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We could all use some extra space these days. Before you consider a move, make sure you are maximizing the space in your current home. Here are some tips on how to make a small apartment look and feel bigger. 

How To Make Your Small Space Feel Bigger

There’s no reason why you should feel cramped in your apartment — even if it’s a small space. With a few simple tips and tricks from Panoramic Properties, you can make make a small apartment look and feel bigger.

Hang Shelves High

The next time you decide to put up some shelves, consider hanging them really high. This will give the illusion that your ceilings are higher than they are. It may not be the most convenient storage, but you can always use the shelves for books, decor or items that you don’t use on a daily basis.

Use Vertical Stripes

It’s no wonder they say vertical stripes on clothing make a person appear slimmer and taller. It actually works. The same trick can be applied to home furniture and décor. A simple way to give the illusion of a long room is to incorporate a striped rug that runs along the longest wall of a room. You can do the same with a piece of artwork, where the stripes run from floor to ceiling. This simple trick will fool the eye into thinking your ceilings are higher than they really are and make a small apartment look and feel bigger.

Use Furniture with Exposed Legs

When it comes to buying furniture, couches and chairs with exposed legs work best for small spaces. If the furniture has a skirt, the whole thing tends to look big and bulky — which is what you want to avoid. You can even get away with big items in a small space — as long as the legs are exposed.

Mirrors

To make a room feel brighter and bigger, add a few mirrors to your apartment. The key is to place a mirror near a window where the natural light can be reflected both during the day and night. You could also try hanging a mirror that faces a hallway, which will also help create the illusion of a larger space.

5 bathroom storage tricks for small spaces

Addressing a lack of bathroom storage in a small space can be tricky. Smaller bathrooms don’t have to feel tiny — you simply have to be smart about how you use the space. The blog team at Panoramic Properties presents 5 bathroom storage tricks for small spaces.

Everything Under the Sink

It’s important to take advantage of every bit of space in a small bathroom. Cluttered counters can make your bathroom feel even smaller. You can store various odds and ends — like your hairdryer, brushes and bottles — with a convenient, under-the-sink cabinet caddy.

Sink to New Depths

Use the depth of space under the sink for storage. Place stackable, sliding drawers or baskets in the space you have to cut down on counter clutter and keep your bathroom organized. The principle ‘out of sight, out of mind’ rings true here. This bathroom hack will make the room feel more spacious. Each person in your home can claim their own basket!

Over the Toilet Shelf Rack

The area above the toilet is flush with usable space. An over-the-toilet shelf rack can slide right in, with no installation, and instantly expand your bathroom storage to new heights. 

Use the Corners

Turn tight corners into storage space with a free-standing corner shelf. No installation is required, just insert and start organizing!

Shower Storage

You can store a surprising amount of supplies in the shower. Keep everything handy, organized, and in its place with no installation or tools required. 

Pull your apartment together with these small changes

Creating a unique, stylish apartment doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming; a few small changes can go a long way.

Colour

For a more organized, put-together look, try sorting items in your apartment by colour. This simple tip can be effective throughout your apartment — from the towels in your bathroom to the shoes in your closet or the books in your living space. If you realize that your rooms are a little lacklustre, adding colour might be exactly the change you are looking for. Just remember, a little colour goes a long way. Shop for a bold but simple item, like a pillow or throw blanket for your sofa. 

Height and Light

Don’t forget to look up when trying to bring your apartment together. A vertical piece, such as a lamp or a mirror, is a great addition. If you choose a lamp, you can also adjust and enhance the lighting. After all, lighting by itself can definitely bring a space together. You can learn more about how to use lights in decorating by referring to this online guide.

Personal Touch

Your apartment will feel more cohesive when it reflects your own unique style. Don’t be intimidated to try your own small do-it-yourself project or display your own artwork. A framed drawing, photo or even a photocopy found online can really add a nice touch.

Living Better in a Small Space

Making your apartment feel “right-sized” is part attitude and part thoughtful application of a few basic design principles that can make small spaces feel larger and less cluttered.

The right furnishings in the right places:

It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but really large furniture pieces – no matter how much you love them – don’t usually work in smaller rooms. Properly scaled furniture makes rooms look bigger. Many pieces designed for apartments can be used for more than one purpose and/or incorporate extra storage space. Fewer pieces of furniture allow better spacing. The extra storage helps reduce clutter – a very meaningful contribution.  

Smart use of colour and pattern in furniture and accent pieces:

When you start designing a small space, keep colour contrasts to a minimum and upholstery patterns muted. You can add colour and bolder patterns with accent pieces later.

Think room lines and focal points:

The longest line the eye sees in a room affects our perception of room size. If the line between the carpet and the wall, for example, is visible for much of its length, the room will appear larger. Smaller and multi-use furniture pieces that reduce clutter help, but so does the way the pieces are positioned in the room. Placing a piece of furniture a bit out from (or at an angle to) the wall can accentuate the impact of the line on the eye. Putting an attention-grabbing accent piece at the end of that line, or at a focal point between two lines, further enhances the effect.

Lighting:

Lighting is the most important tool of all when it comes to affecting the eye’s perception of room size. The more natural light that you can get into a room, the larger it will look. If you use curtains, make them sheer and place supports close to the ceiling and wider than the window to make the window appear larger while allowing the drapes to be pulled completely clear of the window opening. Keep the space in front of the window clear, unless it is obvious that a couple of hanging plants will look better than what’s outside the window. If windows are small or few in number, try using a floor-length mirror on the wall across from one of the windows. You probably want a floor-length mirror in the apartment anyway, so put it where it can serve more than one function. There are thousands of fixture choices for nighttime illumination — and many of them are inexpensive enough to allow for experimentation. Just make sure you have enough lighting power in each room. There may be times when you want reduced lighting, but rooms look and feel bigger when brightly lit. 

We hope these tips and tricks from Panoramic Properties make a small apartment look and feel bigger than it is.