A guest blog by Landmark Lofts
Design thrives in large spaces. The reason for this is that it’s easier to experiment with colours, contrasts, patterns, lighting, styles and furniture pieces when you’ve got a large, open canvas to work with.
However, that doesn’t mean that your small space can’t shine just as brightly. Apart from designing an artificial lighting scheme that works to the room’s strengths, there are a handful of tried and tested techniques you can use to make your small room appear bigger, brighter and more spacious than it actually is. Employing just one or two of these techniques will transform your small room into one that’s more comfortable to live in and also one that contributes towards a higher price tag on your home when the times comes to sell.
Here are our top 5 techniques for transforming that small, dank space of yours into a room you’ll want to throw a (medium-sized) party in:
1. Embrace natural light. Not only is it free, but natural light works wonders when it comes to opening up a space and making it look and feel bigger. If the room in question has access to natural light, take advantage of it by installing the largest windows and skylights you can get your hands on.
2. Colour carefully. In case you didn’t already know, dark colours make objects – and people, incidentally – look smaller and light colours make them appear larger. The same applies for spaces, wherein light colours make a room look big, bright and airy and dark colours absorb light and zap space. Whites and creams make for a great base from which to add in pockets of colour snippets of you so you really can’t go wrong with them.
3. Be reflective. Where possible, opt for furniture and fittings that have shiny and reflective surfaces to increase the capacity for natural light to bounce around the room. It goes without saying that mirrors work like a charm in this respect, especially when placed opposite windows and doorways because they enhance the sensation of openness.
4. Snap up some versatile furniture pieces. Furniture that has two or more purposes is ideal for small spaces because it means that you don’t have to deck your room out with as many items that guzzle space.
5. Get storage-savvy. Disorganised and messy spaces can appear cramped and smaller than they actually are. Even in tiny rooms, there are plenty of opportunities for you to sneak in some clever storage solutions without taking up valuable living space, for example by installing some custom-built drawers or cupboards in the eaves space or purchasing some big, clear boxes and fitting them to runners that go under your desk or bed.
Landmark Lofts is the only Chartered Building Company specialising in loft conversions and home extensions in London and the surrounding areas.
Images – Landmark Lofts
