5 Ways to To Open Up A Small Home

By Dennis Zocchi

In one of my latest searches through home discussion forums I’ve found a lot of unanswered posts about how to open up small living spaces. Part of the solution is how you choose to furnish the room and the other part is how you use your furniture. Below is a list of ideas that can help with this issue.

• Re-arrange furniture – A lot of what we call clutter can be contributed to the arrangement of furniture in a room. When walkways and windows are blocked, the room immediately becomes cramped. It creates a feeling of entrapment and unease whether or not is is subconscious. Clearing the way opens up the movement in a room. Freshome.com suggests placing the largest pieces of furniture in a room on an angle. For instance, if your bed is the largest piece in your bedroom, placing it on a diagonal accentuates the longest line in the room (see picture below).
• Maximize storage – Find storage items that serve two purposes. For example, an ottoman that has a storage space inside. This helps consolidate furniture and open up floor space. Other examples might include a coffee table that also has shelving or drawers underneath it or a. The Container Store is a great source for these double-purpose storage items.
• Window treatments – The easiest way to broaden a room is to keep it bright. Heavy drapes and thick blinds are a clear step in the wrong direction. Keeping curtains sheer and if possible, eliminating blinds would optimize window treatments for a smaller space.
• Large mirrors –Mirrors that take up a considerable amount of wall space behave like windows in a small room. They give the effect of doubling the size and opening up an otherwise tight room. They also bring a sense of light to the room that makes it feel bigger. For a great selection of mirrors on a small budget visit IKEA.
• Soft and bright colors – Going along with the idea that too many window accents darken a room and shrivel up space, color selection does the same. While darker colors have a tendency to make a room feel cozy, lighter and brighter means more light to go around. With that said, Benjamin Moore has a very interactive color selection process and offers expert help in choosing a color scheme.

Finding ways to make a smaller home look inviting and organized is difficult, especially if you’ve moved from a larger space. However, these tips really can help. In my own home, I’ve taken the idea of maximizes storage to a whole new level. Having been on the search for a new couch, we decided on a corner couch with hidden storage compartments. Nothing says de-clutter like stuffing magazines, movies, video game controllers, and other random electronics into your couch.