5 Life Changing Interior Design Ideas For Small Spaces

Think Outside The Mainstream
A small space doesn’t have to feel small. With a few simple changes, you can expand it substantially, until a tiny home feels like a spacious manor. It may not be, but the feeling will impart such an impression on those who visit. Remodels can make sense, and may upgrade property value, but they may not be strictly necessary. Following are five ideas to help you fully maximize the space in your home.
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1. Mirrors, Mirrors Everywhere
Mirrors essentially double the spread of light. If you’ve got a space that’s five feet wide and ten feet long, you can make it feel ten wide and twenty long if you fill it with mirrors. You’ve likely seen this trick at bars. Well certainly, you don’t want to fill your entire home with mirrors; that would be the slightest bit tacky.

However, several well-placed ones in the right corner, or on the right wall, can amplify light and extend the illusion of space to an otherwise compact room. You can put them on the roof, in corners, canted at angles, or surrounded by fine frames which make said mirrors appear almost as though they were pictures. Especially with apartments, mirrors help widen a space.


2. Partitions, Partitions, Partitions
You’ve likely heard of this, or even incorporated this strategy before. Partitions can divvy up a small space, giving you more surface area on which to hang pictures, portraits, or mirrors. There are all manners of partitions out there, some decorative, some basic, and many at differing levels of cost and coverage.

Wicker partitions can be especially handy, cordoning off portions of a room so that a living space can be divvied up into dining and sleeping quarters while still remaining relatively open. You might even design your own partitions.

3. Space-Conscious, Top-Tier Cabinetry
The right kind of cabinets can additionally expand a space, and there are all variety out there. Going the vertical route makes the most sense, but it depends on your space; you may have a corner of the house which benefits from a horizontal array. Whatever fits your needs, there are options for kitchen cabinets in Los Angeles or in Chicago at Studio Armadi (located in Evanston) which may be worth considering.

4. Vertical Storage
Vertical storage may not be consigned to the kitchen. There are vertical washers and dryers where one is stacked atop the other, and that can free up space for storage. Additionally, roof-mounted cabinets in terms of storage are often going to do a good job of helping you store things.

5. Paintings, Portraits, And Adding A Deck
Paintings and portraits, much like mirrors, can expand how large a space feels. So can initiating a deck remodel, though that can be expensive, and may not be in agreement with existing building codes. It all depends on what you have available, and associated costs. Still, a few portraits and a few paintings can really do a number on your living space.

Doing What You Can With What You Have Where You Are
Remodeling can be expensive, but you don’t have to do that to expand how it feels to live in a small space. You can do a lot with a little. Paintings, portraits, and mirrors will really expand a space, and vertical storage is absolutely essential. Additionally, partitions in the right place do much for a home.

Ultimately, how you optimize your home depends on what you prefer, and what resources you have available. But making a small space feel large isn’t as difficult as it may at first seem. It just requires a little careful strategy and application.

Article written by Ashley Lipman.