You've just moved into your new apartment and after unpacking all of your
belongings, you find that all of the space you loved when you first toured the
place is now filled with clutter, making it feel tiny and cramped. Suddenly,
you're beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. So how can you fix this
problem without actually moving out and renting a bigger apartment?
Tare
plenty of creative ways to
redecorate your apartment to make it seem bigger and to
reclaim some of that precious space. Read on to learn some helpful tips on how
you can cut out that clutter and create some space in your apartment.
Get rid of the clutter
The biggest reason for that
claustrophobic, cramped feeling in most apartments or homes is clutter. Clutter
can accumulate in an apartment pretty quickly, so it's important to stay on top
of it and make sure you're not allowing it to build up. That means you should go
through each room at least once a month and dispose of things you no longer
need. Clean out your closets of clothes that you don't wear anymore and make
sure that you properly store your belongings instead of letting them sit around
on tables and counters.
Use creative paint colors
Believe it or not, the colors that you use when
you paint and
decorate your walls can actually make a big difference in how
big or small your apartment feels. The color of your walls and ceilings can
completely change the mood of your apartment, so in order to make your space
feel more open and airy, stick with lighter colors. Darker colors will make your
rooms seem warm and cozy, but they will also create an illusion of less space,
so if you're trying to open your rooms up more, use colors like cream, beige or
a light blue, since lighter colors reflect light, instead of absorbing it.
The more storage, the better
Clearing out your clutter is one of
the most important steps in making your apartment feel larger, but in order to
do that you're going to need sufficient storage to place everything. You can
never have too much storage in your apartment, so try to work in small storage
spaces wherever you can, even if that means purchasing coffee tables with
built-in drawers or a flip-top ottoman with space to store things like blankets
and pillows. Storage furniture is a great way to add more storage space to your
apartment in a functional, inconspicuous way.
Get creative with your furniture
Just like the colors you use to
paint your walls, the way you arrange your
furniture can also play a big part in how big or small your
apartment seems. Try rearranging your furniture in different, creative
combinations to achieve a more spacious feel in your apartment and don't be
afraid to think outside the box. Play around with different set-ups until you
find the one that really opens up your apartment. The ultimate goal is to
maximize your floor space and create more room, so whatever arrangement achieves
that is a successful one, no matter how unorthodox it may seem.
Optical illusions are your friend
Sometimes, no matter how hard
you try to maximize the space in your apartment, you reach your limitations.
After all, if your apartment is small enough, there are only so many different
ways you can arrange your furniture or paint your walls. So your next best bet
is to use optical illusions to make your space seem larger than it is. There's
nothing wrong with a little magic every once in a while, so using tricks like
installing striped floors or large mirrors on your walls can really trick the
senses into thinking your apartment is larger than it is. Also, using
see-through furniture like glass-topped tables, will allow you to furnish your
space without making it seem cluttered.
Build up, not out
Big cities build skyscrapers to maximize the
small space they have, so they can fit more offices, apartments and businesses
into few square miles. So you can adopt this same concept for your apartment and
build up, instead of out, to maximize your living space. Use the vertical space
in your apartment by installing built-in wall units and shelves that go from the
floor to the ceiling, and use your kitchen shelves and cabinets to store items
that would otherwise be cluttering your countertop space.
Change your lighting fixtures
Overhead lighting fixtures tend to
concentrate most of the light in one spot, which can make your rooms feel
smaller and more cramped because they fail to properly illuminate all of the
space in your apartment. Instead, try varying the lighting elements in each room
by installing lamps and other light sources with brighter light bulbs and try to
really utilize the natural light that flows into your apartment by removing any
heavy drapes on your larger windows.