How to Live in a Small Space

You may live in a small place, but that doesn't have to mean that you should let the walls close in around you. Life can be particularly difficult if you live in a really confined space, such as a studio apartment. Here are some tips to make one room living more bearable.

Furnishing a small space

• Use pale, neutral colours to decorate your room, this will open up the walls and maximise the sense of space.
• Divide your space into different zones using screens, bookcases or large plants.
• Use a sofa-bed or futon or dress up your bed in the daytime to look like a sofa.
• Alternatively hide your bed above eye-level in a loft.
• Use furniture on casters, that way you can move you things around whenever you feel like changing the layout.
• Furnish your space with multifunctional furniture, such as a stool that functions as a storage box.
• Mount your TV and stereo on the wall to free up floor space.
• Use a pot-lid rack, (normally found in the kitchen), to hang magazines, books and files near your sofa or armchair.
• Put the empty space under a shelf to use by placing a few hooks underneath to hang cups, keys, bells or other decorative objects.
• Scatter matching small tables around the house, and put them together to make one long party table for special occasions.

Cooking and eating in a small space

• Free valuable counter space by mounting your microwave on a wall bracket.
• Install a pullout pantry in a small available space. It will make a huge difference in the amount of groceries you can stow away.
• Pick drop-leaf, gate-leg or adjustable-length tables that can change size depending on your needs.
• Use stools and chairs that can stack and be stored easily in closets or under tables.
• Mount brackets on the wall to hang folding chairs when you're not using them.

Storage solutions for a small space

• Use coffee tables that have shelves or storage space for hiding away extra remote controls, magazines and other clutter.
• Store loose items in baskets that can be stowed in bookshelves or wall units.
• Consider keeping your CDs, videos and electronic equipment in glass-enclosed units that protect them from dust.
• Pick bookshelves that measure between 22.5 and 47.5 cm (9 and 19 in) in width to accommodate a wide variety of book sizes. Store books upright, allowing for 2.5 cm (1 in.) between the top of the books and the next shelf.
• Make good use of any alcoves or recessed walls by lining them with shelves.
• Turn sturdy storage tables that hide your mess into extra seating by adding a pillow on top.
• Make use of the space under your bed by adding a pullout drawer, where you can put extra sheets and blankets.
• Store your clothes in a cloth-covered wardrobe if your bedroom doesn't have built-in wardrobes.
• Hang a clothes rod in the corner of your room and hide it with a curtain to protect your belongings from dust and add a decorative element.

If you put these tips into practice you will soon be maximising your space and living large, even in the smallest of spaces.