I’m sure we all dream of acres of space to spread out and relax – spare rooms for when guests come to stay and private dens for when we want to get away from it all. But the realities of living in the South East of England like I do mean that space is at a premium and most people simply cannot afford that luxury. Dens have to double as home offices and guest rooms, space is at a premium and well-organised storage space is essential.
But it’s not all doom and gloom; small homes are easier and cheaper to keep warm, quicker to clean and less costly to maintain. Given how small so many homes are on the UK there are also plenty of ideas around online and in magazines to help us make the most of a small home.
So here are my favourite ways of doing just that:
Get The Storage Right
A small home can quickly become cluttered if you don’t have the right amount of storage space and if you don’t keep it well-organised so that it is easy to store and to retrieve what you need. There are the obvious storage places such as wardrobes and kitchen cupboards but in a small home try to make use of every available space for storage. High level shelves 30-40cm below ceiling height can add an enormous amount of extra space to a room without taking up valuable floor space. And if you use pretty baskets or other storage containers it will always look neat and tidy.
Get The Light Right
Small rooms tend to have small windows to stay in proportion but it is easy to block too much light when there is not much in the way of glazed area. Avoid this problem and let in as much light as possible by ditching any curtains and opting instead for a roman blind fitted outside the recess so that it does not obscure the window when it is raised.
Get The Colours Right
You may love deep purples and rich reds ut they will not give your home a feeling of space if used on walls or floors (hmm red floor, now there’s a thought). Instead keep walls and floors pale and neutral. If you must have a pop of colour then do that with cushions, throws or small accent chairs.