Aseel A. H.
- May 20, 2018
- 4 min read

small living space hacks. (for every room)

You know how more and more people are deciding to live in cities (where the life of the party is?).

Well I am here to admit that I am also a sucker for city life, I am a girl who lives in the city of Dubai, and living in the city comes with real perks, like: a dynamic lifestyle, multicultural environment, strategic location where you can go to all the big events and drive in all those beautiful roads..

However, the downside of living in a big city, is having to be okay with living in smaller spaces, even tiny spaces.

When I got married, we literally had to live in a studio until we could upgrade to the apartment we are living in.

And I know I am not alone in this, pretty much most of the people who are living in the middle of the city, have the same struggle.

But just because you live in a smaller space, doesn't mean you can't have the exact look and feel that you need out of a home! Just look at it as an opportunity to be creative and work wonders in a limited area.

I am here to give you some tips that I have learned living in a small apartment myself, and working in IKEA which is all about small space living anyway!

01. Using Vertical Space:

This is just a fancy phrase of using your walls for more than frames and artworks, when living in a limited area, you need to maximize your storage space because otherwise your home will over-flood with clutter, and the more clutter you have, the smaller your space will look and feel.

Invest in wall cabinets, shelves, and storage cubes!

02. Multi-Tasking Furniture:

Think about how you can make the most out of the furniture you are going to buy, bench that doubles as a side table?

A t.v. unit with storage, a sofa that doubles to a bed. It will take the footprint of 1 piece of furniture, but you will use it to the maximum level.

03. Color Scheme:

Everyone knows that black and darker colors makes you look slimmer, that is because it gives you the illusion of a smaller looking mass. That effect applies to spaces too. Obviously, you should pick whatever color scheme that you please because by the end of the day, what matters is that YOU are happy with the space that you are living in.

But if you want a larger looking space, that also reflect the light more, then you can go with a lighter color scheme.

My best advice to you in this case, is at least pick a neutral base for your furniture (so it takes up 60% of your color scheme) add another color complimentary color (like, 30%) and your last 20% should be an accent color that you are completely free to change any time of the year.

rhondak-native-florida-folk-artist-83553-unsplash

04. Embrace Furniture with higher legs, slimmer legs:

I really dig mid-century modern and industrial style interiors for that particular reason, because the legs are tall and slim, it gives you the illusion of a "lifted" space, and it makes the light pass through, while on the other hand the bulkier furniture are more grounding.

But again, it's a tip for you to make your space look bigger, but doesn't mean that you should give up your personal style if you like something else! :)

05. Clear Furniture:

Also another tip, if you want more light to get inside of your apartment, opt for clear acrylic furniture, basically because it doesn't take any visual weight but it serves the function that is need for that room!

06. Mirrors:

Mirrors, Mirrors, Mirrors.

I can't swear by it enough! Mirrors give you the illusion of a bigger space, and they reflect more light inside, and they match everything in the context they are in.

Remember that the bigger the mirror is, the better.

07. Hooks & Folding & Hanging Furniture:

I personally have always been a big fan of hooks, as some of them look artistic, and they saved my butt quite a few times, because you can store pretty much anything using hooks, my favorite use of hooks is to hang folding furniture I have. Whether it's the extra chairs for my dining table or my clothes drying rack.

09. Declutter.

Because obviously, the less stuff you have got, the less storage you will need.

Also, I can relate to all of these following images :))

10. Layout & Scale:

Before you do anything, go ahead and analyze your life style at this moment, understand what kind of functions do you require within your space. You will need that to group your activities within your space, then try to fit your activities into different "bubbles" within the space!

Burst those bubbles using your furniture,

Just because you have a smaller space, doesn't mean you need to make all of your furniture petit! You need to do the opposite actually.

Make sure you get the pieces in a good scale, and not too small because it will clutter the space for you.