11 Ways to Optimize Space – Combat The Space Crunch.

The rising cost of real estate is continuously making it more and more difficult to be able to afford more spacious homes. A home brought by your parents or grandparents often becomes smaller as the members of your family increase or as children grow up. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the space crunch became even more evident for many families because everyone was stuck at their homes.

This makes saving space in your homes as much as possible – because a square foot of space saved is a square foot of space earned. It is also important for your home to visually look bigger to ward off feeling claustrophobic – being suffocated in a cramped space. Here are some tips you can use to make your house look bigger. 

1. Keep it minimal.

Minimalism is the key – only keep what is essential. Look at your space and determine what pieces of furniture you cannot do without, and begin from there. And if it looks too bare, you can always decorate the space with art pieces and plants. These provide a sense of luxury without taking up too much space. 

2. Use subtle contrast 

Contrast, if not done well can create a sense of fullness in a space where we don’t want it. Contrast should be used very gently, only to introduce a sense of balance of coolness and warmth. While contrast works great in defining huge spaces by giving character and introducing a sense of playfulness, it plays a negative role in smaller spaces. 

3. Monotones go a long way

Using one colour works best in smaller spaces since it minimizes the effects of corners and gives the illusion of a space being considerably bigger than it originally is. Another helpful tip is also painting the ceiling the same colour as the wall. It helps not only in the space looking wider but also taller.

Both dark and light colours can be used, as both of them help solve the same purpose using different strategies. Light colour helps the space look bigger because of having higher reflective capabilities while dark colour helps the space look bigger because of the ability to mask the shadows. 

4. Use sleek furniture 

Furniture is the element that takes up the space in your home. What makes a space look bigger is the visible floor space. Avoid bulky furniture. Low furniture with sleek legs helps make a space look considerably less crowded. It doesn’t hinder the vision of the space beyond and thus does not make the room look small.  Mid-century modern-style furniture often helps solve the problem in cramped spaces. If required furniture can also be propped onto the wall. TV units, work desks and even shelves can be propped on the wall to minimize the floor space used by the furniture. Using fabrics and leathers on the furniture complimentary to the wall colours can help emphasise the spaciousness. An additional benefit of these is that they’re also often low maintenance. 

5. Use Glass

Glass can be used on Shelves, Dining-tables, Side-tables, and Centre-tables amongst other pieces of furniture. While it adds to the usable space, the ability to allow light to pass through it allows for the line of sight to not be hindered. That helps make a space look bigger. Even though the space beyond it might not be considerably big, its effects are dramatic. 

6. Use Mirrors

Using large mirrors in spaces is a game changer. A mirror spanning the length of a wall can make the space look twice as big. Mirrors are also great in minimising the use of artificial lighting because of their reflecting capabilities. There are numerous ways you can use mirrors in any space. Everything from using tinted mirrored walls to a framed mirror collage can help make a space look larger. Using it in actively used spaces helps increase the impact of the effect. 

7. Make use of Natural Light

The easiest and cheapest way to make a space look big and airy is by welcoming natural light. Big windows in smaller spaces allow the outside to become a part of the interiors and help a lot with space perception. Avoid blocking your windows with furniture. Avoiding drapes altogether would be the most optimum, but if you also want privacy, it is important to use light-coloured or transparent fabrics. Light-coloured blinds take up less volume and thus can be helpful too. 

8. Introduce Artificial Light 

Natural light can only be helpful half of the day. Introducing artificial lights that are accurately positioned can allow the spaces to be adequately lit, consequently avoiding shadows. There should not be a contrast between well-lit and dimly lit spaces as it causes an increase in contrast and makes spaces look small. You can introduce lights in various ways as accent lighting, wall lights, Lamps etc. 

9. Accentuate the Vertical / Horizontal

Spaces are seldom entirely small but have smaller lengths, widths or heights. You can solve this by emphasising the smaller dimension. Linear patterns along the smaller dimension, such as using wallpapers or panels can help look the dimension look longer than it is. You can use Vertical lines for smaller heights and horizontal lines for smaller lengths. 

10. Clear Paths

In smaller spaces, you should keep furniture away from the walls to avoid shadows and add an illusion of space. But if this causes hindrances in the movement paths across the homes, it can be a negative point. It creates a sensation of fullness. You can avoid it by using wall-propped furniture or aligning furniture to the walls.

11. Use Light Fabric 

Heavy and dark Fabrics make a space look considerably smaller than they are. Using light fabrics for furniture or drapes can help avoid that. Using airy fabrics for drapes acts as a balance in providing the best balance between lightness and privacy. 

Making a space look bigger is all about making the best use of available space and furniture. Having the right balance for it all and making optimum use of these strategies will help your space look considerably big and airy, and also thus help improve your mood!