【12 Tips for More Spacious Living】

Small flats are a fact of life in city life. And no matter how big your home is, it seems like they never are quite big enough! Nowhere is that more true than in Hong Kong. With every square foot being so expensive, it is important that we make use and maximize every valuable inch of our homes.

Benefits of making the most out of our small spaces:

Coming home to a more relaxing space after a long day’s work.
Actually more space for things that are important to us
Better emotional well-being. Studies have shown that an enjoyable space enhances relationships with our families at home, while also furthering relationships outside our home. Well-being truly starts at home, and improving our homes often means improving our lives holistically.

Let’s see what The Editors Company – the professional interiror say about this

1）Keep clutter to a minimum by using furniture with storage functions

To keep a room feeling open, be sure not to go overboard with small accessories and belongings. Do display a few favourite objects, but otherwise you should stick to a clean and simple aesthetics.

We understand this is tricky to do in Hong Kong apartments. Therefore, we should make the most out of our furniture by choosing one with storage options.

Scandinavian design is know for furniture where form follows function to suit smalls spaces living.

Coffee table with storage
Ottoman with storage
Sofas with storage options
Desk or shelves that double up as a desk

2）Declutter your spaces

There is a strong trend towards de-cluttering to enhance emotional well-being.

A few tips in decluttering:

In the now famous words of Marie Kondo, ask whether something you own “sparks joy”. If yes, keep it. If no, throw it away. You’ll be surprised how many things you don’t need to keep.
Use of a (or a few) clutter baskets
Hide jewelry and knick knacks in boxes

3）Use wall shelves to draw the eyes upwards

By using shelves built-in on walls, you get two benefits. First, that can replace bulky bookshelves or TV units, but still serve your storage or display needs. Second, it will naturally draw your eyes upwards, creating a more spacious feeling.

4）Choose lighter colours for the wall and flooring

Dark colours make a space feel confining. If you’re not a fan of blank walls, select paint hues like light blues, light grays, pastels, or neutrals.

Another clever trick related to your wall colours, is to choose curtains of the same or similar colours. That way, the curtains will blend into the walls rather than intruding on the space available and making your living room look smaller.

5）Pull furniture away from the walls to create the illusion of spaciousness

Pushing furniture up against the wall makes everything look and feel cramped. Even just few inches in between the wall and your bigger items can make the space look more open.

In order to do this in your living room, you can even just pull the sofa a few inches away from the wall – it will create breathing room and make the space seem larger from the shadows created behind it. Or, if you have enough space, you can make use of a narrow console table or shelves behind the sofa.

6）Use rugs to separate one room into smaller spaces

This is especially useful in studios apartments, where you can use a few smaller rugs to separate the spaces so it appears you have more than one space than a large one.

7）Choose the right rug with the right patterns

Rug consideration 1：Just like vertical stripes on clothing, a striped rug will make your room appear longer. Orient the stripes to go the length of the room that is the longest for optimal effect. In other words, you can make your room look longer or wider!

(this can be applied to walls, paintings and curtains as well!)

Rug consideration 2：When selecting a rug for a snug space, consider a pattern with small repeats. This produces the optical illusion of spaciousness.

8）The Cantaloupe Rule

According to Sabrina Soto, a home style expert from Target, “Decorative accents smaller than a cantaloupe crowd a room”. Meaning that many pieces of home accessories would make the space feel crowded.

Try getting large colourful vases or lamps, large framed wall art or other pieces of décor that really take up some space. A few larger items will make a room look like there is much more “breathing room” and negative space.

9）Use glass or lucite furniture

Using furniture and other decorative accents that are made of glass or lucite helps to give the effect of a larger space. This is because they don’t take up too much “visual” space, and are also really stylish.

They are very modern and, because you can see through them, they contribute to a room having more “negative space” unlike wood or plastic furniture, which can seem like it’s cluttering an area. Glass and lucite also have the added benefit of being able to match any colour scheme.

10）Ditch the overhead lights

Harsh top-down lighting pools all the light in one space. Instead, use a few smaller lamps to spread the light around and draw the eye around the room.

You can make use of floor lamps, table lamps and task lighting to create this effect. Additionally, save floor and surface space by choosing a wall-mounted lamp, rather than floor or tables-standing lights.

11）Opt for Exposed Legs when it comes to sofas, cabinets and tablets

Sofas, cabinets and tables with a base can look boxy and bulky, making the space feel smaller and heavier. Instead, opt for furniture with exposed legs to create a more airy feeling.

12）Use Mirrors to Make Your Space Bigger and Brighter

Mirrors reflect light, which makes a space look larger than it actually is. Selecting mirrored paneling for cabinets or closet fronts is a great—but pricey—decorating choice. Mirrored furniture also works well, but it’s often expensive. If you’re strapped for cash, buy decorative mirrors and use them to adorn your walls. Another option? Hang a single large mirror above a headboard, couch, or desk.

Mirrors are very helpful by reflecting light in a space, making it look bigger than it really is.

Decorative mirrors on the wall are a relatively inexpensive option to achieve this effect. You can also hang a single large mirror above yours sofa or sideboard. Another option that gives a more laid-back look is to put a full body length mirror against the wall.

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