Working with Small Spaces

Living in a small home doesn’t have to feel cramped with these easy tricks for working with small spaces:

Remove Barriers

Opt for furniture with open legs to give a feeling of airiness. Avoid items such as sofas with skirts and instead go for exposed legs. For rooms such as the kitchen get rid of heavy, overbearing upper cabinets and choose islands that look more like furniture. Use open shelves instead of cabinets to open up spaces.

Optimize Every Centimeter

Look at your home and look for hidden opportunities where you can take advantage of even the smallest space. Look at bay windows to insert a desk or add extra seating with a window seat complete with storage. Consider knocking out the wall beneath a stair well to add storage or even to place a desk as a small office. Look at foyers where hooks can be added for storing coats if you do not have space for a closet.

Look Up

Ottawa contractors can often explore the ceiling and floor to see if you can add height. Height adds a feeling of spaciousness and can also give way to areas for further storage such as bulk head upper cabinets. This works as long as you have extra ceiling height but can look crowded in standard room heights. You can also consider exposing your attic area for cathedral ceilings or creating an additional small loft style room.

Add More Light

Natural light is the small home’s best friend. Look for ways to bring in more natural light with light weight curtains as well as using mirrors to reflect light back into darker rooms. Mirrors also help to add the illusion of more space. Light installed along the perimeter of the ceiling brightens and lightens.

Camouflage

Ottawa contractors can add built-ins that blend into the walls to keep a space feeling open and hide clutter. You can also camouflage walls with vertical lines using beadboard or wallpaper (or a paint effect) that will add height to rooms that feel crowded. A large geometric wallpaper on a small wall at the end of the hall can often provide a sense of space as well.

Glass

Choose accent pieces with glass surfaces to keep things light. Glass tables such as coffee, dining and accent will open up a room. Your home will suddenly open up with these easy tips designed for spacious living.  To get in touch to schedule renovations, you can fill out an online form or give us a call at (613) 727-9427