Is your home feeling a little cramped? Is your family growing and, in turn, out-growing your living space? In this situation, you may start thinking about selling your house and finding somewhere bigger to live. However, a house move is a significant upheaval and isn’t always practical. Moving home is a big expense, and extremely stressful, so before you call the estate agents in, you could look at ways to be more creative with the space that you have and fall in love with your home all over again. Here are some ways to maximise living space in your home without needing to move house.

Declutter

When you’re used to being in your home every day, you often don’t notice the build-up of clutter. It’s only when you look at it with fresh eyes that you see all the extra stuff lying around the house. It’s surprising just how much space can be created by clearing out items that you no longer need or want.

The idea of decluttering your entire house can feel overwhelming, so it makes sense to do one room at a time. Break the task down further by focusing on different areas of the room to work on. For example, start by decluttering a cupboard so that you then have room to store other items that you want to keep.

The biggest surprise of all is seeing just how much stuff you have that you no longer use! Having a clear-out and decluttering will not only maximise living space but could also make you some cash if you decide to sell it.

Renovate

If you love where you live, and the only reason you would consider moving is to gain extra space, why not renovate your existing space instead? Residential Architects will be able to give you lots of ideas on how you could make the best use of the available space in your home, or even extend further. Loft conversions are a popular way of adding extra living space. Additionally, converting your garage into a room could also create an extra room or two to your house.

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Clever furniture, fixtures and fittings

A lack of space doesn’t need to be a problem; it just requires smarter solutions. To make the most of the space you do have, choose furniture, fixtures and fittings that are either multi-purpose or cleverly designed to save space.

Cabin beds are a great example of this for a kids room as they usually have wardrobes, shelves, desks and drawers underneath, making them perfect for saving floor space in a small bedroom. Beds that feature storage space underneath the mattress are also a brilliant way to gain storage but save on floor space.

If you have a small bathroom, why not have an over the bath shower, rather than a stand-alone separate shower cubicle? Installing a corner sink rather than a pedestal sink is also a great way to save some space in a smaller bathroom.

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