Is there a little space in the house? No problem! Hide the refrigerator under the table, the bedroom under the closet, and the kitchen under the bed! We’ve collected 35 ideas and solutions to help you save space.
Ideas for a small apartment
1. Instead of buying a special wardrobe, hide the TV in your regular wardrobe. The space saving is obvious: the TV will take up only one shelf, the rest can be placed on books, discs or even linen packed in opaque boxes. Keep in mind: around and, most importantly, behind the TV, you need to leave free space for ventilation.
- How to choose a TV for different rooms
2. Instead of one large cabinet or shelf, buy two small – so that, if necessary, they can be pushed apart or pushed together again. If the storage systems are equipped with casters, this will give you even more room to maneuver.
3. Feel free to add office equipment to your interior. The paradox: many people who are exhausted from the cramped situation in a two-room apartment, at work, get along just fine with two square meters. Designers have come up with countless objects that help save space. For example, plastic “pockets” for magazines, fixed on a metal frame. Compact and clear: all covers are in plain sight, and there is no need to rummage on the shelf for hours in search of what you need.
4. Don’t litter your apartment with souvenirs. In a limited area, when every centimeter counts, these … But if you still have a talisman, without which you cannot imagine your life, hang it in a prominent place. For example, on a mirror frame. Your fetish will look most advantageous against a contrasting background.
5. Replace stationary furniture with foldable and mobile. Everything is going great! And it unfolds and folds again. In addition, he easily moves around the house, if necessary, giving way to things that are more necessary in the household. Good selection of folding chairs at IKEA.
Pictured: Travel Studio bed on casters with extra bed, Ligne Roset salons, F2 convertible dining table, Ligne Roset salons, Flip folding serving table on wheels, Kartell, Kartell boutique).
6. Take a closer look at multifunctional furniture. Objects with multiple functions are your allies in the fight for square footage. When buying furniture, choose models with built-in storage systems, such as coffee tables with compartments for newspapers and magazines.
For example, the coffee table (pictured) designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra can also be used as a magazine rack or stand for a TV, desk lamp or fan. Wires can be pulled through the hole in the bottom. Designboom store.
7. Build wall-to-wall bookshelves. In any home there are books that are rarely re-read. The very place for them is under the slopes of the roof and in other “inconvenient” places. Just be sure to compile a catalog of your library showing the location of the books on the shelves. This will make it easier to find the desired instance.
8. Use the same material for your walls and furniture. The wooden library visually merges with the wall, decorated with panels of the same wood. The result is that the shelves do not crush the space, do not destroy it, and look more compact and neat.
9. Use furniture transformers. This ergonomic miracle was born in Europe thanks to the Bauhaus school. It was there that armchairs were invented, which at night turn into couches, beds that can be removed into the closet during the day, sliding tables and other transforming pieces of furniture. Today, designers continue to think in this direction. The latest developments are in front of you.
Photo: Ooch armchair with two removable cushions, designed by Sanniadesign for Bemmebonacina.
10. Built-in household appliances. When every centimeter counts, the two-in-one principle is more effective than ever! A cooker hood with a built-in TV, an oven with a warming compartment and their other compact “colleagues” fit perfectly into a given size and work honestly in a minimum space.
In the photo: C 47C42 NOEU oven-steamer.
11. Buy wireless technology. In our age of technological progress, it is simply impossible to imagine a house (even the smallest one) without a computer (or laptop), TV and telephone. If there is a shortage of free space, we suggest saving on wires. Fortunately, the choice of wireless devices on the market is now incredibly large.
12. Get rid of unnecessary technology. Computer, TV, DVD-player, radio, music center, mp3-player, alarm clock … Nowadays this whole company can easily be replaced by one single item – a laptop. You will not only save space, but also reduce harmful electromagnetic radiation and electricity costs.
13. Color signaling. in neat boxes – aesthetically pleasing, but not always convenient: you will get confused. To make it easier for you to remember where everything is, choose boxes of different colors.
In the photo: colored cardboard boxes, IKEA, IKEA stores.
14. Use lightweight fabrics. To make the room appear more spacious, avoid layered curtains and lush draperies whenever possible. However, this is not a reason to deny yourself “excesses”. Have you always dreamed of a four-poster bed like a princess? Hang a light bamboo frame from the ceiling and drape it with tulle. Looks no less romantic than a real canopy!
15. Transparent furniture. All means are good in the fight for extra meters! For example, optical illusion. In terms of functionality, furniture made of glass or transparent plastic is in no way inferior to ordinary furniture, but at the same time it does not visually clutter up the space.
Pictured: Indo coffee table, tempered glass, Roche Bobois, Roche Bobois showrooms, Meduse dining table, tempered glass, Roche Bobois, Roche Bobois showrooms, storage containers, plastic, Magis, Designboom store.
16. Set up a “secret” office. A workplace and a bed a stone’s throw from it are not the best neighborhood. If it is impossible to “separate” the zones for work and rest, equip a home mini-office in a closet, as in this photo. True, the owners of the apartment did not bring the idea to its logical conclusion: ideally, the office should have been equipped with a slide door. And so that there is no temptation to “hang out” on the Internet until the morning, lock it with a padlock every evening.
17. White furniture. These inconspicuous items will decorate any interior. They reflect light, create a feeling of airiness and crystal purity. You will never be close with them. Another advantage of white furniture: it is always in fashion.
Pictured: Legnomobile 3 storage system, designed by Alfredo Heberli for Alias, Solo showrooms, Luminator showroom, Fino swivel armchair, Cor, Neuhaus galleries, Extra Class interiors.
18. Add mezzanine floor. Not only cells, but also apartments multiply by division. By converting a one-story space into a two-story space, you will get additional space on which you can equip a kitchen or bathroom.
19. Use sliding partitions and doors. This will save space. In order not to spoil the floor with rails (as in wardrobes), it is better to fix the guide rails in the upper part of the door leaf. And so that light penetrates into the room, the canvases themselves can be made of glass or of transparent plastic.
20. Mirror surfaces. The more mirrors there are in a room, the more spacious it seems. This law also applies to furniture. Any object with mirrored or polished metal surfaces, like a chameleon, merges with the environment where it is. And therefore it organically fits into it.
Photo: Night Watch chandelier, polished stainless steel, Brand Van Egmond, Neuhaus galleries, Space Invaders wall mirrors, designed by Piero Lissoni for Glas Italia, Room Design gallery, Alaska armchair, polished stainless steel, Cattelan Italia, Maxlevel shops, table mirrored patinated glass, Drexel Heritage, Park Avenue showrooms.
21. Use corners. Special pull-out and rotating mechanisms for corner cabinets, the so-called “carousels”, allow you to use up to 90% of the internal space of the section. Very convenient “carousel” with several shelves or containers at once.
In the photo: a pull-out section for a corner cabinet from the collection “Rationel”, IKEA, IKEA stores.
22. Make friends with high technologies. This mirror with a built-in LCD TV in the off state is no different from its usual counterparts. Thanks to it, you can not only not miss important news, but also create a relaxing atmosphere in the bathroom: the main thing is to tune in to the right channel! Mirror with LCD TV, clock and backlight, Ad Notam.
23. Compact plumbing. When choosing equipment for a small bathroom, pay attention to corner sinks, wall-hung toilets and faucets built into the wall. Every centimeter saved counts!
Pictured: corner sink and cabinet from the Reach collection, Kohler, Interiors Extra Class showrooms, ultra-compact sink and cabinet from the Happy D. collection, Sieger Design for Duravit, Neuhaus gallery, Konzept salon, Hogarth company.
- How to choose furniture for a typical bathroom
24. Buy a bed with a laundry box. The most spacious option is when the storage space is under the reclining mattress grate. Bedding folded in cardboard boxes will immediately free up at least half of the wardrobe. In summer, you can hide winter things in your bed, and vice versa. The collections of the Flou, Emmemobili, Bonaldo factories have beds with shelves for books, shelves for lamps, etc. You can order a bed according to your own sketch – with storage systems built into the headboard, sides or footboard. Custom-made furniture: Mebelny Dvor company.
25. Give preference to natural materials. The abundance of plastic in a small apartment can turn it into a Barbie house. A win-win solution – light wood floors
26. Make the interior partitions work. In an effort to make housing even a little more spacious, the owners of small apartments often demolish interior walls. Big mistake! This makes the apartment seem even smaller. It is wiser to save at least part of the wall, to save space, by building a storage system or a bio fireplace into it.
27. To make the space seem more spacious, paint the walls and floor the same light color (not necessarily white). Keep in mind that the smaller the area of the apartment, the greater the load on each square centimeter of the floor, so it wears out much faster than in more spacious rooms. Cover it with two coats of paint.
28. Use vibrant colors locally. The abundance of saturated colors in a small space is overwhelming. At the same time, individual bright accents will add life to the interior without overloading it.
29. Stackable furniture. It has long been noticed: furniture bought “for guests” behaves like a business owner in the house, shamelessly occupying valuable living space. Choose stackable chairs that are weather-resistant and store them on your balcony. Pictured: PIP-e storage chairs, colored plastic, designed by Philippe Starck for Driade, Altagamma gallery.
30. Choose small fixtures. A massive chandelier will make the room seem even lower. The ideal option is a luminaire hanging just below the ceiling.
31. Declare war on furniture handles. Lockers with push-to-open doors are a great choice for a small kitchen. The storage system looks strict and laconic, and the handles do not cling to clothes. If the kitchen is combined with the living room, a TV can be built into such a system.
32. Use open shelves and shelves instead of cabinets. Visually, they do not clutter up the space so much. Wicker baskets and IKEA stores will help to defeat the clutter on the shelves.
33. Play with scales. A large photopanel with macro photography of a flower or a sticker decorating one of the walls will immediately attract attention, hiding the modest size of the room. The red herring was a success!
34. Arrange overhead storage systems. If there is not enough space on the floor and in cabinets, use the walls. With overhead storage systems, the little things you need are always in sight. And small children will not be able to reach them! System of suspended modules with fasteners for kitchen utensils, Moormann, design gallery / bulthaup SPb.
35. Choose miniature appliances. Think, standard size or can you get by with a small one that fits under the work surface? (Such models are available from Liebherr, Whirlpool, Bosch.) The same goes for dishwashers and washing machines. Mercilessly get rid of the “miracles of technology” that waste space in the kitchen. Observe yourself: How many times have you used a juicer or food processor in the last month?