Whether you live by yourself and wish you didn’t feel so cramped or you live with a family and need more space for people to move around, most of us wish our homes had a little more space. There are a couple of obvious solutions to this; for example, you could pack up and move to a bigger house. But if it’s not within your means to move at this time, you’ll need to work with what you have.
Fortunately, there are several options you have to make your home seem more spacious or offer more physical space, all without having to move.
Declutter
First, spend some time decluttering. It’s one of the simplest and most intuitive steps you can take, but it also happens to be one of the most effective.
Clutter accumulates easily, especially in the most heavily-trafficked areas of the house. It makes us feel cramped and reduces the amount of physical space we have to navigate. If you’re intimidated at the thought of decluttering, try to focus only on one room at a time, or only one type of possession to declutter (like clothes or books).
Your goal here is to remove any objects that are occupying space unnecessarily, and permanently get rid of any objects you probably aren’t going to need or want in the future. There are several approaches you can take here, but one common choice is to get rid of any object that you haven’t used or thought about in the past year.
Hopefully, decluttering will allow you to get rid of a carload (or multiple carloads) of things you no longer need. With those objects out of the house, you’ll instantly feel relief—and your internal space will start to seem bigger.
Organize
You’ll still have plenty of objects around the house, however, and if you’re like most of us, many of them are either strewn about or disorganized.
From here, the best tool you have is smarter organization. Employ the use of shelves, drawers, and storage containers to keep your objects intelligently sorted—and more importantly, out of the way. Every type of object in your home should have a designated resting place, which will make it easier to stay organized and decluttered in the future. If you can accomplish this consistently, you’ll have almost instant access to more room.
Finish Extra Space
If you have a home with “extra” space, like an attic or a basement, you may be able to finish that space to turn it into an additional room. For example, if you clean up the attic and improve its functionality and appearance, you may be able to use it as a bedroom, a workout room, or whatever else you want.
Invest in More Outdoor Space
Assuming you have the means and control over the exterior of your property, you could also invest in more outdoor space. For example, you could build a shed or an additional garage; these outdoor units are useful for long-term storage, which can free up significant room in your house.
Improve Room Functionality
Next, you’ll want to spend time improving or augmenting the functionality of the different rooms in your home. In many cases, you can make better use of existing rooms, or “combine” the functions of two different rooms to reduce the total amount of space you need. For example, you could move your home office into the master bedroom, freeing up an additional room to be used as you see fit.
Create the Illusion of More Space
If these steps weren’t enough to make your home feel more spacious, you can create the illusion of more space with these techniques:
· Furniture. Consider rearranging the furniture. Depending on how much physical space you have to work with and what pieces of furniture you own, you may be able to make a room feel more open and more walkable with a few smart tweaks. Experiment and see which positions allow for better flow and personal perceptions.
· Mirrors. Did you know that a well-placed mirror can instantly make your room feel twice as big? It’s an illusion, of course, but it provides a psychological benefit. Invest in the biggest, widest mirrors you can, and place them on a far wall.
· Colors and decor. You can also make a room feel bigger and more spacious with the right choice of colors and décor. For example, brighter colors tend to make a room feel bigger.
These steps should go a long way to making you feel more comfortable in your own home. With more perceived space, you’ll feel more relaxed, and you’ll have more room to engage with your family (and the people you have over). And eventually, if you choose to sell your property, you might be able to fetch a higher price for it.
