Living in tight quarters – here’s how you can make the most of your space!

Living in tight quarters - here’s how you can make the most of your space!

Living in tight quarters isn’t the easiest. If you live in a really small space, it can easily get you down, but it’s important to remember that whether there’s a small room in your home or your entire living quarters could do with some sort of expanding, here are a few things to get you inspired.

Woman decluttering her apartment

De-clutter first

It’s not necessarily something we like to do, but it’s so important for us to get into the habit of de-cluttering regularly. Because de-cluttering means removing things from your life that don’t serve any purpose, but also it means removing things that are not serving a purpose in your home space and giving it a home. You may have a lot of items that have sentimental value but are taking up a lot of space. So either give them pride of place in your home or put them into a self storage facility. This is not just a good habit to get into, but when you start to de-clutter, it makes you appreciate what you have and gives purpose to your life.

Large shelving unit in an interior

Add more ‘walls’

While we can’t magically install new walls, shelving units are great ways for you to make the most of space, especially if you have lots of books and possessions that impinge on your space. Open shelving units can create privacy and add a dash of personality to the space.

Many hanging plants in a 2 storey apartment

Make the most of every surface

When you’re living in a tight space, any item that’s classed as a surface can be a perfect opportunity to start storing items. For example, a bulky radiator can be the perfect opportunity to install a shelving unit above it. Of course, it’s important to make sure that you do it safely. When you start to use any surface as an opportunity for storage or a statement piece, it’s a great way to retrain your brain. Rather than thinking that you’re hemmed in, you have a lot more opportunity to put your personal items on display.

Tall blue storage units in a bedroom

Use taller furniture

If your bed is really low, consider upgrading it so you have more opportunities for storage. It’s no secret that under-bed storage is the treasure trove for most, but if you want to get more storage, you need to make your bed a bit taller. The same thing applies to the sofa. There’s nothing quite like a tall sofa to make you feel cosier and comfier, and while you’re at it, you can put a few extra items beneath. Just be sure to get under there and dust on a regular basis.

There are so many things that you can do to improve your living when we are in a small space. Making your home look more spacious isn’t a fantastic psychological trick, but storage, de-cluttering and making the most of every surface won’t just guarantee your space feels better. However, you’re tackling the problem with a multitude of solutions; a small space doesn’t have to feel small any longer.

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Price points: Compact sofa beds

Compact sofa beds

One of our downstairs rooms, originally the parlour, isn’t working for us quite as it should. Its function now is more akin to a library or snug. Currently, we have it furnished with bookshelves, specimen table, industrial drawers and two antique leather sofas.

We want to make it a more adaptable and comfortable space in which to spend time. We’ve been looking at the range of grey compact sofa beds available to buy. It’s probably the smallest room in the house, so getting a sofa / occasional double bed in there is a hard ask.

The room, wall-to-wall, measures about 429cm x 193cm. That means that if you extend the sofa out to form the bed along the length of the room – as would seem obvious from the dimensions – it would block both of the doors in/out of the room. Therefore, the sofa bed will have to pull out from the opposite direction – i.e. either 90º clockwise or anticlockwise. Consequently, the length of the bed can’t extend further than the aforementioned 193cm.

As you can see from the measurements we’ve included for each of the models, two of the three compact sofa beds that we’ve featured today extend beyond that ‘magic 193’. The Kip version is a mere centimetre out, with the ALGO, it’s a whole 5cm. I’d think that the mattress of the former could easily be wedged in snugly; the latter… perhaps not. Besides, as we have a guest double bedroom, whatever sofa bed we decide on will only be used as a bed on the rare occasion that we have more than two people staying overnight.

  1. Freya folding sofa bed, grey: £250.00, Homebase
    Sofa: (h)80cm x (w)120cm x (d)90cm
    Bed: (h)42cm x (w)120cm x (l)190cm
  2. ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric: £319.99, Daals
    Sofa: (h)88cm x (w)123cm x (d)88cm
    Bed: (h)31cm x (w)123cm x (l)198cm
  3. John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm: £399.20, John Lewis
    Sofa: (h)70cm x (w)120cm x (d)84cm
    Bed: (h)70cm x (w)120cm x (l)194cm

shop compact sofa beds

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
£399.20
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
£319.99
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
£250.00
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
£399.20
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
£319.99
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
£250.00
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
£399.20
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
£319.99
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
£250.00
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
£399.20
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
£319.99
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
£250.00
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
John Lewis & Partners Kip small double sofa bed, Riley Storm
£399.20
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
ALGO 2-seater small double folding sofa bed with cushion, grey fabric
£319.99
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
Freya folding sofa bed, grey
£250.00

Get their look: Cloakroom transformation

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by LAURA | DIY | Reno | Styling (@houseproject_36)

I think that my favourite Instagram posts are the ‘before & after’ shots. This fabulous cloakroom transformation is one such example.

Before & after photos can achieve a number of aims; firstly, they demonstrate what can be accomplished with a bit (or a lot) of effort and imagination. Also, they can provide inspiration if you have a similar room or job to do in your own home. Finally, they can give you a necessary boost of encouragement and stimulus if you feel like you’re losing motivation partway through a long or arduous renovation project.

The downstairs loo is usually the smallest room in a house, so a cloakroom transformation is a good place to start if you’re a newbie to the renovation game.

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Geo towel
Geo towel
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
‘El Capullo’ print
‘El Capullo’ print
‘Oui oui’ wall art
‘Oui oui’ wall art
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint
Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Geo towel
Geo towel
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
‘El Capullo’ print
‘El Capullo’ print
‘Oui oui’ wall art
‘Oui oui’ wall art
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint
Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Anthropologie Margot bathroom soap pump
Geo towel
Geo towel
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
Bermuda corner cloakroom basin
‘El Capullo’ print
‘El Capullo’ print
‘Oui oui’ wall art
‘Oui oui’ wall art
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint
Farrow & Ball ‘Green Smoke’ estate emulsion paint

Get their look: Barcelona shipping container house

Barcelona shipping container housecredit

We’re big fans of tiny houses and other homes that make a small impact on the environment. This shipping container house in Barcelona falls into that category.

The 2-storey frame of the house was built from three metal shipping containers – which cost about £1,300 each. As well as the recycled shipping containers, the house build included the installation of solar panels and rain water harvesting tanks; low-impact living was high on the owners’ agenda.

The interior of the shipping container house is sympathetic to the exterior. It’s furnished in a vintage industrial open-plan style; polished cast concrete floors, huge floor to ceiling sliding glass doors, corrugated metal doorways and ceiling. The furniture and fittings are spare but comfortable with lots of soft furnishings such as rugs, throws, cushions and beanbag to soften the space.

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Green wooden bar stool
Green wooden bar stool
Round pink velvet cushion
Round pink velvet cushion
Grey linen beanbag chair
Grey linen beanbag chair
Yellow gulvase
Yellow gulvase
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Black articulated wall lamp
Black articulated wall lamp
Green wooden bar stool
Green wooden bar stool
Round pink velvet cushion
Round pink velvet cushion
Grey linen beanbag chair
Grey linen beanbag chair
Yellow gulvase
Yellow gulvase
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Black articulated wall lamp
Black articulated wall lamp
Green wooden bar stool
Green wooden bar stool
Round pink velvet cushion
Round pink velvet cushion
Grey linen beanbag chair
Grey linen beanbag chair
Yellow gulvase
Yellow gulvase
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Louisiana poster: Gabriele Münter, portrait of a young woman
Black articulated wall lamp
Black articulated wall lamp