How to Create Smart Interiors for Small Spaces

If you’re living in an area, like me, where land is becoming more scarce and high rises are becoming increasingly popular, then this article might just be the thing for you. There’s been so many talks about running low on land space for buyers who are looking to build their own home. New homes are now generally sold as either land and house packages or apartments, so these concepts of selling homes are making it progressively harder to design and build your own home.

Now, before you tell me that you see many lands available for sale, you’re not wrong, but it’s usually way out of pocket, especially in a location where you would want to live in. To combat this problem, people have resorted to downsizing their living space when purchasing a new home or are brave enough to rake up a hefty debt.

If you choose to downsize your home, it may not be as bad when you think about it. There’ll be less surface to clean, no need to shout across the house when dinner is ready or save some money on the amount of furniture needed to fill the space. But what are some solutions to maximise living areas for small spaces?

 

Clever storage locations

Nano Pad by Studio Prineas

 

Have I talked enough about storage yet? Nope! I cannot stress enough how important the amount of storage is for a home. Without storage, your home would be a mess, no doubt! There’s a lot of clever ways to incorporate storage in a home. For example, this is custom storage built from a step up into a space, utilising every inch of your home possible to increase functionality. For other storage ideas, follow this link here.

 

Wall Beds

Wall beds, or murphy beds, is an old-school space saver idea. Who would’ve thought that these comical props being used in movies can actually disappear behind a good design? Wall beds are best used for guests in spaces or spare rooms, where you can build a piece of joinery to blend in with the rest of the design, big enough to conceal and use when pulled down. Yep, these are definitely back and in style!

 

Hidden Kitchen

A clean kitchen is a dream, but a messy kitchen is a complete nightmare! Ever considered concealing your kitchen behind some joinery doors? This can create an effortless joinery wall and you can have all the mess you want behind it (Not saying you should leave it a mess though…). You can be creative with the doors. Either have the doors slightly see through (slats, perforation, etc.) or have it completely out of sight.

 

Hideaway Pantry

What gets used a lot and can never be left in a clean state no matter how hard you try? If you guessed pantry, then you are right! How many of you can say that you’ve tried your absolute hardest to maintain the space because it’s in plain sight? You take out your appliances for a single use in the morning, whether it’ll be a coffee machine, a blender or a toaster, but then who has the time to slowly clean and pack everything away again? Isn’t it just easier if you were to just close the door and get going with your day?

We usually call this the ‘appliance cupboard’. It’s where you store away your frequently used small clunky appliances on a bench height space. All you’ve got to do is open up your cupboard doors (either leave them open or have them slide into a cavity), do your thing, then close it off again. Even though everything is in its contained space, the clutter will make it seem like the overall space is smaller. The last thing you want is to enclose the space with too many loose objects.

 

Concealed Rooms

What’s the point of having a concealed room when you can have a normal door to tell you there’s actually a room behind it? The intent is to make the interior space as seamless as possible. When a whole new space is discovered, doesn’t it create a wow factor that there’s actually more than what you can see? I sure think so! It’ll also make your interior design more considered rather than using a generic door. When you want the room to be concealed, the design should be consistent and seamless. It’s the details that count.

 

Smart Joinery Design

Smart joinery design has got to be one of the best things to have in a small home. This usually requires a joiner to create these beautiful joinery to suit the space. Have these joinery folded or pulled out when in use and tuck them away neatly when you want to free up some space. The design of the smart joinery will also need to be considered as you want it to be concealed nicely and blend in with the rest of the design.

 

Multi-Functional Spaces

When you’re living in a small home, there may not be enough floor space to dedicate a space for each area. It’s quite common to use the same space for different purposes. For example, your living space can be converted into a temporary office space, or double up your wet area as both bathroom and laundry. The best way to to utilise this method is to combine areas where it doesn’t need to be a permanent space as you won’t be using it on a daily basis or won’t be using or a long period of time. By doing so, you are able to create more floor space for everyday spaces, while incorporating smaller spaces within.

Featured image: Private Residence by Human w/ Design