Many people dream of living in a large and spacious home. However, not everyone has the money to spend on big houses. If you have a small home, it doesn’t mean you’re missing out a lot. The truth is, there are quite a few advantages of a compact home; it’s cosier, more energy-efficient and easier and quicker to clean & maintain.

With that said, a small home has minimal space. Fortunately, there are many ways to maximise space in a small house. Here are some helpful tips that you can do to make your home appear bigger.

Clean up and declutter

Smaller homes can veer towards being crammed and cramped. To maximise the space, you’ll need to clean up and declutter. Not only will it give you more space, but it can also improve how your home looks.

How do you declutter? The first thing to do is to plan. First, decide which rooms or areas need clearing. After knowing which rooms to work on, consider when and how long you’ll work on then. It may seem best to deal it with all at once, but it usually takes time to clear a space. Instead of rushing, do one room or area at a time.

When starting to declutter, consider grouping the items into categories. You’ll need to decide which items to keep and which to let go of. If you’re unsure whether you should keep something or not, consider a few factors. Is it really important to you? Can you still use it? If so, when was the last time you used it? Aside from these questions, you can also sleep on it. You may come up with a decision after a good night’s sleep. For the items that you’re letting go of, consider selling, recycling or donating them to a charity shop.

Do some organising

After deciding which items to save, you’ll need to do some reorganisation. How can you reorganise your items? First, identify which items you’ll use more often and which items can be stored for the time being. When storing your items, it’s best to group similar items together.

You can use baskets, boxes and bins to store items neatly for future use. To make it easier to find, you can label them. When storing rarely used items in boxes, you can create a list and place it on the top of the box to help you identify what items are inside. When it comes to the things that you want to display or use often, consider building a shelf or a cabinet.

Expand your living space

In many small houses, the living areas are all combined in one single, open-plan room rather than separate ones. Because of this, it limits use of the space. To solve this, why not consider extending your living space into the outside?

One way of doing this is by installing a deck in your garden. Not only will it make your outdoor space beautiful, it can also give you a new space to enjoy. For decks, you have a few choices; stone, concrete, wood, plastic and wood-plastic composites. However, if you plan to use the space or patio extensively, consider composite plastic boards instead of traditional softwoods. They’re more durable and easier to clean. You may also want to make sure to choose the right colour for the boards, to make a cohesive and seamless transition from the inside of your home.

Make your home appear bigger

Despite the many tricks that you can do to maximise space in a small house, there’s a limit to how much that can be done. If you’re running out of options, and still feel your home is crammed, why not try to make it look bigger. There are quite a few ways you can do this.

One way is by painting your walls and ceilings. If a room is too cramped, bright and neutral colours can make it appear bigger. Avoid using dark and warm colours, as it can make the rooms feel confined. You can also use stripes to make the room seem taller or wider. Aside from paint, you can hang large wall mirrors. Mirrors reflect and bounce light around and provide more visual space. You can also use mirrors outdoors to make your garden feel more spacious.

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