Creating The Illusion Of Space In Cramped Up Apartments

Apartment living is becoming a norm for most of us. With our busy and modern lifestyles people call these vertical complexes their home because it’s convenient, secure, economical and have access to local amenities a person might not have living in a standalone house. But along with the benefits there are also disadvantages which some of us find very hard to get accustomed to. One of them is the feeling of being cramped up in your own living space.

If you are someone who feels claustrophobic or restrained living in your apartment, we believe it’s time to overcome this feeling by creating an illusion of space to your tiny little home. Here are some key guidelines.

• Let there be light

Light and Lighter coloured walls give an artifice of more space and a fresh feel to any small living space. It’s also best to have the ceiling, trims and walls all in the same light shade to create an illusion of a higher ceiling. Avoid hanging pendant lights as much as possible and use spotlights fixed to the ceiling or wall lights to create a bigger room.

Impersonate larger windows by using blinds instead of curtains. But if you still prefer to go with curtains, hang them closer to the ceiling.

• Make your outer surroundings part of your space

Make use of your windows or even redecorate your balcony to be a part of your apartment’s interiors. Add in planter pots, a vertical garden outdoor seating to your balcony, or have a window seating done to make making the outer surrounding apart of your space.

• Mirrors, Mirrors on the wall

Use large mirrors to reflect natural light around the apartment as this makes the area look bigger. When placing a mirror in the room, place it in a position where the exterior surroundings, natural light will reflect through the mirror, impersonating it as a window.

• Open plan and functionality

This area may need expert advice, but if you are planning on renovating or revamping your apartment it’s best to go in for open plan and functional designs which provide maximum space and light making areas look larger.

Open plan is one large room zoned into different areas without using walls. An Example would be one large room segmented as your kitchen, living and dining or even your bedroom. The segmentation of these areas can be made via a high wall cabinet, a rug, your dining table, any item that you would think would suite to demarcate each area. But also make sure these zone demarcations do not take space and can also be made use of to improve the functionality of your apartment. I.e. The wall cabinet zoned to segment the living and dining area or even a coffee table placed to zone the living can also be used as a functional storage unit.

A functional kitchen to an open plan is key. An open kitchen must come with its own space optimization and work zone design, grouping appliances and fixes according to its usage. Space optimization can be done via organizational units such as cabinets with pull out shelves, drawer baskets, waste bins or even vertical storage by way of using wall mounted or corner standing shelves.

An open plan concept to your apartment is indeed modern but one must also make sure its clutter free. Else the whole purpose in renovating with the idea of space optimization will be lost.

• Blend in your furniture

It’s best to have furniture which blends in with the interior of the apartment. Some will opt for glass furniture as it provides transparency across the room. You could also incorporate multi-functional, or foldable furniture with hidden compartments as these will provide smart storage and usage will be only when required. All in all, furnishing your apartment must be carefully thought of as the objective of creating a larger illusion will be lost if the furniture again will result in a cramped-up atmosphere.

Sky is the limit when recreating your living space. Carefully plan your renovations to ensure that you create a home out of your tiny living space, your own comfort zone.