bed on a platform can also allow you to make use of the almost room-sized space underneath.
Cut Down on Furniture Clutter
Nothing can make a place seem smaller than too much-mismatched furniture crammed into space. One uniform wall of bookshelves and storage can cut down on visual clutter and make the area appear clean, open, organized, and spacious.
Incorporate Built-In Technology
This can save space as well as visual clutter. Using built-in lights and chargers can practically make these essential items disappear and allow the focus to be on the objects they are lighting, instead of the lights themselves. Allow for one or two beautiful fixtures and hide the rest.
Be Conscious of Operating Space
A pocket door has no swing, neither does a sliding cabinet door. Every inch counts, so be conscious of the extended space your furniture or architectural choices need to work and reduce them if possible.
Give Everything a Home
One of the easiest ways to keep everything organized is to give everything a home. Now you know where everything goes, where everything is, and where it belongs. Find things quickly and put them away when not in use. Well designed storage solutions can help immensely with this.
About the Author
Will Bravar is Partner and Technical Director at Anthill Studio, an interior design studio with an in-house manufacturing facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia.
To continue the discussion further, please contact Will or any of the Anthill Team for your complimentary small space design consultation at our studio in beautiful Mount Pleasant.