Gunner Kenyon has kindly offered this article to Ruscombe Green. While based in the states he felt it would still be of interest to Green readers in this country....
According to the most recent reports provided
by the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 80 percent of the population of the United
States reside in urban areas. There are many advantages to living in
a city: short commute times, shopping convenience, entertainment choices, etc.,
but one major disadvantage reveals itself the moment one begins to hunt for a
place to live. In cities, living-space can be a rare commodity.
As such, you may find yourself having to make
the most out of whatever small amount of space you have. Here are 11 tips to
help you do just that.
1. Unclutter
One of the major drawbacks of small living
spaces is that they often have very limited storage space. As a result, every
available surface ends up acting as a catch-all for various odds and ends,
leaving the area itself looking cramped and cluttered. Start taking back your
space by giving your home a thorough cleaning, and get creative when it comes
to storage. Hideable storage (such as baskets and drawers which can fit under
beds, on the backs of doors, and in any other unused areas) can help you get a
handle on your mess. Likewise, shelves can be inexpensive to purchase and
install, and can go on almost any vertical surface, such as around doors, on
archways, attached to larger appliance, etc. Shelves can also be extended all
of the way to the ceiling—just make sure that you have a step-ladder handy for
when you need to retrieves something.
2. Climb
Speaking of ceiling-high shelves, you should
pay special attention to the vertical spaces in your home. In kitchens, ceiling
hooks and chains can be used as a way to store pots and pans, as well as other
bulky utensils that may not fit as well in cupboards or drawers. In other
rooms, you should ask yourself just how you can make use of the neglected space
above your head. You may even consider something like a hanging bed with ladder
access. And, if you’re not interested in expanding your livable space upwards,
you can at least draw attention to that high-up empty area; paint or wallpaper
the ceiling in an eye-catching way, and it will feel as though your home itself
has grown larger.
3. Colorize
In fact, color can be used throughout your
home to give it a feeling of expansiveness, even if you don’t actually create any new space.
Multiple, disharmonious colors will make your space appear jumbled and crowded.
Choosing a common color scheme, one that can be maintained throughout your
walls, furniture, carpets, and other decorations, solves this problem. You can
take it a step further by choosing light colors (especially white), which give the appearance of
space and openness.
4. Brighten
The more shadows you have lurking in your
home, the smaller that home is going to feel. So, let there be light!
High-quality light fixtures can drive away those shadows with pleasant, soft
light that will make your living area seem much larger, as well as
significantly more cozy. And, wherever possible, you should be maximizing the
amount of sunlight that enters through your windows. Consider using mirrors to
reflect and redirect that light into spaces that would otherwise remain
unilluminated.
5. Reflect
In addition to enhancing natural light
sources, mirrors can be used to increase the apparent size of a room through
the power of optical illusion. Large mirrors placed on walls make it seem as
though there’s an entire other half of a room waiting beyond them, effectively
doubling the visible (if not useable)
living space.
6. Despecialize
In most homes, furniture and appliances have
single, specific functions. However, in a space-optimized home, many common
objects actually serve multiple purposes. Couches with built-in storage space, speakers
that function as end-tables, sturdy entertainment centers that can have single
beds placed on top—basically, if you can get more than one use out of the
things that take up space in your home, you’re going to end up with more space
in the end.
7. Minimize/reduce
We tend to think of furniture as being more
elegant and luxurious when it’s large,
but when the size of your furniture is interrupting the flow of traffic and
making it difficult to enjoy the rest of your living space, then what good is
that luxury? Consider replacing your big couch, tables, and chairs with smaller
version that will not only make it easier to move through your home, but will
also be easier to clear aside if you need a bit more floor-room. On the other
hand, you can retain large furniture items and achieve the same result simply
be decreasing their overall number.
8. Designate
If you’re unable to have specific rooms set
aside for all of the different tasks you need to perform in your home, you can
achieve a similar result by zoning off and designating space for separate
activities. Room dividers, task-specific furniture, or even varying wall colors
can all be used to indicate that the space in question is separate from the
rest of the room, even if that division is completely imaginary.
9. Dig
Just as you can make good use of space above
your head, you may also be able to gain value from areas underneath your feet.
If you have access to a basement or crawlspace, consider investing in finishing
or refurbishing those areas so that they can be used as extra living space or
storage. Likewise, areas under stairs can be repurposed into useful nooks for
clothes or books, and even rugs can be put to use hiding cables and wires. So,
bow your head to the ground and ask yourself if their are any low-down spaces
in your home that you’re neglecting to utilize.
10. Straighten.
When eyes see lines, they tend to
instinctively follow them. When the lines in your home are jumbled and
irregular, it gives the impression that the space itself is cramped and
chaotic. Inversely, lines that are long and straight make everything feel more
expansive. Try opening things up with a striped rug running the length of a
room, or painting stripes along your walls. You can also experiment with the
lines created by your furniture arrangement.
11. Modify
Last but not least, if you want to maximize
the space in your home, you’ve got to keep things from becoming stagnant.
After all, once something becomes overly common, it’s human nature for us to
trivialize it. Familiarity, as they say breeds contempt. So, spend some time
every six months or so and rearrange the things in your home. Try new colors on
the walls, and see if any of your furniture could stand to be replaced. A
change of scenery can do wonders for the overall feel of a home, and new space,
no matter how small, always feels fresh and open.
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