How To Make Your Home Look Bigger Using Layout
Small living spaces are a curse for many a home owner, especially first time buyers, and those living in cities. But you can create the illusion of space and make your home feel much bigger simply by getting the right layout.
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Make a plan. Measure up your room and create a scale top down view on graph paper, you might be surprised just how much room you have available.
Note on the plan the unmovable objects you have to work around. This includes doors, windows, radiators and sockets.
Also, make sure you account for the opening arc of any doors, as it is essential these are not blocked.
Cut out scale top down versions of all the furniture you wish to reposition, such as the sofa, table, TV, computer cabinet and so on. -
You can now start experimenting with layouts. Try drawing a line through the room and balancing the furniture evenly on either side, ensuring a neat layout with a good amount of central space.
It is also important to consider the lines of traffic through the room, so try drawing straight lines along these roots, such as from one door to another, and arranging the furniture to block these as little as possible.
Come up with as many layouts as possible, even if they seem unlikely, then simply try out the best ones. If you are using graph paper, you can even work out exactly which one gives you the most useable floor space. -
When arranging your furniture, there are lots of little tips and tricks you can try to maximise your space.
For the likes of cabinets that will be flush to the wall, use tall ones rather than wide to get the most floor space.
You do not want to interrupt the eye line, as the further you can see through a room, the larger it seems. So try to keep any furniture that is more central in the room small scale, such as low coffee tables and ottomans.
To compliment this, place an eye catching ornament in front of a window, drawing the eye outside and extending the view. -
The effect of having furniture away from the walls can differ depending on the room, so experiment. You may find having the sofa against a wall gives you the best amount of central space.
Alternatively, moving it way from the wall provides more floor space in a different spot, and can create an extra path for traffic to take. It also stops the eyes from wandering into corners. See what works best for you. -
Finally, just be economical with your space and your furniture. Can you move your work area to an alcove in the hallway? Do you really need a bedside table when a shelf will do? And can you tuck small cabinets into awkward, previously unused spots?
Follow these tips, and you will be opening up the useable space in your rooms in no time.