Got A Small Home? Make It Large

If you have a small apartment, you could be going back to a very cozy and inviting home, we are sure. Yet, if you ever feel crammed, it is quite possible to make your small home look large and elegant without compromising on the furniture, fittings and aesthetics.

Here are a few design ideas for the décor enthusiasts like you:

1. Bigger, taller and longer: There are ways to make a small home appear better. One way is to wallpaper the ceiling or paint it in a neat, light colour. That draws away attention from the space around, creating the illusion of a tall room. If you are using carpets, prefer stripes that make the room look longer than it may be. Light up the room in different ways with many light fittings across the room that light up the dark spaces. If you have windows, open them up and use simple and soft-coloured curtains. Use light-coloured paints on the walls too. More light, more illusion of space.

2. Space out the furniture: Do not push furniture like sofa or chairs right to the edge. Prefer those that have a wood abutting from it. This makes the space look larger. Instead of pushing furniture against the wall, use a small thin table between them and the wall; doing this will also allow you to use it as a mantle. Also, choose furniture that has legs and does not fill up the area it sits on. 

3. Storage everywhere: Prefer coffee tables with boxes where you can store newspapers in. Use a TV cabinet that has a book shelf attached to it. Buy sofas that have small compartments to keep furnishing and other important items in. Utilizing every piece of furniture for storage will reduce the amount of unwanted stuff that would otherwise lie around in the room. That will make space. There are a number of multipurpose pieces of furniture in the market these days with ottomans that come with storage space.

4. Do not over-decorate: Remember, you have no space! If you are tempted by a new vase, painting or a picture, look away. Too many decorative pieces in a small living room or a bedroom make it look cramped. Many design elements in a small room make it appear jarring to the eye - you don't want your house to start looking like a small and badly maintained museum!  

5. Use lamps: Large lamps that stand on floor or small table lamps define the space around the house. Overhead lights take away attention from the room and make it look smaller. Use at least two to three more lamps around the living room.

6. Mirrors: Using mirrors can extend and expand the view of the rooms and make them look bigger. Very few people prefer to use mirrors in the living room, but this idea can come handy while decorating small areas. Place these mirrors beside the door, or over the furniture and against the light to create illusion of very large rooms.

(Katya Naidu has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities)