With the cost of living seeming to forever be on the rise and demand for property sky high, many of us have become accustomed to living in small homes. We have all found ourselves moving to a new place and trying our best to take only our essentials.
We start off by being very organised and tidy. Sometimes though no matter how hard we try, we end up with more clutter and belongings than we bargained for and your small home can feel like it is bursting at the seams. If this sounds like you then keep reading as there are many small changes and innovative ways to help create space in a small home than you may have realised.
Table of Contents
Have a clear out
Sometimes there is nothing for it, you must be cutthroat and clear out those overfilled cupboards and wardrobes. Get rid of items which you no longer use or have not used in a long time. You could give unwanted clothes and furniture to friend and family or donate it to charity so nothing goes to waste.
If you are still struggling with too many belongings to fit in your home and there are just some things that are too sentimental to get rid of, then you may want to consider Safestore to hold your belongings in the meantime. This could give you time to decide what to do with them, keep everything safe and in one place and may buy you time until you have a larger home with space for everything you want to keep.
Invest in multipurpose furniture
Multipurpose furniture is an important foundation of small homes. When you are first browsing for furniture think about multipurpose items which can have both a practical and hidden use. There are now so many of these items on the market that you won’t have to hunt too hard and many options are affordable too. Think about sofa beds that can work for daily use as well as guests, bench seating that doubles up as storage and beds that have storage underneath them too.
Make use of awkward spaces
Now it’s time to get creative! A great way to maximise your space is to make use of awkward spaces in ways you haven’t thought before. For example, although it may be more costly at first, it could be worth looking at custom shelving to take advantage of awkward angles or spaces where you can’t fit furniture. Another good storage solution is to think vertically. Why not use your wall space to hang things like plants, your bike or even display precious clothing rather than hiding it away.
Use doors
Finally, doors and doorways are another underutilised yet innovative way to create space in a small home and the options they open are almost endless. You should begin by hanging hooks on the backs of all your doors so that you can hang up everything from jackets to accessories and towels. This will help keep you home feeling more organised yet keep everyday items in easy access.
Even the inside of cupboards could be used to hang items like kitchen utensils without taking up precious kitchen cabinet space, a room which is often overlooked in small homes. Still stuck for space? Look up! if you have a gap between your doorways and ceiling this is a hidden gem of a storage space. Use it to pile up books and storage boxes without making your home look messy. Think about the colours of your rooms and what would tie in best with your interior décor scheme.