[Simple and eye catching, Grace's vase of leaves is a pretty and resourceful accent.]
Last weekend, we enjoyed a long overdue few days of lounging around our apartment. Inbetween watching some good movies, making great dinners and doing laundry, we got the itch of..."Argh, this place is feeling small!!!" This happens every now and then since there are two of us living in an apartment that's under 700 sq feet. Most of the time, we are loving our small space, but when that itch comes around, we take a few steps to help us ride it out. After the jump, check out our own tips for making our space feel big again when it's feeling small.
Tips For Making Your Space Feel Bigger
When It's Feeling Small
[Aside from the great space, Gregory & Emily's Silverlake studio is sparking clean!]
1) REFRESH.
We spend a few hours cleaning our place. From vacuuming to cleaning the tub to windexing the windows and mirrors. These simple tasks makes our space feel bigger and we feel good too! We really appreciate our home even more when it's sparking clean.
2) REARRANGE.
We don't go crazy and rearrange the entire apartment - stability is a good thing. (Just ask Boy. He likes to keep the place as is) But if you have been wanting to make a change and you are feeling a bit antsy in your small space - go for it! Whether it's buying a piece you've been coveting or moving that chair over there or the couch to the other side of the room, rearranging your space will change the look, floor plan and perspective for you.
[We love our now hanging mirror that expands our space.]
3) RE-HANG.
We have framed artwork throughout our place and like to move them around from time time to time. Our Jazz art gallery has found a new home in our bathroom. And our leaning mirror is now hanging above our mirrored buffet. By reusing our own things and using our walls, our place feels new, bigger and it didn't cost a penny.
4) RESEARCH.
We love flipping through design magazines, catalogues and fashion look books. These guides are always beautifully art directed - even the fashion magazines showcase pretty home decor. Whenever we feel like we want a bigger space, we simply look through these guides to find inspiring color combinations, ways to place a piece of furniture we hadn't thought of or just general ideas for small spaces. It gives us a renewed energy in our home.
[The simple leaves on the table pop in front of Julie & Yoffy's pretty artwork.]
5) RESOURCEFUL.
We enjoy buying flowers and plants for our home. Inexpensive and colorful, these little guys make us smile, add tone and opens up the space. If you happen to see some pretty branches or leaves on a walk, bring them home with you and create a nice centerpiece for your table or add a natural element to a vase on your bedside table.
Check out more small space solutions here:
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inspiration, organizing, painting, fixing & repairs, inspiration, tips, small space, solutions, helpful hintsRelated Links
- Look! Inspiration from Seaton shop
- Bird Cage Lighting
- Pomanders and Fruit Bowls
- 15 Fabulous Design Tips From Jonathan Adler
- Inspiration: Five Tips For Decorating On a Budget: Todd Oldham
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I must say, the LA team is kicking butt with their posts. I really really LOVE all the topics and tips!
view sparkle's profile
when you rearrange art on the walls... what do you do to deal with any leftover unnecessary holes? do they happen to just hide away behind the art?
view pinstripeprincess's profile
Big tip:
Put things away if you can! I re-arranged my kitchen cabinets, removing everything I never use, and as a result I finally had enough cabinet space for my bread machine and blender. I still keep one casserole dish on the counter, but the kitchen doesn't look as cramped with all my pots and pans, etc. out of sight.
view Stiletto's profile
I agree with you sparkle! Great topics!
view krpm1 aka Kelly:)'s profile
A great tip for a small space is not to place all the furniture right up against the wall. Leave a little space behind the sofa for instance, although it makes the physical space available to you smaller, it makes the room LOOK bigger!
http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/
view Harpa's profile
You forgot to add 'Remove'. The best way to make a small space bigger is to get rid of things.
view sfdoddsy's profile
Amen, sfdoddsy! By clearing items that you no longer need and love, you create physical and *mental* space.
A small suggestion, make sure that you don't have stuff stacked on top of the kitchen counters or high bookcases. That makes it feel like there's not enough storage.
view Lizzy's profile
pinstripeprincess you patch them and paint, unless you don't care what happens to your walls.
view atomicranch79's profile
Second the wall solution: keep some left over paint if the color you used was custom-made, and some spackle for quick fixes.
I do have to disagree with Lizzy on high bookcases though. Kitchen counters filled with crap always made me feel like there's no space to cook, but bookcases filled with books always gives a room an expansive feel. Not so much because it actually makes space, but that it gives me that feeling that if I ever get stuck in that room for a day, I won't ever feel like I'm going to run out of things to do.
And finally, on refreshing: don't windex windows. Use wet newspaper.
view somedudeinvicenza's profile
somedudeinvicenza, sorry if I was unclear: I meant keep stuff off of the *top* of high bookcases. Same with the top of kitchen cabinets.
view Lizzy's profile