Do you ever wish you had a bigger home with more space? Most people do, but many people also have more usable space available to them than they think. Making your home feel more spacious and appealing to live in is absolutely possible. In fact, it's simple if you know how to. There are many tricks that can make a small space appear much bigger than it is. There are also some for utilizing the area you have. Before you decide to sell your house and move somewhere larger, try to work with the space you have already.
Add Mirrors
Although this sounds like cliche advice, it's true. Mirrors make spaces appear bigger than they are. They do this by reflecting light during the day from outside and from lighting inside in the evening. You can use mirrors in different ways to make the most of this trick. Putting mirrors close to windows can be very effective. This is because it allows them to reflect the natural light from outside. If you want to maximize your use of mirrors, then you need to think outside of the box. Shiny surfaces of all kinds reflect light to make spaces feel bigger. Glass tables, surfaces and countertops are also perfect for this. Cabinet doors with reflective surfaces will also do the same job. If you want to use mirroring to make your space look bigger, get creative and add them in any way you can. You should take care not to make the area appear cluttered.
Add Storage
Storage is the single most important thing for making your home feel more spacious and liveable. Nearly everybody needs more storage in their home. Everything that you own should have a place and should be in that place when not in use. You can incorporate storage in many forms. For example, ensuring you have enough cabinets, closets, drawer units, shelving and ottomans. Shelves are brilliant, but be aware, as your items are out on display, they can easily appear cluttered. This means you should keep your shelf usage to a minimum. Focus on storage solutions that keep your belongings out of sight. Any storage option with a door or a lid is perfect for this and baskets or small boxes on surfaces to house minor items can also work well.
You should also be sure to use the storage that your home has naturally. This means making the most of areas such as under beds, under the stairs and behind any furnishings. Storage should be everywhere in your home if you want it to appear more spacious and feel more liveable.
Reduce Clutter
Before adding storage, you'll want to reduce the clutter. Parting with your belongings isn't easy, but it's necessary if you want your home to feel more liveable. You should sort through your belongings and identify items that you no longer want or need. Also, get rid of anything that you haven't used in a very long time and are unlikely to use soon. This is possibly the hardest step in creating a more spacious environment. Yet, it's essential to allow other methods to work effectively.
Decluttering allows you to organize your belongings properly. It allows you to make the best use of your storage space and solutions. You should declutter regularly to avoid your storage becoming full of useless items.
Consider the Layout
The layout is key. How you display your furnishings and accessories can make your home feel more spacious. Although putting your sofa in the middle of a room can look good, it can intrude on the central floor space and make a room feel closed in. Large items such as cabinets, sofas and other units can work better around the edge of a room. This is because they leave a large floor space in the center. You should always measure your space. This ensures that any furnishings that you buy will fit nicely and won't compromise the space.
Consider the design of items such as sofas and cabinets too. Some designs may be unnecessarily clunky. These take up valuable space and make a room look more cluttered. Home of Cozy is an ideal place to compare different sofa types and designs, particularly if you want to bring a minimalist feel into your home. The ideal layout that you want to focus on is one that creates a spacious homely, but cozy feel.
Maximize Light and Brightness
Light and brightness are a big part of making your home feel larger and more liveable. You'll want to bring in as much light as possible at all times. You can do this through natural light or artificial lighting. A simple trick to bringing in more natural light is to keep your window open. Closed windows make your home feel more cramped. Keeping windows open in the daytime can combat this. Open windows will reflect more natural light and radiate this around the room. Light curtains or window coverings are also preferable to heavy fabrics. This is because they let in more natural light during the day. Although your curtains will be open during the day, even having an open heavy fabric curtain can block a lot of light.
Brightness is something that you'll want to incorporate throughout your home. You can do this by using bright or neutral paint on the walls. Be sure to break this up with blocks of color in either furnishings or artwork for the best effect.