As much as many of us would like to, it’s not that likely that you’re going to end up living in a huge mansion. Now, that’s not even necessarily a bad thing. After all, a huge mansion is often a lot of extra rooms to clean and a seriously expensive proposition overall. For those of us with slightly more limited budgets, everything from the classic studio apartment to a cosy family home are much more suitable. However, one thing that does often cause problems for a lot of people living in those kinds of situations is a matter of space. The vast majority of people bemoan the fact that they simply don’t have enough space in their homes. However, despite how common this complaint is, it’s one that’s often much easier to solve than a lot of people suspect. While you might feel like the only way to increase the amount of space that you have is to move to somewhere completely new, the reality is that you can make room for yourself and even a whole family within the smallest of spaces. Here are just a few things that you can try in order to really make the most of whatever limited space you may have in your home.

Choose your room layout carefully

It’s incredibly common that a lot of people tend to only ever think about the layout of the rooms in their home once when they first move in, and never again. Not only that but people often tend to stick with whatever seems most obvious, or whatever layout previous owners or tenants had used. However, just because something is the most obvious use of a space doesn’t mean that it’s the most effective. There are a few simple things to keep an eye out for when you’re trying to change up the layout of a room to maximize space. One thing is to focus on sight lines. If it feels like your line of sight is constantly being interrupted, then that’s a sign that you’re not using the space in a room properly. Similarly, it’s a good idea to think about the flow of a room. If you can’t feel the way in which different rooms flow into each other, then there might be something wrong with the layout. That might sound like something of a strange and nebulous concept, but it’s the kind of thing that you can just feel when you walk into a room, as long as you’re paying close enough attention.

[Photo courtesy of Max Vakhtbovych/pexels.com]

Maximize your storage

Storage is often a serious issue for a lot of people. Whether you live in a three bedroom house or a studio apartment, you’re almost certainly going to end up feeling like you don’t have as much storage space as you would like. However, the reality is that, far from not having enough storage space, it’s actually much more likely that you’re just not using the space properly. And cupboards or closets in your home could probably contain many more things than they do if you just made an effort to organise them a little more. The issue that a lot of people tend to make is that they treat these kinds of storage solutions like some kind of dumping ground, simply throwing things into them at random without really considering how the space is being used. It might be tempted to take something of an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to your storage, but if you think about it carefully and avoid just dumping things into cupboards, then you’re going to get a lot more out of it.

Embrace minimalism

Even if you’re not what some people would call a “hoarder”, there’s a still a pretty good chance that you just have too much stuff. Now, this might not be spilling out of wardrobes and covering up the floor, but it’s likely that you don’t need nearly as many of your possessions as you think. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, humans are naturally a very sentimental species, and it’s in our nature to hold onto things that have meaning and importance to us. However, there comes a time when things spill over from being sentimental to being downright ridiculous. After all, you might want to hold onto a gift that your partner gave you for your anniversary, but do you really need a drawer full of every ticket stub and receipt from every date you’ve ever been on? It’s great to carry memories of trips you’ve taken, but if you’re filling up all of your shelves with knick knacks and souvenirs, then things are going to start looking pretty cluttered. Try embracing some more minimalist design ideas, and you’re almost certain to find that even the smallest space feels a whole lot bigger.

Use light

Making a space feeling bigger is actually one of best things that you can do. After all, you can’t exactly knock through a wall and add an extension to a third-floor apartment. One of the very best ways to make a room feel bigger than it is is to use light as much as possible. If you’ve ever walked into someone’s home and felt as though the place was incredibly cramped, despite how large it actually was, there’s a pretty good chance it was because of a lack of decent lighting. Bringing more light into a room can make even the tiniest space feel cavernous. Natural light is, of course, the very best option and you should make sure that you can get as much natural light into every room as possible. But when that’s not possible make sure that you’re keeping each room well illuminated while also tailoring the kind of light to each room. Colder, bright lights are better for kitchens and bathrooms, while slightly softer and warmer lights are much better for the bedroom where you want to create the most relaxing atmosphere possible.

Get creative

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

If you look up any notable examples of people living in incredibly small spaces, then the one thing that is immediately striking is just how creative they are forced to get with things like storage. After all, if you’ve only got a footprint of a few square feet, large bookcases aren’t exactly something you can accommodate. So why not use things like floating bookshelves to not only use space in a more interesting and vertical way but also to use them as decorations. Or perhaps you can use an entire wall of a room as a place to stack things like books. That way it because something of a feature of the room, rather than a problem brought about by a lack of space. It’s also a good idea to think in multiple directions. A lot of the time people only ever tend to think horizontally in the homes, so why not try thinking vertically instead? Rather than trying to spread things out in your home, use all of that space going up to the ceiling that is otherwise just going to completely to waste!

Unify your style

One of the toughest things about living in a small space is that it can often feel incredibly chaotic. This means that it can be difficult to relax, even in your own home, and you end up feeling tense a lot of the time. One of the very best ways to avoid this feeling is to create a unified style throughout your home. Rather than thinking of each room as an entity, completely distinct from all of the others, think of them as parts of the same whole. Not only will this allow you to create a much more cohesive sense of style and design, but it will make each room feel as though they flow into the next in ways that you may well not have been able to before. This not only makes the place feel larger but creates a much more calm, relaxing environment than feeling as though you’re constantly juggling a bunch of different styles all mashed into one incredibly small space.

Make the most of your furniture

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Furniture can be a tricky proposition for a lot of people living in very small homes because it tends to take up a lot of room. Beds and couches are often so large that they completely dominate any room that they’re in. However, instead of seeing this as an inherently bad thing, why not embrace it? Make your couch into a statement piece in the centre of your living room? That way, rather than overpowering a room, it becomes a focal point that the room revolves around. This not only creates a much greater sense of visual interest to your home but also makes the areas around it seem much more distinct as well. Of course, you don’t want to go too far with this. The key is to keep things to a minimum. A large couch can be a great statement piece, but you really don’t want to end up with a room filled with chairs and couches when you’re already struggling for space. Bigger and better furniture is great, but you should try and use less of it wherever you can.

When you run out of room at home, it can feel like the end of the world. And if you’ve ever suffering from a lack of space, you’ll know that’s no exaggeration. Living in clutter can be one of the most frustrating things ever. Not only can it make you feel stressed and claustrophobic, but you may also find that your entire family is always stepping on each other’s toes. But, you don’t have to let it drive you crazy. Instead, you need to take action. When you finally think that enough is enough and you need more room, here’s what to do.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Have A Huge Clear Out

The first step is probably the most obvious one, but it’s also the one that we all tend to avoid. Having a clear out can be one of the most stressful things you go through. Not only does it make your space problem worse to start with, it means you have to live in mess for a while. But, remember, it’s for the greater good. So get to work. Start small, take it room by room and be sure to get rid of anything you don’t need.

[Photo courtesy of ATBO/pexels.com]

Organize Your Spaces

Then, as you start to free up a bit more space, you’re going to want to make sure that you work to organize everything a bit better. It’s often a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the long run. You’re going to want to make sure that you’re using all of your rooms for the best purpose. If you have to switch around bedrooms, living spaces and storage spaces, do it. If it means that your home is more harmonious, it’s always worth the work.

Do Some DIY

Next, you might want to think about doing some DIY. When you lack in space, you’re going to want to do what you can to change that. So, put up some shelves, add in storage and even start to build some more cupboards if you need to. You’ll find that you’re able to live a little more clutter free when you do.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Add Additional Options

If that’s not enough, you may need to think outside of the box – and even outside of the home. Sometimes, you need to add storage to your yard or elsewhere on your property to make things work. Look into the cost of metal building options or even for a wooden construction that you can add outside. Not only could it be for storage, but it may give you a space to work from if you need home space for storage.

Extend Your Home

And finally, you may also want to think about extending your home. If you have the budget, getting an extension can be a great idea to add more space. You may want to go for a single story to increase your living space or add a garage, or even double to add more bedrooms. If can also be a great option if your family is growing and you need to house more children.

If you live in Britain, you’ll know that houses don’t always have the largest floor plans. As a result, many people are looking for ways to expand their living space into the outdoors. There are all sorts of ways to do this from installing a patio to getting decking, to creating an entire outdoor kitchen. Have a look at some of these tips to get the most out of your back garden.

Invest In Amazing Furniture

[Photo courtesy of  Wicker Paradise/flickr.com]

Garden furniture has come a long way in the last decade or so. We have moved well beyond simple wrought-iron furniture and wooden tables. Now it is possible to get outdoor furniture that is actually comfortable and relaxing.  One of the most popular types of garden furniture is rattan furniture. This is made out of the kind of plastic vinyl that is both comfortable and resists the weather at the same time. You can also get outdoor cushions which are waterproof and won’t rot if left out in the rain. Most people keep their outdoor furniture under some type of cover, but given the quality of modern materials, this isn’t actually necessary. What’s more, modern furniture looks great too.

Make Your Patio Enormous

[Photo courtesy of Field Outdoor Spaces/flickr.com]

Back in the 1990s, patios were all the rage. But their idea of what made a good patio was something which is actually quite small. However, if you want to make your outdoor space function as a kitchen, a dining room or a living area then, you’ll want to make sure that it is actually big enough for this purpose. Go to a local vendor, like George Hill Builders yard,  find some patio tiles and then surround the entire area with gravel and plant beds. Doing this will help make your patio area look larger and get the most out of your space.

Connect Outdoor Spaces To Indoor Spaces

During the depths of winter, most people don’t want to spend time out in the garden. But connecting outdoor and indoor spaces means that you can take advantage of your outdoor space all year long.  One idea is to use decking in the same style as your interior flooring for a seamless outdoor, indoor look.  The decking itself can then be skirted with some railings and be connected to the interior space using retractable doors. Decking has come down a lot in price over the last few years, and has become much more affordable for families.

Hire A Professional

[Photo courtesy of rhyslud/pixabay.com]

If you are an expert DIYer, you may be tempted to lay down your own patio. This is fine for small areas which aren’t too technical. But if you want to pave a larger area, you’ll need help from a professional. Professionals are experts at grading the landscape in such a way that is just right for water to be directed away from your home and to avoid destroying your foundations. In some situations, it might also be necessary for you to build a retaining wall to hold back moisture from your garden. Always shop around for the best quote.