“Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind; large ones weaken it”– Leonardo Da Vinci.

Reread these lines every time you fret over living in a small apartment. With rising real-estate prices and shrinking square footage, you know that every tiny square foot counts.

Just because your apartment is less than 500 square feet doesn’t mean you have to live in a cramped space forever. There is no magic wand, which you can swish and flick to expand the carpet area. However, with a pinch of creativity and little space planning, you can effortlessly create more space in your apartment, making it feel more open and ample. 

Thanks to technology, fitting everything in a small apartment is no longer an uphill battle. Coming up with a clever interior design solution will help you overcome those obstacles and create more space for you. 

7 Clever Ways to Create More Space in a Small Apartment

Creating more space while maintaining style is what makes interior design for small apartments attractive. Living with family members doesn’t always mean sacrificing the square inch of your independence. Follow these seven clever ways to make more space in your small apartment. 

1. Use interior designing software

When it comes to creating more space, one thing which you cannot overlook is – space planning. 

An ideal space planning strikes a perfect balance between beauty and comfort. Whether it’s your kitchen, bedroom, or balcony, every area counts, and you can effortlessly make the best possible use of the space you have. 

For doing, take the help of a free floor plan creator. Such a design software helps create a precise and detailed design of your house. The 3D rendered model of floor plan it creates gives interior designers a concrete view of your house. This allows the designer to make changes for maximum space utilization. 

Apart from creating a floor plan, you can use the software to find the perfect position to place your sofa without wasting space. With a single click, the future look of your small apartment is visible. 

Whether you want to add mirrors or use curtains to hide your clutter, or create door storage, the software does it for you. 

Pro tip: These interior design software are easy to use as you feed the details of the doors, walls, and windows – and the software does the rest.

2. Go as high or as low as possible with the storage space

You may be short of the floor space in small apartments, but the vertical space is all yours – unused. When it comes to storage potential, these vertical spaces could be your secret weapon. 

Vertical storage spaces give an illusion of larger rooms. Start by adding shelves to an entire wall. 

You can place a bin full so craft supplies, books, dishes, framed art, files, and even boxes on these shelves. For style quotient, without wasting a single square inch of space, add a spiral bookshelf or a wooden stand.

According to Forbes, wall-shelving in the kitchen is a design trend to watch out for in 2021 as designers are likely to overlook the built-in cabinetry look for a kitchen.  

Furthermore, for adding elegance and giving an aesthetic look to your apartment, use floating shelves. These shelves add extra storage space while keeping your room. When opting for vertical storage space, split the wall units into sections. On the higher portion, keep items that you don’t use frequently and place the frequently used items on the lower portion. 

In case you run out of vertical space, you can create drawers beneath your bed for storing linen and clothes. Go as high and as low as possible to maximize your storage space.

Pro tip: Instead of letting many small pieces of storage eat up space, dedicate an entire wall to storage. Focus on floor-to-ceiling storage for stashing your books, clothes, and everything that requires a storage space. 

3. Use pocket or sliding doors

The first thing that strikes your mind every time you think of creating more space in your small apartment would be storage. 

You’re probably not the only one! 

In fact, the most effective space saver in any home could be doors. That’s why designers turn to pocket or sliding doors. Unlike traditional swinging doors, which open out in a room, a sliding door slides in the wall cavity. It’s easy to slide them in the wall cavity as it operates on a hung rolling track. Furthermore, in small apartments, these doors function as room dividers and help save many square feet.

Pro-tip: To create more space, create wardrobes with sliding doors as swinging wardrobe doors consume too much space.

4. Embrace foldable furniture

From Murphy beds to nesting coffee tables, as far as possible, buy foldable furniture. Hiding away such furniture during the night or daytime (when not in use) saves a plethora of space for other activities. Today, Murphy beds are an ideal solution for turning a living room into a bedroom with a flick of your wrist. 

Another clever space-saving trick for small apartments is having desks situated inside a cupboard. You can use this space as a workstation because it would have ample space on the top for storing your work supplies and plenty of space beneath to keep a store a stool when not in use. Also, try using nesting tables, wall desks, storage ottomans, and compact chairs for creating more space in a place you call home!

Pro tip: To avoid room layout mistakes, never choose furniture that closes up space. Choose something that will either give you more storage space or create more physical space in your home.  

5. Maximize unexpected spaces

A few overlooked aspects for storage are: back of the door, under the staircase, and side of the fridge. At the side of your fridge, try using hanging shelves or towel racks to declutter your kitchen and make it more spacious. For those living in maisonette apartments, you will have a plethora of space below the staircase. Either use cabinets or place foldable storage boxes for stacking your kid’s toys or shoes. Use it as a storage space when you are running short of wardrobe space. 

You can also add space by placing your furniture in the center instead of cramping them at any corner. For these corners, it’s best to use corner shelving to show off your decorative pieces. 

Pro-tip: If a home has swinging doors, install a hook rack at the back of all doors to hang your clothes, belts, and towels.

6. Use exposed leg furniture.

Exposed leg furniture creates an illusion of ample space and gives you an option to add more storage space. Whether you leave the space empty or place baskets for keeping newspapers, storing blankets, or bedsheets, exposed leg furniture makes your room look spacious. Therefore, invest in couches, chairs, tables, ottomans, dressers, and bed frames with exposed legs. 

Pro-tip: Under your exposed leg furniture, add temporary or permanent storage space. Furthermore, for small apartments, never buy furniture that is flush to the ground as it only eats up space. 

7. Create zones

Even in a small apartment,you can create different zones. By intelligent placement of rugs and arrangement of furniture, you can designate specific areas for specific activities. For example, use rugs such that it separates your living area from the dining area. You can even use furniture for defining the outside edges of your zone. When creating zones, remember that they don’t disrupt the flow of your room. 

Interestingly, you can use artwork or decorative pieces to create a center of attraction for each zone. 

Pro-tip: For providing privacy, you can even add a layer of curtain or sliding doors. To ensure your guests don’t end up seeing your kitchen mess, add partitions that are slightly higher than your kitchen units. It ensures privacy while adding elegance to your small apartment. Furthermore, you could hang a TV on this partition for optimum utilization of your space.

Conclusion

Without having to renovate your small apartment, you can increase the storage space and ensure your best utilization of your small apartment space. Unless you buy the neighbors house, the space of your small apartment isn’t going to change. 

Remember that every nook and corner of your house has space-saving potential. You only have to look at the right place. From using window sills for extra storage space, building a partial glass wall to buying a wall desk, and adding mirrors for spatial illusions – there are hundreds of ways of creating more space in your small apartment.

For an inexpensive redesigning, focus on these seven areas to give your loved ones more space to live.

It’s your home, and you have to make it spacious. 

Do you know a great way to create more space in your small room apartment? Do tell us in the comments section.

Happy redesigning!