It doesn’t matter if your home is small. Proper application of space planning techniques can still create a spacious home.

Space can be maximized both visually and functionally. In this article, we’ll look at ways to maximize both.

Ten ways to increase space

1. Use transparent/translucent material

When sectioning your home, consider using glass walls. See-through material such as glass visually enlarges your home, even though the actual amount of space remains the same.

If privacy is a concern, consider using smart glass. It allows you to toggle between transparent and opaque states.

Transparent glass is see-through increasing sense of visual space compared to solid walls — Solid wall (left) vs Transparent glass partition (right)

2. Adopt minimalistic styles

Consider revamping your home with minimalistic styles like Scandinavian or Industrial.

Minimalistic styles, with their clean-cut, sleek designs, help make homes look spacious.

Small minimalistic chairs visually increase space in dining room compared to large oriental style chairs — Maximalist dining area (left) vs Minimalist dining area (right)

3. Hang up large mirrors

Mirrors are great for making small spaces look big. A mirror’s reflection tricks your eye into perceiving more space than there actually is.

For example, a hallway reflected off a mirror makes the hallway look twice as long.

Mirrors reflect entire hallway to maximize sense of visual space in hallway — Visually short hallway (left) vs Visually long hallway (right)

4. Expand vertical lines

Vertical lines can make your room look taller.

The long lines of floor-to-ceiling curtains, for example, help make a wall appear taller.

Long curtains beside windows elongate sense of vertical space compared with short curtains beside same windows — Mid-length curtain (left) vs Full-length curtain (right)

5. Choose light colors

Colors can dramatically change a room’s atmosphere. Lighter colors tend to make a space feel more airy.

To create the effect of lightness and airiness, use soft hues such as pastel or wood tones in your rooms.

Bedroom with heavily contrasting colors look cramped compared with bedroom with soft and light colors that look spacious — Dark colored bedroom (left) vs Light colored bedroom (right)

6. Increase lighting

Additional lighting can give your home greater visual impact and depth. You can choose to increase natural lighting, artificial lighting, or both.

For example, a few notable artificial lighting options are:

Track lights
Cove lights
Under-cabinet lights

Crucially, these lights should draw the attention of your eyes, giving you an enlarged perception of the space.

Track lights in ceiling act as visual focus to increase visual space compared to no track lights — Hallway without track lights (left) vs Hallway with track lights (right)

7. Rearrange your furniture

Furniture arrangement determines the layout of a room; it’s the difference between a cramped and open space.

Two living rooms with similar furniture can be drastically different based on layout alone.

Here’s a tip: Try moving bulky furniture closer to walls for less obstruction.

Cramped living room has no clear sections unlike a spacious living room — Living room with sofa in the middle (left) vs Living room with sofa against the wall (right)

8. Take advantage of vertical space

Wall-mounting things that take up space on flat surfaces is a great way to save space.

For example, switching from desk lamps to wall-mounted lights frees up desk space for work use.

Wall-mounted light increases space in room compared to table lamp that takes up space on desk — Table lamp (left) vs Wall-mounted light (right)

Loft beds are another example.

With a loft bed, you’ll have extra floor space to place other objects. You may even turn the floor space under the loft bed into a walk-in closet or study area.

Loft beds use vertical space to maximize available space for other furniture in bedrooms — Standard bed (left) vs Loft bed (right)

9. Use collapsible/modular furniture

Collapsible furniture, when not used, frees us space for other uses. Foldable beds are a fantastic example.

Pull-out foldable bed from drawer conceals bed when not in use to maximize space in bedroom — Unconcealed bed (left) vs Concealed bed (right)

Modular furniture can also help you save room. The dining table with nested chairs in the image below, for example, can be tucked away neatly in a jigsaw-like manner.

Round dining table with perfectly slotted-in chairs save space in dining room when not in use — Hidden dining chairs left) vs Open dining chairs (right)

10. Use multi-functional furniture

Furniture with multiple functions takes up less room while providing more functionality.

Take this example of a 3-in-1 mirror. Its primary function is a mirror; it’s also a bookshelf and a mini wardrobe.

Mirror door hides additional storage space to maximize space use in an awkward corner of the living room — Hidden storage behind the mirror (left) vs Open storage (right)

Summary

The tips in this guide will help you along your space planning journey. But don’t stop exploring; there are many other creative ways to increase space in your home.

If you have some of your own space-saving tips to share, or wish to bounce off ideas with us, feel free to contact us us, we’d love to chat.

Maximize space in your home using this simple guide