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Whether you live in an apartment or studio set up smart space-saving design ideas for small homes can save your day.
In the popular science fiction series of Doctor Who, the Tardis is a space and time machine which is much bigger inside than on the outside. Don’t you wish your small apartment could mimic the properties of Tardis and magically expand on the inside? Don’t lose heart just yet though. With our tips and tricks and space-saving ideas for small apartments, you can create your own version of the mind-boggling and logic-defying Tardis. Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, storage and wardrobes, we have some clever ideas for many of your rooms and furniture. Sit back and watch the magic unfold!
Space Saving Ideas For Small Bedroom
A small bedroom doesn’t mean you need to scale down your décor dreams – don’t be afraid to go big when it comes to doing up the bedroom. Bold colours, if used well, can work to expand your bedroom and make it look bigger. Fit in a queen size bed instead of a king-size one and splurge on a striking headboard and dressing the bed up. Where you place your bed also makes a difference – positioning it near a big window will catch all the light and make the room seem more spacious.
Use furniture that do double duty – wardrobe doors that serve as dressing mirrors and beds that fold away to make seating or a study area. Get creative with storage and built-in drawers or boxes into the beds to utilise every available inch. Ditch side table lights for sconces near your bed that set the right mood for some bedtime reading. Finally, embrace the use of mirrors – strategically placed mirrors will open up your bedroom.
Space Saving Ideas for Kitchen
Clever shelving is your friend if you have grand culinary ambitions but a small kitchen. Firstly, utilise all the available space to build in shelves. The space above your fridge, stove, the narrow space between your walls and fridge, the inside of cabinet doors, all of these can be intelligently utilised. Open shelves or cabinets with glass doors will give your kitchen an open feel. A kitchen island can have built-in storage, be extended to seat more people and serve as an additional countertop. Chairs can be nestled into it, and hidden shelves pulled out. Lastly, use neutral colours and subtle lighting to create the illusion of space in your small kitchen.
Space Saving Dining Table
From extendable dining tables that can accommodate several people to ones that can be folded away when not in use, there are dozens of designs of dining tables that save space. Drop leaf tables have extra leaves that can be added when you have guests for dinner – these extra leaves are ‘dropped’ down when you don’t need them. Tables can also be designed in a manner to accommodate the chairs and seats leaving empty room around them. A round dining table with chairs that slide in, is a compact and intelligent solution. So are tables with bench seats that can be nestled in. The shape of your table also makes a difference; a round table ensures that there are no sharp corners that waste space.
Space Saving Coffee Table
Nothing quite pulls a living room together like a coffee table and with our smart yet practical ideas you will soon be the master or mistress of yours. Nesting coffee tables are a popular space-saving device in the living room. As their name indicates, the smaller tables can be made to nestle inside the bigger ones and pulled out when required. In the mood for spot of origami? Practice with your coffee tables. Design your table to be so that parts of it fold away or can be pulled open, match box style. Or you can put in levers so that the top lifts to form a table surface. You can also use your coffee table for box storage or as extra seating, ottoman style.
Space Saving Wardrobe
Limited and cramped spaces can be conveniently used for wardrobes through some intelligent design choices. Corner wardrobes and sloped wardrobes can be custom designed to fit into awkward spaces beneath stairs and under sloping roofs. Sliding doors are a boon for tight areas that don’t afford you the luxury of swinging doors. Mirrored and lacquered surfaces of doors reflect backlight and make your bedroom look big. Moreover, who says that wardrobes necessarily need doors? Dispense completely with doors for an open and breezy look. Our final tip under space-saving wardrobes is to use storage boxes and baskets to keep your clothing and other items organised. It is surprising how much even a small wardrobe can accommodate if fitted out with some good storage solutions.
Space Saving Study Table
A small apartment and limited space to work should not be a reason for you to brave traffic and pollution to get into work. Instead, use our space saving designs and work in the comfort of your own study. One of the simplest ways to make a home study is to install a floating desk in a quiet corner of your house. Put in a slide out tray to further increase its utility. Did someone mention corners? Utilise the potential of an unused corner in your small apartment to install a triangular corner desk. You can also buy or commission a fold away desk that practically disappears into the wall when not in use. Finally, a wall-mounted desk can be integrated into a wall unit with storage such that it can fold down to become a bed when required.
Space Saving Sofa Cum Bed
Gone are those days when the sofa cum bed was a lumpy choice with a hapless night on one of them leading to a sure shot backache. With the progress of manufacturing technology sofa cum beds are comfortable and aesthetic too boot. This cunning furniture design is available in many options – sofas that extend to become full size beds, ones that fold up to become bunk beds and ones that can be joined to become cosy bedding. Murphy beds can be designed to be wall-mounted beds at night and seating during the day. They can also be built to accommodate extra storage for those spare items that need a home.
Space Saving Storage Ideas for Small Apartments
You may be cramped for space but by making the most of every inch of the area, you need not be cramped for storage or for style. That space below your staircase or alongside the staircase wall? Capital for building in drawers, sloping wardrobes or shelves. The area below your cabinets in the kitchen? Can conveniently double up as large flat drawers useful for putting away the big saucepans and those spare lids. The space above your sink in your kitchen, the washing machine in the utility area, and the water closet in your bathroom? Install removable shelves to utilize these areas would otherwise lie unused. Box beds or beds with drawers, ottomans with storage and a storage box with seating at the foot of the bed headboards with storage – are other ideas that create storage practically out of thin air.
