Last Updated on March 3, 2022 by Kravelv
Some of us love the quintessential – a big house with a colossal facade, an infinity pool and an expansive backyard. With the emphasis on the minimalist approach, however, now is the perfect time to shy away from the thought. In substance, a massive house is expensive to build and maintain and also act as an energy hog. Such costly banes! Here’s how to making more with doing less.
Understand space and how it works
It is possible to make small spaces feel roomier and more accommodating. Most of the time, it’s not about the square footage, but working your way around it so you won’t feel squeezed in. The goal is to exaggerate any given space to your advantage.
Avoiding visual obstructions
The number one rule is to make the space feel tall. There are simple tricks to do just that including putting low, horizontal furniture, using wide glass expanses, and using vertical displays. For the furniture pieces, it would be better to choose soft neutral colors or any matching colors with the walls. The best pieces of furniture allow viewing them at all angles.
Another way to achieve a less visually-obstructed area is through lighting. Use flush-mounted lighting system, keeping the overall look and feel of the area clean. If possible, include uplighting. Bouncing light can create visual height, which we are trying to achieve. Don’t use drum lights or those lighting systems made with frosted glass. These materials not only jar the eyes but also disrupt the entire room.
Avoiding visual density
It’s useless to create a visual density when tackling smaller spaces. Definitely, a bright room is non-negotiable. A perfect way to introducing brightness to the space is painting the ceiling with high-gloss or semi-gloss paint. On the other hand, leaving the ceiling bare to expose its structure can have the same effect.
Be reminded, however, that this will depend on the bare color of the ceiling. Color is a very flexible design element. In creating a more spacious room, blurring of the openings, walls, and ceilings is a must. Colors can help you with this. For example, use the same color you painted the ceiling in painting doors, millwork, and baseboard. The same colors drown the visible lines in the room.
Creating visual interest
As mentioned above, visual competition is unnecessary. But, when dealing with colors and other design elements, you should never treat the entire house a single entity. Instead, you should create synergy. Again, colors will play a part in here, creating a color flow within the entire home.
It could be a color palette with the same tones. Or, introducing a constant color in every part of your home. Using the same materials sporadically will also do; of course, minus the heft and bulk to emphasize the view.
In sum, it’s all about expanding the sense of space and home. Designing a small space could be a conjuring challenge – the struggle is real. Yet, it is all about directing and misdirecting the eyes, if you really have to.
