You’ve got a small flat and a growing family, how do you maximise space, style and comfort? Don’t panic! Modest space doesn’t have to mean mundane design. We’re here to help you get multi-functional, space-saving, creative and versatile with our simple guide to turning a small space into a family home.
Get Personal
Don’t fall into the trap of avoiding colour, detail and decoration for fear of minimising space. Ditch the magnolia and embrace pattern, textiles and art to enrich your home with character and interest. Colour can be a real mood-booster and an easy way to add a feeling of light. Be creative with wallpaper and fabrics and don’t forget to display your favourite objects. A curated picture wall is a versatile way of infusing a space with personality and celebrating memories. Take, for example, Interior Designer Kelly Wearstler’s eclectic approach to design. In the below scheme she combines statement furniture, pattern and colour.
Lana Gomez and Sebastian Maniscalco’s LA family home designed by Kelly Wearstler.
Image source: Architectural Digest
Detail, texture and personality can also be achieved in a more minimal design scheme. At OVS we embrace simplicity and a warm minimal palette. By paying close attention to materials and their properties we love to add texture and detail. Reclaiming natural timber and incorporating plants, mirrors, considered lighting and personal mementoes were key to the design of Loft Heights, in London’s Forest Hill. The below project involved transforming an uninspiring maisonette into a warm and welcoming home.
Loft Heights by Open Volume Studio
Keep it Organised
Have you heard the term ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place?” Sometimes this is easier said than done when square footage is low, and clutter is high. Exploring space-saving savvy hacks like multifunctional moveable furniture, hidden storage, clever joinery and recessed shelving can be the key to creating a practical family home. The concept for the below scheme by ConForm Architects is centred around improving space efficiency. Here, storage is built into the hipped roof of a compact historic listed property. By organising your space, you can combat clutter and create a calm functional environment. And let’s face it there’s nothing worse than standing on that stray piece of Lego!
Dormore by ConForm Architects. Image Source: Conform Architects.
Let the Light In
The importance of designing with light in architecture cannot be overstated. Check out our blog post on our love of natural light and how we design with light in mind. In a small space, this becomes especially crucial. Go on a lighting journey and explore all of your options, from recessed lighting and track lighting to floor lamps and pendant lights. Directing light to illuminate features such as shelving and artwork can make a room feel more multi-dimensional. Let the light it! Make sure natural light isn’t obscured. Consider your material choices and how they interact with natural light. For example, polished concrete and white walls reflect and enhance light, while brickwork and dark walls can change the way light feels in a room. Mirrors aren’t just for checking your reflection, they are also a nifty tool for lengthening views, amplifying natural light, and creating the illusion of space.
Celebrating light with recessed lighting, a skylight and a circular mirror. By Open Volume Studio
Take Your Time
It can take some time to get to know a space and how it functions. Get to know your small apartment or flat, and let it tell you what it needs to work as a family home. You may discover that zoning is a good solution to dividing areas within a small space. In this instance, explore colour, rugs and flooring as methods to demarcate space. Need some sanctuary? Consider allocating a corner for a reading nook and a sense of calm. The children love crafts and creating? Consider wipeable surfaces at child level and versatile storage solutions, such as a wheeled art trolly or a foldable desk.
Foliage and Final Thoughts
Bring the outside in with house plants, window boxes and floral decorations. Greenery and foliage can really animate and enliven a space.
A climber has been trained up and around a mirror. Image source: My Scandinavian Home
Oh, and before we forget – look up! Draw the eye upwards with pictures and lighting to emphasise the height of your space and enhance vertical volumes.
If you have some small space wisdom or space-saving hacks you would like to share, please comment below. In the meantime, get creative turning your flat into a family home and celebrate the compact and bijou!
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