Many of us, particularly with growing families, find ourselves craving more space in our homes. Often the feeling of living in a house that doesn't fit can be really stressful and hard to keep on top of the day to day jobs with no room to breathe and too much clutter.
Sometimes a bigger home is the way forward, but it's not always possible and usually a lot more cost effective to stay put and find solutions to work for your home and family. With just a few simple tweaks or major works if you can face it, you can have your home feeling bigger in no time at all, for as little or as much as you want to spend.
Here's five simple ways to add space to your family home.
1. Make use of unused spaces
You may have an awkward corner, under stairs cupboard or even under other furniture such as beds that's just sat empty or not being used efficiently. Find ways to make the most of every inch of space. With effective storage in all the right places you will be able to put things out of sight, creating space whilst using those areas that may seem unusable. Areas like alcoves can make perfect book cases or built in cupboard areas.
By adding storage to fit the space, having specially built in units made to measure or even changing furniture for something more useful can make the world of difference. Switching to something like a divan bed with under drawers instantly gives you more room to put things that may otherwise be taking up valuable floor or wardrobe space.
2. Open up rooms
You can open up spaces in so many ways. From something as extreme to having walls taken down to make a more open plan living space, to simply changing your window dressings or adding large mirrors to reflect light. I love doors like the aluminium bifold doors from Quickslide to truly open up your home into the garden. With the feeling of added light, more air and openness, bi-fold doors can be a brilliant addition to your home, making a smaller room seem never ending.
Always contact a reputable builder for any big work, but look at ways you can open up on a smaller scale if you're on a tighter budget. By adding things like those mirrors or a more light friendly curtain or blind, you're instantly opening up a room.
3. Utilise wall space
So many of us waste our wall space, when actually it can be used for so much more than simply hanging pictures and shelves. If you need extra storage, think of clever ways you can use that wall space to open up some more floor space. In areas such as the kitchen, this can make a huge difference by being able to store away unsightly or rarely used appliances, leaving your worktops free of clutter and ready for all your food preparations.
In bedrooms, particularly kids rooms that can often be smaller, look for solutions to maximise that space you don't use on the walls such as over the bed, that way you'll require less free standing furniture and instantly have the feeling of gaining space. Think about having something made to measure for awkward gaps or if your crafty, you could make the perfect unit for that unused space yourself.
4. Pick the right furniture
The furniture you pick makes a huge impact on the feeling of space too. Shop smart for furniture that really works for you, that doesn't swamp a room and perhaps serves more than one purpose. Think about an extendable dining table if you don't regularly need it to be full size. If you're designing a kitchen, make sure you add in long cupboards to fill gaps and make use of areas such as the under oven or sink. If you don't need something like a desk every single day, find a way to install a pull down desk, make use of a table or surface you already have or even make an office garden if you have ample room outdoors.
Pick sofas with storage underneath like an ottoman which will give you heaps of room to keep things like those big duvets or blankets tucked away in summer, relieving you of much needed space without using up any more with added furniture.
5. Tackle your clutter
This one must come up on pretty much every home/life overhaul post I write, but it's so important. Clutter is so stressful, it makes the walls feel like they're closing in and often it's just the thought of getting started that puts us off. Less clutter means rooms instantly feel better, you'll also feel calmer and enjoy your home more. Having piles of things laying around that we don't use/wear/need are literally doing nothing but take up valuable space and it has to go!
I'd always suggest tackling clutter first, before buying storage in Romford, London or any other town you belong, before rearranging rooms or doing anything major. It's amazing how much better your house can feel and look with just a little sort out and to be honest, mine is well over due!
If you're out for making a little more space in your home, start by having a walk around your house and note down any areas that feel particularly enclosed or small. For each area try and see if you can work out what makes it feel that way, is it the lack of light? Is it too cluttered? Is there too much furniture or not enough storage? Once you know what your problem areas are you can get to work in making some improvements.
In short, the main focus for adding space should be de-cluttering, adding light and making the use of all the space you have with suitable furniture solutions.
Do you need to make more space in your home?
*Collaborative post
