3 Tips for Creating Space in your Home
It’s safe to say that we’ve all spent a bit more time at home than usual over the past year. While it can be lovely to catch up at home together, having everyone in the house all at the same time can really make you aware of things like how much space there is for you all to enjoy your home – or how little space there seems to be when everyone is spending all their time at home! If you’re starting to feel like the walls are closing in on you a bit, here are 3 quick tips to create more space in your home.
Declutter
We’ve all got drawers of junk or one too many jackets we don’t wear in our wardrobes, right? One of the best things you can do to start creating more space in your home is to declutter and get rid of some of the stuff that’s taking up valuable room. Go room by room and do a big (and ruthless) sweep of your house and see what items you can sell, pass on to friends or donate to charity.
If there are lots of things that you don’t need at the moment, but want to keep for the future then see if you can store them somewhere. These might be things like baby and toddler items that your child has grown out of but you plan to use again as your family grows, or pass on to your children’s children. You might be able to stash these things away in the attic, or you could look into using a self storage unit. Places like Now Storage in Reading can give you short and long-term storage options, so you can keep your belongings safely tucked away for as long as you need. The great thing about using a storage unit like this is that it gets things out of the house, but you can still access them whenever you need to.
Get crafty with storage solutions in your own home
Clearing out the stuff you don’t need only goes so far – there are things you may not feel you can live without that you still don’t quite have the space for. You can still create more space by getting creative with how you store everything that’s left.
Think about the different places in your home where you can tuck things away in hidden storage boxes. You can get containers in various sizes to fit underneath beds and sofas that are great for storing all sorts of items, from out of season clothing to toys and puzzles.
Another great option is to use pieces of furniture that double up as storage. So things like ottomans that can be used as footstools or extra seating, but can also store quite a bit of stuff that would otherwise clutter up the room. You can also get some great coffee tables that lift up to reveal hidden storage space that you can use for magazines, remotes, coasters and all sorts of other bits and pieces.
Create the illusion of more space
Once you’ve done all you can to declutter and store things away it might feel like there’s nothing else you can do to get more space in your home.
There are a few things you can try though, to at least give the illusion of more space. Painting the walls and ceilings a lighter colour is a great place to start. Painting walls, trimmings and ceilings the same colour helps them all sort of blend together, creating the illusion of higher ceilings and more space.
Hanging mirrors around the house is another brilliant way to make it seem more spacious.
It’s also worth looking at the visual clutter that’s on the walls and vertical surfaces of your home. Think about clearing the photos, artwork and magnets that might be cluttering up the front and sides of your fridge. And if you have a noticeboard hanging up, see what you can do to reduce the amount of things pinned to it.
You don’t have to take all the personality out of your home, just edit it down a bit. You can get great frames that let you display a piece of your child’s artwork while storing other pieces inside, which you can rotate or update now and then instead of having all their work on show at the same time.
Hopefully these ideas will help if you’ve been feeling a bit hemmed in at home.
What is your best tip for creating more space in a busy home?
