9 Ways to Make the Most Out of a Small Home or Apartment

Whether you’re living in a small house out of necessity or prefer small living spaces, a tiny house comes with its unique set of difficulties.

The typical storage and design rules don’t apply to small homes. However, this doesn’t mean that you should live in a house full of clutter.

The following tips should help transform your place from claustrophobic to comfortable:

9 Ways to Make the Most Out of a Small Home or Apartment

1. Start Streamlining Your Stuff

Living in a small house presents an excellent chance to go over your belongings and get rid of non-essential stuff. These can include old receipts, magazines, or clothes you no longer use.

Holding onto unnecessary items only makes your house cluttered and untidy, so minimizing clutter will make your space feel larger.

2. Practise Organisation

Some lucky individuals are born with exceptional organisational skills. If your skills are average or below average, proper organising can be a nightmare.

That notwithstanding, small spaces require tip-top organisation, so finding creative ways to organise your tiny home is critical.

You could start with open shelving in your kitchen to give it a spacious feel or increase floor space by lofting your bed.

3. Take Advantage of Colour

Whether you own a small house or you’re just renting it, painting is among the simplest and most cost-effective methods you can use to change the feel and look of your home.

Use brighter hues if you want your house to seem bigger. Alternatively, apply dark colours to broaden space and make them appear bigger.

For house decor, go with neutral tones as they do an excellent job of visually expanding every room. Pops of texture and colour could also make your house more appealing.

Note: use loud patterns or large prints sparingly as they can make your space feel smaller.

4. Keep Your Space Tidy at All Times

Leaving a few things out of place in a small house can make it seem messy. Keeping your house tidy will be simple if you’ve already decluttered your home and have an organizational system in place.

Small spaces produce an instant clutter effect that motivates you to always clean instead of waiting for things to go overboard.

5. Choose Some Smart Designs

Apart from colour, design can also significantly impact the appearance of your tiny house. As a general rule of thumb, you should always opt for furniture to make your living space appear bigger.

Go for low seats, which can give a high ceiling illusion or go for furniture with slender and exposed legs instead of slipcovers, as they’ll create the illusion of a larger space.

And when buying furniture for your home, you should consider getting insurance. If your home or any of the furniture gets damaged, you will want to be covered to avoid incurring hefty repair costs as your insurance will cover them.

Shelves, chairs and tables in glass, wire mesh and acrylic are lighter to the eye, and open shelves appear less bulky than cabinets.  

Even though tiny houses require small furnishings, include some large pieces here and there so that your house doesn’t look like a dollhouse.

6. Pick Multipurpose Furniture

Having multi-purpose furniture is the best way to go into a small house. Your big kitchen island can double up as a dining table, use a trunk as a coffee table, or place hooks on bookshelf sides.

Other highly functional options include fold-out desks and sleeper sofas. The general idea is to have multi-purpose furniture while still not compromising style.

7. Get Creative With Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the biggest challenge (as streamlining kitchen equipment is essential), particularly if you like cooking and have a massive collection of tools.

However, you can also maximise your space using crafty storage solutions.

Try using drawer dividers, tilt-out dustbins, backsplash storage together with DIY storage solutions and over-the-door storage racks.

8. Take Advantage of Light

Maximizing natural light is among the easiest ways to make your house appear bigger.

If windows are scarce, hang a big mirror opposite a window to multiply its effect. If your home is private enough, you can use light and airy materials for your curtains.

9. Start Embracing Excellent Outdoors

It doesn’t matter where you live; an excellent way to reduce the pressure of living in a small house, mainly if it’s a shared space, is to embrace the excellent outdoors.

Add a deck to make your living space bigger and if this is impossible, try going for regular walks in a nearby park or trail.

While this won’t make your space feel bigger, it’ll help you appreciate it more once you arrive home.  

Start Making the Most Out of Your Small Home

Maximising space in a small apartment is quite simple. First, ensure that your house is always tidy and organized.

You can also invest in multi-purpose furniture and take advantage of natural lighting to make your home look bigger.