How To Make The Best Use Of A Small Space

How to make the use of a Best SMALL SPACE

By BethAnne Brink-Cox, House & Home Feature Writer

We’ve all heard of the tiny house movement. Some long to live that way, while others know they could never do such a small space. But tiny space doesn’t mean only those types of houses. Many of us, live in old homes where smaller rooms are the norm, because when the houses were built they were less expensive to heat, and people didn’t have as many household possessions as nowadays. Yet you don’t always want to knock down walls for larger rooms, and in some cases you couldn’t anyway, because of load bearing walls. So what might you do to create more space where there seems to be none?

You might begin with open shelving, but Debbie Carpenter of Sweet Water Interiors prefers other options, saying “Open shelves so often lead to clutter, which actually makes the room look smaller. But mirrors are good. You could have an entire mirrored wall, with furniture placed against it--a very dramatic statement.”

What about double duty spaces? Window seats with storage for blankets or holiday decorations, trunks for offseason clothing while serving as tables, or closets that can go from shelves to hanging rods and back again as desired? Extra leaves for a dining table can be stood against the back wall of a seldom used closet, behind coats or other hanging clothes. One of my best ideas involved a clean garbage can to store sweaters during warmer months, topped with a circle of plywood and a tablecloth. Voila, a lamp table! Carpenter liked all those ideas, and added that hanging things up does a lot to create space where there isn’t much. “We don’t use our vertical spaces as much as we might, and it can make a difference. I once decorated a bathroom where the cabinets were hung on the walls instead of being on the floor, and with lighting underneath it created a wonderful effect.”

You could add a hanging rack for pots and pans in the kitchen, freeing up cabinet space for other things. If you have open shelving, consider baskets that will group similar items to conserve space and still keep the overall look light and appealing. And if your dining room allows, consider moving dishes and other table setting items into that room, using a hutch or china cabinet, leaving your kitchen cabinets available for other items, as well. If you’ve stockpiled extra canned and shelf stable foods during the quarantine period, they don’t have to be stored only in the kitchen; find boxes that you can fill and slide them under the beds!

Scale of furniture is, of course, essential, but there are other things to consider. Carpenter said to avoid dark colors and patterns on the walls, which will make your rooms appear smaller, and “keep all window treatments simple, with good under treatments that can be opened for the warmth and brightness of daylight.” And she went on to say an area rug creates a lovely effect, because the surrounding

Courtesy of Sweet Water Interiors, Goshen floor can also make the room look bigger than it would if it were carpeted.

Bathrooms might be one of the trickiest rooms, with fixtures solidly in place, so rethink the way you store things like towels; maybe they’ll need less room if you roll them, rather than fold them, creating a fresh, interesting look with no added cost. You can install high shelves above a tub surround for extra toiletries; they’re stored within easy reach and you can use what shelving or cabinets you have for other things such as paper products. You’ll be surprised at the space you can create when you think outside the box! n

Courtesy of Sweet Water Interiors, Goshen