Narrow homes how to solve it? And learn about 10 advantages of it (the art of exploiting spaces in small homes) with an architectural lens 2020

Writing – Architect/ Dina Shukri Hussein & Review and Publish – Architect / Shaima Magdy .

an introduction:

There is no doubt that all of us dream of living in spacious houses where the eyes and soul are comfortable, freedom of movement and variety of furniture, but reality sometimes may prevent us from our dreams, as the spaces of the houses have become small, especially those that young people buy at the beginning of their lives due to the exorbitant prices of large houses.

We may see that living in a small space may not be as fun as those wonderful little houses we see on Instagram as small houses come with some obstacles and questions such as
Where are we supposed to put all our clothes and needs?
How does an entire dining room fit into a space that some might have the size of a closet?
More importantly, how can we make a crowded home feel light, airy and inviting?
But let’s look at the glass half full. Despite that, there are many advantages to small spaces.

If you are interested in knowing these advantages and how to exploit the small spaces of the house, here is this series from an architect lens, in which we will shed light on how to exploit small spaces throughout the house (bedrooms, children’s rooms, living, kitchen, bathroom, balconies) and how to exploit every corner of the house. Its pillars…

In this first article, we will address the following points:
Do small homes have advantages?
What are the tips to make small spaces in the house appear larger?

First: Do small homes have advantages?

Big houses are not always the best, as there are certainly many advantages and benefits to owning small houses. Living in a small house makes you enjoy owning fewer things and living with practicality and elegance at the same time, in addition to other advantages that we will present to you, including:

1- Lower cost and cost saving

Large homes need to spend a lot of money to buy many pieces of furniture, antiques, and so on, while these expenses can be saved in small homes that force us to choose only what we need from furniture, furnishings and electrical appliances, a small space means less cost, and we will not need a large budget For design, finishing and implementation.

2- Easy to clean and maintain

The house needs constant cleaning to maintain its appearance and protect the family members from diseases, and one of the main disadvantages of large houses is that they require great time and effort in cleaning, while a small house can be cleaned with less time and effort.

3- Warmer family relationships

The size of the house plays an important role in strengthening family relations. The smaller the house, the greater the likelihood of family members meeting in one place, unlike what large homes do in which each individual lives in a separate room, and the social time in which the family meets decreases.

4- safer

A small house can be secured against theft easily, and its windows are limited and are not tempting to thieves, unlike large houses.

5-Control of purchasing habits and adherence to realism in requirements andPriorities

Small spaces make you think carefully about what can be bought, avoid buying anything unnecessary, avoid overcrowding, and focus only on priorities.

6- Eliminate clutter and help get organized

The small space pushes you to get rid of everything that is old and unused, any clutter can be an obstacle to your movement and multiple activities, and it is easy for you to organize to find everything you need easily.

7- Ease of movement between rooms

Small spaces make moving between different rooms easy, as the rooms are either directly connected to each other or linked by small corridors, unlike large spaces.

8- More room for innovation

The most characteristic of small spaces is that each addition you choose for the house appears powerfully and shines among its counterparts, and here comes the role of innovations and ideas that help in the appearance of the small house in a sparkling and luxurious way, and a small space means practical furniture that performs more than one function to take advantage of all spaces and use them for purposes different.

9-Ease in renovating the decor

A smaller space means less decor and furniture, so if you want to renovate, even the smallest details can make a difference.

10 –Full of radiance and vitality

Small spaces mean greater access to lighting, whether natural or artificial, making it always bright and lively.

Second: What are the tips that make small spaces in the house appear larger?

Some of us may have fears of small homes, fearing that they are characterized by chaos, disorganization, and stacking of furniture, which makes the house unorganized and uncomfortable, but this is not true. .

1- colors

Colors play a major role in making small spaces appear larger, and there are several rules for using colors in small spaces, including:
Choose light colors and stay away from dark: The use of light-colored paints such as white, light yellow, rose, sky blue and others, light paints give a feeling of spaciousness of the place.

Bright colors instead of light or dark: Such as pastel colors and natural colors.

monochrome decoration: The use of only one color in its degrees in one room in the walls, ceilings, floors and furniture gives the impression of a third dimension.

Light at the top and dark at the bottom: A feeling of spaciousness can be given if the lower parts are painted in a darker color than the upper ones.

Mixing light and dark: There is no objection to using dark colors, but care must be taken in using the color tone. In this case, it is preferable to use gradients for the colors of the walls, floors and decorations, so that the light is in the foreground and the dark is in the background.

2- The walls

Walls have a great effect in making rooms look bigger, whether in their colors or decorations:

For colours: Light colors are the best choice for small rooms, as these colors reflect the light, whether natural or artificial, giving a feeling of breadth and depth, unlike dark colors.

For decorations: Exploiting the walls is one of the most important ideas to make good use of narrow spaces, and it is by making shelves and cabinets on the walls and exploiting the upper space up to the ceiling, which contributes to providing good storage space and also makes the space look organized and elegant.

3- Flooring

Materials and colours: We can use any of the flooring materials such as ceramic, porcelain or wood, whether using one material for the whole house or for each room separately, but you must take into account the selection of appropriate colors and avoid dark colors, but care must be taken that the floors are always darker than the color of the walls.

carpet: Choose light colors and materials that are not dense and of small sizes and avoid carpets that cover the floor completely, and it is also possible to abandon carpets when using wooden floors or others.

4- Bishop

It is preferable to use the white color of the ceiling in small homes, especially if the walls are dark in color, as this gives the impression that the space is larger.

To make the ceiling appear higher: A shadow can be added to it to make it have a third dimension, by adding a darker color to the walls on the edges of the ceiling, or by adding spotlights directed to the ceiling, lighting the ceiling first and then the rest of the room.

5- Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important factors affecting the space of the house, whether natural or industrial. Attractive and comfortable lighting is best in small spaces.

natural lighting: Best Lighting Anywhere Allowing the most sunlight into the room makes a big difference.

industrial lighting: We undoubtedly need it at night or when there is not enough natural lighting, and the light must be distributed throughout the room well through the use of several lamps, whether in the ceiling or walls, and the use of large floor lamps, preferably white lighting and avoiding yellow and colored lighting.

6- windows

Windows are one of the most important tricks that make the small rooms of the house appear larger. This feature must be exploited by increasing the area of ​​the windows. Large windows allow more sunlight to pass through the room, giving the room greater depth and breadth.

7- Curtains:

For color and material: It should be light in color and not dark, and it is preferable that the curtains be transparent or semi-transparent with simple drawings in a way that allows the entry of external light, this gives a feeling of spaciousness.

You can also use curtains in a color similar to the color of the wall, where the color blends and in the end gives a feeling that the room is larger.

long curtains: Small rooms are suited for floor-to-ceiling curtains instead of curtains that cover only the area of ​​the windows, as they give the impression that the room seems more elevated, and this is an important factor in making the room appear larger.

dispense with curtains: Uncovered windows give the room depth and feel that the rooms are larger.

8- Open spaces

The open spaces and the distance from closed rooms as much as possible in a way that does not contradict privacy is one of the most important things that help to overcome small spaces

Replacing the walls with decorative dividers: Dividers combine several advantages, whether they are wooden or other materials, as they are an elegant way that helps to divide the space, which helps to make good use of the space of the house and take advantage of every corner of it, and it is also low cost compared to the walls, and it has the ability to move it from one place to another, and it can also be exploited Practically.

Visually divide spaceBy: lighting or contrasting colors.

– The open kitchen attached to a dining table instead of the dining room

9- Furniture

The role of furniture in making small rooms appear larger, and this is the real challenge so we must consider:

Furniture Size: We should choose simple and small furniture suitable for the space. We also take into account the selection of furniture with small patterns and avoid large ones. It is also preferable to avoid high pieces of furniture so as not to reduce the height between them and the ceiling and thus the room appears narrower.

Furniture arrangement: Putting large pieces of furniture adjacent to the wall so as not to take up a large space of the room, while trying to leave the corners of the room empty by arranging the furniture at slightly slanted angles while leaving an appropriate area of ​​the floor free, as this will give more depth to the place.

Versatile Furniture: One of the practical tricks to overcome the narrow space of the house and make the most of the space, such as (a table with a library from below, beds with lower drawers for storage, the implementation of built-in cabinets, a sofa with storage space, or that can be used as a bed and other furniture).

foldable furniture: Like benches, tables, and other furniture, they provide enough space when not needed.

– Wall-mounted furniture: Choosing a wall-mounted sofa or wardrobe makes the most of every centimeter in cramped rooms.

– transparent furniture: It has a great role in simple optical illusions that preserve the appearance of space in the room, such as (tables – shelves – chairs or other furniture).

10- Decorations

Of course, home decorations have an important role in the visual balance of the house and to give it vitality, but we must take into account simplicity and practicality at the same time, the most important of which are:

{using mirrors}: Among the tricks that help to feel spacious and give the place deep dimensions, and when you are facing the window, you feel a second window, and there are types of them:

Linear mirrors: They make narrow rooms appear wider as they reflect light and color.

Wall mirrors: It doubles the size of the room.

Large decorative mirrors: Ideal in living and dining rooms, on pillars in the middle of rooms and above the sofa, but it is not recommended to use large mirrors in bedrooms.

{hanging shelves}: Coordinating some shelves in a longitudinal arrangement on the wall is one of the smart tricks to save space in narrow rooms without appearing crowded. It can be used to arrange books or put some frames and pieces of accessories that decorate the place and give it a measure of vitality.

{Simple and elegant accessories}: We choose accessories that have simple yet eye-catching designs, such as a delicate light fixture in a corner of the house or a limited number of eye-catching pillows to decorate the sofa.

{the plants}: Their natural colors bring liveliness and freshness to the home and improve the room’s climate.

{wall decorations}: Wall decorations are clocks, paintings and hanging antiques, but it is preferable in small spaces to suffice with one large plate instead of 5 small plates scattered everywhere, and this is imprinted on the clock and antiques as well to avoid crowding.

Conclusion:

Thus, we have shed light on the small house in general, and in our next article we will talk about how to make the best use of small bedrooms and make them appear larger… Follow us

Sources:

1- 10 great features for your small apartment.

2-6 unexpected benefits of living in tiny homes.

3- Color tricks to make your small room look bigger!

4-10 tricks to make small rooms in the house look bigger.

5-7 ways to make a small house look big.