Maximise Space With Home Renovation: Tips for Small Areas
- PRO PURE DESIGN
- Dec 21, 2024
- 9 min read
With urban living on the rise and property prices in London soaring, as homeowners, we are looking for smart and effective ways to make the most of our home or office space without moving. Today we will try to feature the most innovative home renovation ideas and good practices that help improve functionality and property value. Either smart storage solutions or budget-friendly tips - you will get inspiration to try different design and home renovation projects to help you maximise the small areas in your house.
Table of Contents:
Why Maximising Space Matters
The limited square footage is something most of us face sooner or later. Living in a small space can be a challenge, especially in urban areas like London where small homes are a rule, and the bigger ones - more or less an exception. Having no other choice but to make the most of the available space lets us think out of the box and find innovative solutions to leverage the space we have. And this doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg.
Key methods for enhancing both functionality and aesthetics can include renovation, refurbishment, and redesign practices. Refer to our article on refurbishment projects to get a clearer idea of all the benefits the refurbishment project can add to your home.
Assessing Your Space
Before starting a renovation, assessing your existing space thoroughly is crucial. Begin by reviewing the layout, and some dead spaces that aren’t fully utilised. Don't forget to think about your lifestyle needs as well. For example, if you are not a person who loves cooking and always eats out, there is no point in thinking of adding more storage options or applying other techniques for optimising kitchen space.
Another step in the assessing process should be to identify what items and belongings you can keep, donate or just throw away. Cleaning and organising decluttered spaces will allow a fresh start for new ideas.
Natural light also plays a significant role in creating a sense of space. Evaluate how light enters each room and consider adjustments like skylights or larger windows to enhance brightness and openness.
Next, consider the entire layout of your house. Are there rooms that feel tight or underused? Are there corners or areas that could serve better another purpose? Creating a rough floor plan with measurements can reveal promising opportunities for changes but don't struggle to do it yourself. You better think of contacting design and renovation specialists to provide you with professional help and advice with this. They will be capable of understanding and identifying some structural limits and specifics of the building, such as load-bearing walls. It's crucial to know exactly what are the limits before starting a renovation project of your living space to make safe and practical decisions.
You can contact the ProPure Design team for assistance in assessing your space possibilities.
Common Tips for Maximising Home Space
Open Plan Design
Open-concept design is a modern home renovation method that creates the illusion of more space by removing walls and blending rooms. Opening up the kitchen to the living or dining area, for example, is the most widely spread and preferable solution for many people and it can increase natural light and encourage social interaction. The open plan design allows more air, smoother and easier flow through the premises and can be a very attractive way of arranging your space by creating a central focal point. In the example above this could be the kitchen island - a great opportunity for adding storage space, an area for dining, and at the same time, an anchor at the heart of your house. The dining area is usually the heart of each house, because the act of gathering the family together around the table brings emotions, warmth and a wonderful atmosphere. We will talk about kitchen spaces a little bit later again.
What happens if we are restricted and removing walls is not a possible solution in our case? If removing walls isn't possible, consider using partial walls or glass partitions to maintain some separation while allowing light to flow freely. Open shelving can also be a stylish and practical solution for dividing spaces without blocking the view.
Use of Vertical Space
When we are limited in space and square footage, space in our home can feel as if we don't have enough air and freedom. In most cases, it's easier to think vertically and find ways to grow in height instead of laterally. The techniques here include using wall-mounted shelves and storage solutions, tall furniture and cupboards, etc. to make the most of your walls and high ceilings. An interesting tactic can be to consider using floor-to-ceiling cabinets when in need of more storage. This works great in kitchens and bathrooms. With such tall furniture, we can store items out of sight while keeping them within easy reach.
Light and Colour Choices
Colour choices can further enhance the feeling of spaciousness and strategically placed mirrors can visually expand the space by reflecting light. Here are the most common options we can benefit from regarding colours and light as ways to maximise space.
Opt for lighter colours for walls and ceiling
One interesting way to achieve the perception of a bigger room is to use one colour for the walls and ceiling. Blending them by painting them with the same colour will add the feeling of more space and will open up the room. By painting them in one colour you achieve the illusion of a bigger area because there is no difference between the colours and it seems the walls overflow into the ceiling. Choosing a lighter nuance will optimise the smaller room and add the feeling of a bigger space. Check our article about trendy 2025 Pantone colours and opt for Antique White, let's say.
Benefit from multi-functional lighting
Think about adding a little touch of strategic lighting because this will create a cosy atmosphere and strengthen the illusion of a bigger room if put in the right places. Adding different types of lighting across the premises instead of one focus spotlight will allow you to alternate the focus point - for example, to highlight a specific design element in your room by directing the LED light. You can also choose LED lights that change colour and thus control them depending on your mood, and the effect you want to achieve.
Blinds and mirrors
Another option you have for optimising the perception of a bigger space is to leverage the natural light that comes into the room. To maximise the natural light flow you have two options - using mirrors at specific spots in your room and choosing the right model of blinds for your windows depending on your needs.
How to select the ideal blinds and control the amount of natural light entering your rooms?
The proper choice of blinds can significantly improve the ambience of your rooms, optimise the amount of natural light that comes in and create the feeling of a bigger space.
Firstly, you should start by assessing your room's natural light conditions and deciding how much you want to let in or block out. This will help you find the type of blinds that are both aesthetically pleasing and practical.
You can select from the following options depending on your needs:
For darker rooms, go for sheer blinds, to let natural light through;
For the average lit room, consider light-filtering blinds, which provide a balance between light control and privacy;
In bright rooms and bedrooms, blackout blinds are the best choice to prevent glare and heat and improve sleep quality. In children's rooms, they will make bedtime easier during the longer summer days.
Transforming Small Rooms With Space-Saving Design Strategies
Most of us live in homes that are already built and the spaces designed. In most flats we don't have the freedom to decide the floor space, to make the space distribution. Usually, apart from converted ground floor garden flats or loft conversions, flats cannot be extended and even then, this requires significant work and budget, and there are legal requirements and other concerned parties. In comparison, to slightly renovate and make the rooms more spacious and limit the clutter can cost almost nothing in terms of budget and time.
If you'd like to explore the option of extending your home, please contact us and we can assist you during the process of acquiring the necessary permissions, building plans, architectural drawings and of course the building project itself.
Below we will showcase some useful small room transformations that won't cost us a fortune but can definitely maximise space in your home, improve interior design and also enhance the overall appeal and aesthetics of your existing home.
Smart Kitchen Renovations
Limited kitchen space is the nightmare of almost anyone who loves preparing their food at home and spending more time with the family around the kitchen table. The need for more storage is the most frequent kitchen problem. By integrating pull-out shelves, slimline appliances (yes, we all want a Rangemaster oven and bigger dishwasher but in a small kitchen, it's better to think compact, you can even find 45cm dishwashers), and smart cabinetry we can save space and also make your kitchen space feel smarter and more tidy.
Sliding or Pocket Doors between the kitchen and living room (dining area)
We highlighted the benefits of having a kitchen open to the living room or the dining area but if you prefer to have the option for a door when you decide to separate the two spaces, a sliding or pocket door can be a space-saving alternative, compared to traditional swinging doors.
Bathroom Space Solutions
In most cases, flats and small terrace houses have only one bathroom and more often than not, there is no separation between the bath and toilet. How to save space and make the most of it?
Wet room:
Firstly, if you are planning a renovation project for your bathroom, you may want to consider building a wet room - this is an open-space fully waterproofed solution for smaller spaces. Unlike walk-in showers, here the layout is designed to allow water to drain directly into the floor, rather than collecting in a shower tray. In addition, wet rooms can be a smart contemporary solution for small flats and at the same time - an interesting component of the luxurious bathroom, which doesn't need to exclude a bath, if the space allows it;
Wall-mounted toilets:
The aesthetic and hygienic benefits of this kind of toilet are not to be underrated. Wall-hung toilets are not only great-looking but also save space and make cleaning easier and simpler. The cons we should mention are that they are a little bit pricy and their installation and subsequent repairs (if needed) can be a little more complex;
Frameless shower:
These types of showers are enclosed and use glass panels without a metal frame. This design is modern and creates an open, contemporary look. Frameless glass showers are a popular choice among homeowners because they are aesthetically appealing and make the bathroom feel larger;
Wall niches:
Wall niches in the bathroom can add storage space and they are like a small cubbyhole. It is a very practical solution for effective space organisation and it is a great opportunity to add decorative touches such as aroma sticks, for example. Every piece of decor matters, even in the bathroom. Make it feel like the place you want to spend your time in peace and relaxation.
Maximising Living Rooms and Bedrooms
After the kitchen (let's confess, we need to begin where the food happens), living rooms and bedrooms are the other spaces where we spend most of our time. It's important to find the right ways to increase the sense of openness and improve current space conditions.
To make truly small spaces feel larger, we advise you to choose multifunctional furniture for both the living room and bedroom. Investing in multifunctional items like Murphy beds, sofa beds, and expandable dining tables can be a long-term investment.
Bedroom / Guest room ideas:
A Murphy bed (also known as a pull-down bed, fold-down bed, or wall bed) is a bed designed to fold up and store vertically against a wall, inside a closet, or in a cabinet. It gained popularity a century ago in New York and remains an attractive option for studio flats today. This practical solution combines the functionality of a bed and a storage area.
Another popular option you have for the bedroom is the floor-to-ceiling built-in wardrobe. It can fit both contemporary minimalist spaces as well as traditional Victorian rooms.
Living room ideas:
A sofa bed that can double as a guest bed and, if you love hosting, a small extendable dining table can easily accommodate a party of eight.
Outdoor Space Solutions
Outdoor spaces can be optimised too. Think about compact balconies, or small gardens with vertical gardening, multifunctional outdoor furniture, and storage benches. If you own a small house, open-plan kitchen extensions can create a spacious open-plan dining room, perfect for entertaining and side-return extensions can add usable space without taking up much of the garden.
Conclusion
Home design can have multiple purposes and one of the most important can be to create more space and make your rooms feel larger. This could be both an art and a challenge. It requires time, energy, budget, and creativity to utilise every square inch and increase the perception of the space you have in your home. Of, course, there is no need to do it alone when a designer can help you. You can call ProPure Design, have a look at the services we offer and request a free quote. As a boutique family building company, we offer a friendly personalised approach and pay special attention to detail. We are based in central London and serve Greater London.
Whether you choose to invest in structural renovations or make small, impactful changes, the goal remains the same: to create a home that feels open, inviting, and tailored to your needs. By adopting the ideas shared here, you can turn your home into a more comfortable and cosy place and maximise your space while potentially increasing its value. Ready to start? Small changes today can make a big difference tomorrow!
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