Create Greater Space Through Clever Design

Table of Contents

1. Storage – tackle the obvious first
2. Use clever glazing solutions
3. Rethink your use of space
4. Look Up
5. Larger furniture
6. You can float your furniture
7. The less the better
8. Check your window coverings

One of the biggest challenges faced by growing families in London is the ever-increasing demand for space in their homes as the paraphernalia (and people) associated with family life take over.

Not everyone wants to move – either they can’t for financial reasons, or they may be in the right catchment area for schools. Or maybe they simply love the house they are in.

You might be sitting in chaos and wondering what on earth you can do to improve the space – thinking that every corner is utilized, and there is nowhere else to go.

However, a fresh, trained pair of eyes will see the design and build opportunities that the untrained eye will never spot.

Storage – tackle the obvious first

Type ‘clever storage ideas’ into Google and you will have access to literally thousands of solutions to suit any and every home and pocket. From remodeling the space under the stairs to adding partitions with pocket doors, to finding clever shelving systems for awkward spaces.

Opening up your mind to better organization and storage could send you into a frenzy of ‘life laundering’ weekends when you start to finally sort out those piles of boxes in the attic and spare room and decide that you really no longer need that Moses basket that has sat unused for 10 years, completely overhaul how you organize your family paraphernalia.

Use clever glazing solutions

The variety and advances in glazing technology mean that there are probably a number of glazing applications that will open up the light and space in your home with minimum alteration to the overall structure of your home.

An Oriel window, for example, is one that protrudes beyond the external wall (sometimes referred to as a bay window). A cleverly designed Oriel window can be manufactured to extend floor-to-ceiling height to create an almost ‘box-like extension to the rear of your house and allow you to ‘step’ into your garden for a true inside-outside experience.

This is not a massive reclamation of space, but the additional glazing creates extra light which gives the overall impression of space, changing the focus of the room.

Internal glazing can also be used to replace solid doors and walls where appropriate, especially if you are looking to move to a more open-plan design of your interior, but still, need the convenience of being able to shut off rooms depending on who is using them at the time.

Rethink your use of space

When we move into a new house we tend to use rooms as they were originally intended – kitchen, sitting room, dining room, etc. This legacy use of the space can often continue for time immemorial because we become accustomed to certain ways of doing things, and over time habits settle and change seems increasingly impossible.

Look at your space objectively – is it really working for you as a family? Do you find that there is no single space for you all to gather? Do some of the rooms make you feel trapped? Are you able to enjoy the garden, or your views, from different parts of the house, or is their visibility restricted by the internal design? Are there rooms in your house that are rarely used because they just feel tucked away and serve no real purpose?

Repurposing the space will involve significant costs, but it could be the perfect solution if you do not want to move. Chances are if you don’t do it, the next person who buys your house probably will, and then sell it at a significant profit. Better than profit comes to you when you do decide to move!

Look Up

Aim to draw the eye upwards at all times. Hang your mirrors high, hang your art high, hang your curtains as close to the ceiling as possible, and build a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. Think vertically and make use of the space between the tops of the furniture – this will give the room a sense of height.

Larger furniture

Small rooms don’t need small furniture as a general rule. In spite of what it may seem like, a few larger pieces can actually make a room seem much larger. Avoid pushing furniture against walls, as the space behind the furniture can make your home appear wider than it is.

You can float your furniture

You can get everywhere in tiny territories with trickery. Illusion is key. The first step is to move your furniture away from the edges of a small room, and the second is to create a floating island in the middle of a room to shift attention and draw attention to the center.

The less the better

Loads of stuff in a small space can overwhelm it, regardless of how obvious it seems. When fewer pieces of furniture are scattered throughout a room, it will appear cleaner, more organized, and more spacious, says interior designer Christian Oshiro.

Getting rid of useless items is the first step. It’s important to be ruthless if you want to move from hoarding to minimalism because if it isn’t useful now, it probably won’t be later on. Organize things you don’t use often and keep them out of sight.

Trinkets and souvenirs are detrimental to a minimalist lifestyle. Lots of small items can make your house seem cluttered. Your home will seem more spacious and less cluttered if you replace these items with fewer, larger items.

Check your window coverings

If you want to keep the space simple, eliminate curtains and blinds. When it comes to privacy or stopping your home from getting too hot in the afternoon, consider shutters or a lightweight, sheer fabric, such as linen, which enhances that feeling of airiness.

You can create the illusion of added height by draping curtains from a rod or bar along with the ceiling instead of hanging them along with the window frame. It will also appear larger if your curtains match the color of your walls.

Thank you for reading!