Space, put simply, is a luxury. We’re fickle creatures us humans and somehow, over the years, we form emotional attachments to material items – strange really isn’t it? But with these bits of clutter come memories and we don’t want to throw them away in the chance that we just might need them again, one day. Sadly – this doesn’t help you out when it comes to making space. Here, you’ll find a few ideas on how you can make space without having to drastically get rid of your most treasured clutter.
Move your clutter elsewhere
This doesn’t mean move into a bigger house, although you may need to in the long run. Have you considered moving items that don’t get used into storage? It’s easy to do and relatively inexpensive so definitely worth a look. Sometimes you’ll find you move items into a storage space and lose that emotional attachment so that you can eventually get rid of them entirely! You can even hire a junk removal service to get rid of and recycle your unwanted items.
Up, up and away
Are you guilty of not making enough use of the vertical space in your home? A great way to maximise storage is to build your shelves up higher, in every nook and cranny of your home. They’re excellent spaces for books, toys and even in the kitchen you can build shelves for glasses, plates and general kitchenware.
Reward yourself
Once you’ve decided which belongings you can bear to part with, get them online and make yourself some cash. There are lots of websites perfect for selling such as eBay, Gumtree or Amazon. Also, don’t forget about the great local ‘Buy and Sell’ sites on Facebook that won’t charge you selling fees and usually someone will come and pick up the item so you’ll save loads on postage too.
Convert your furniture into storage
Things like beds, tables, coffee tables and some chairs are all great options for storage. If you don’t have space under your bed for storage then consider getting a divan with drawers. Similarly, an old trunk as a coffee table can hide all manner of junk inside it. You could, of course, also repurpose old items into something new and useful.
Through the looking glass
If you have a small house, have your storage down to a tee and it still looks small, then have you considered creating space by adding windows, mirrors and glass where you can? Things like swapping solid wooden doors for glass doors, putting mirrors up and down hallways and if you can afford it, skylights can make the smallest of bedrooms feel spacious.
Try not to be too bold
Painting walls with dark and bright colours tend to make them feel a bit smaller, if you’re looking to make your house feel more spacious, Elle décor suggest neutral colours and painting the walls and trim the same colour to trick the eye into thinking that the ceilings are taller because there are no breaks in the trim…clever!