Short of waving a magic wand, you’ll have to use some energy doubling the size of your house, but this exercise needn’t be complicated. De-cluttering your home is the best way of expanding your living space. This can become a stressful task the longer it’s left, but once you decide that the time is right you’ll be surprised at how much space you’ve created.
Moving your unwanted items
Once you’ve decided to make some much needed room in your home it’s always best to start by throwing away all those annoying, dust collecting items that seem to gather as the years go by. You can then assess what important or sentimental pieces of furniture or household goods you would like to keep, but don’t have sufficient storage space in your home to retain them. One simple way of storing these articles is to use the services of Kelly Store, who will collect your boxed items and place them in a storage pod at their warehouse, where they will be secure and insured.
Room by room
If you have hoarders in the family, then follow the advice from this article in the Guardian by Marie Kondo, a Japanese author, who says that: “There’s no need to let your family know the details of what you throw out or donate to charity,” but she advises against throwing away other people’s things. The article recommends clearing one room at a time and to try not being too concerned about what other people have brought you in the past, they have probably forgotten about them anyway. It may seem brutal at the time but once you have a clear home you won’t be too worried.
Storage space
Many contemporary homes suffer from a drastic shortage of storage space, but there are some cheap and easy ways to remedy this problem. The netmums website has some simple ideas on how to utilise the space you already have. Making use of alcoves by adding shelving or fitting cupboards from recycled wood will prevent books and CDs being left lying on the floor and won’t break the bank. If you have any large items like bikes or buggies these can be stored in an outside shed or conservatory.
Using multifunctional furniture
Making extra room in your home needs to be carried out methodically otherwise you’ll end up with more than you started with. Don’t keep things that are never going to be used again; you’re trying to open up your living space, so less is more. Investing in new furniture can be expensive so when you do buy a sofa or chairs, try buying something with its own storage built in. Living in a small flat can be challenging but there are various shelving units available that will make maximum use of your available space.
Using natural light
Any room can be made to look more spacious with the addition of mirrors and by keeping the colour scheme bright. Dark furniture can be painted a brighter colour and the use of good lighting can all make your home look and feel more spacious.