Do you feel cramped in your apartment or studio? But have you optimized your accommodation well? There are a few tricks to gaining valuable square footage and taking advantage of every corner of a small space. Choosing the right furniture, using adequate storage, investing in the walls and the heights… In reality, you have to be cunning and show some ingenuity to create a real cozy little nest that will have nothing to envy to the biggest houses. Discover our 5 golden rules to save space and optimize your small home!
RULE #1: CHOOSE SPACE-SAVING FURNITURE FOR SMALL SPACES
The choice of furniture is crucial for the development of a small space. Certain pieces of furniture are indeed to be preferred to fully optimize your apartment and avoid unnecessary loss of precious square meters. Among them, foldable, stackable or even transformable furniture! A brief overview of this life-changing furniture.
STACKABLE FURNITURE
Stackable furniture is a must-have for small spaces. Whether they are chairs, stools or even coffee tables, they have the advantage of being very easy to store by fitting one above the other. Real Russian decorating dolls, you will take great pleasure in storing them!
FOLDABLE FURNITURE
A must have for small apartments, collapsible furniture isn’t what it used to be. We forget the unattractive furniture that we stored in the garage, now make way for designer chairs or tables with elegant and super modern lines! Today, designers compete in imagination to create modern products that fit perfectly into all styles of decoration.
TRANSPARENT FURNITURE
Transparent furniture is the ally of small spaces because it will visually declutter your room. Thanks to its clarity, your small space will suddenly seem much larger. Whether you opt for a table, a console or transparent chairs, the result will be there! The three ideal materials for such a rendering are glass, plexi or polycarbonate!
FURNITURE WITH BUILT-IN STORAGE
If you tend to run out of space, furniture with built-in storage is surely what you need! With a drawer or other storage space, it will save you space for sure by allowing you to store your belongings!
MODULAR FURNITURE
With these smart pieces of furniture, modulate your space according to your needs and your use for an apartment that bends to your desires. Today modular furniture is designed by designers and manufacturers who put style and practicality in the spotlight, so why deprive yourself of it? Discover our selection of essentials below!
EXTENDABLE TABLES
The extendable table is the ally of those who love conviviality and who live in tight spaces. With it, you no longer need to limit the number of guests. All you have to do is opt for a table with extensions to invite all the people you want! You will be able to enlarge your table for a moment to enjoy good meals with all your loved ones. Once the meal is over, all you have to do is fold down the extensions and move freely around your apartment again.
DOUBLE FUNCTION TRANSFORMABLE FURNITURE
You do not have enough space to install several pieces of furniture in your living rooms? Opt for modular furniture! Also called convertible furniture, the latter is clever and generally very aesthetic. He will help you when you need him. Among the must-haves is the shelving desk, which is ideal for optimizing the space in your apartment. With it, you can kill two birds with one stone: store your things and work there! A little gem of practicality, this small space table is unavoidable. Many manufacturers offer models that are each more beautiful than the next. There is something for all tastes and all needs. This ranges from the lifting table that adapts to your height so that it can be used as a coffee table as well as a dining table, as well as the essential sofa bed.
RULE N°2: THE WALLS, A SPACE ALSO FOR STORAGE!
To free up space on the floor, all you have to do is look up and take over the walls! Small spaces often need a lot of storage so as not to burden the environment and weigh down the decoration. Gaining height is THE solution to gaining precious square meters easily. To exploit forgotten places, nothing better than using wall shelves that allow you to multiply the storage areas!
MAKE THE MOST OF THE SPACE WITH FLOOR-TO-CEILING STORAGE
To arrange an XXS space, do not just look at the space available on the floor. You can use the walls as storage space and free up space in your apartment. Vertical storage is not only super practical but also allows you to elegantly dress your walls. Do not hesitate to use cupboards and XXL shelves which will free up your surface and give a real impression of grandeur to your apartment.
OPTIMIZING YOUR BEDROOM: STORAGE ABOVE THE BED
Have you thought about optimizing the space around your bed? You can indeed put shelves, decorative cubes or even a simple shelf above your sleeping area with a lamp and a few books. It is a very practical alternative that is used to decorate while serving as a hanging piece of furniture. In the same way, also think about optimizing the space under your bed by integrating storage.
SMALL SPACE TIP: CORNER SHELVES
The angles are generally forgotten and unused corners in our homes. To optimize a mini space, it is however necessary to take advantage of all the corners of its environment. This is why we completely fall for corner shelves, true allies for small surfaces. Ideal for setting up a discreet and practical work area, putting your decorative objects on it or serving as a bookcase, this type of shelving fits in just as well in a living room, as a bedroom or even a bathroom. You can find several types of corner shelves: design that winds along a wall, built-in, geometric or more classic… Another option: make your own shelf yourself for custom storage that will adapt perfectly to your the configuration of your apartment.
RULE #3: OPT FOR COLORS THAT ENLARGE THE SPACE
Color of the walls, furniture or even decorative accessories… everything must be thought out! If white makes it possible to visually enlarge a room, color is not to be avoided for small spaces, it is even welcome! Bright and colorful tones will help to energize your rooms and make you forget about their surface area!
WHITE TO BRING A MAXIMUM OF LIGHT!
White is a safe bet for mini spaces. If we love it on the walls of small rooms, it’s because it brings light and creates a real feeling of grandeur. But think again! It’s not just bright white that can brighten up your living room and add square footage to it. A nice off-white or more generally neutral tones can enlarge a room while giving a little more character to the decoration.
DARE TO USE COLOR SCHEMES FOR YOUR SMALL ROOMS
For the more daring, you can also opt for more peppy colors, which will give character to your space while making you forget about its small dimensions. To give a feeling of depth to your room, there’s nothing better than painting the side walls a bright or dark color and leaving the back wall light. This trick gives a perspective effect and lengthens your living space.
WE SAY YES TO COLOR ON FURNITURE!
In terms of colors, the walls are not the only ones to be taken into account. The furniture can also be adorned with its most beautiful colors and help to optimize its space! And yes, choosing colorful furniture can divert attention to the surface of your apartment and give a feeling of grandeur. Get collection now at Homary! Whether you opt for a pretty fuchsia pink or chick yellow armchair, an almond green chair or a midnight blue sofa, we guarantee that you will only have eyes for your beautiful furniture and you will forget about your square meters.
RULE N°4: DELIMIT SPACES IN THE SAME ROOM
When you live in a studio, it is not always easy to have your kitchen, living room, office or sleeping area coexist in the same room. However, with a few simple tips, it is very easy to set up!
THE COLOR ON THE WALLS TO DISSOCIATE THE DIFFERENT SPACES OF A ROOM
We have seen that the color of your walls can impact the representation we have of your space. When you have a single room that brings together different uses, color also has a role to play in separating one of your spaces from the rest of your room. Whether it’s the office, the living room or the kitchen, using a solid color or graphic patterns is the ideal solution. In addition to separating the different spaces, it gives character to the decor of your apartment.
DEFINE THE SPACE WITH YOUR FURNITURE
The other trick to separating two places within the same room is to use furniture. The high table is, for example, ideal as a border between a kitchen and the lounge area. This can also be, for example, an armchair or even an openwork shelf. The possibilities are many! The classic small space furniture is not the only ally!
SEPARATE FLOOR SPACES WITH A RUG
On the floor, the simplest solution to separate two spaces is to use a rug! This will materialize your space. You can choose a rug with a flat color or a graphic pattern for an even stronger look.
RULE N°5: CREATE PERSPECTIVE TO VISUALLY ENLARGE THE SPACE!
Giving perspective to your room will influence the representation you have of it. Thanks to it, it will seem much larger to you! Here are some of the best techniques to enlarge your room using perspective.
ACCESSORIZE YOUR HOME WITH MIRRORS
The mirror gives depth to all rooms in the apartment. However, it should be chosen wisely. We advise you to install it above a low piece of furniture so that it is at your height or to use a large mirror leaning against your wall. Its reflection will give the impression that your room extends into another.
PLAY WITH THE COLOR OF YOUR WALLS
We said it before, painting the side walls and leaving the back wall white gives perspective to your room. It will seem to you in a few brush strokes much longer and therefore larger.
CREATE AN OPENING ON ANOTHER ROOM WITH A CANOPY OR A TRELLIS
If you like to tinker and you are not afraid of the work, installing a glass roof or a trellis to open your room to another can be a clever solution. Your room will potentially gain clarity if the second room is bright and you will feel less cramped.
OPEN YOUR ROOM TO THE OUTSIDE
An opening to the outside is ideal for a beautiful perspective. If you don’t have a window at the end of your room and you’re ready to start work, why not create an opening directly to your garden? Eyes will be captured by this one and your room will appear much larger. If the opening is on your terrace or balcony, putting a floor similar to that of your room can be interesting to visually enlarge your space.
THE WALLPAPER AS TROMPE L’OEIL
The alternative to the window on the outside remains the wallpaper used in trompe l’oeil. Choose a beautiful visual of nature that will play the same role as your garden! Be careful, however, not to opt for colors that are too bright at the risk of weighing down your wall.