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Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

The shift toward more compact living spaces is becoming increasingly common, driven by factors such as rising housing costs and urban densification. This trend has led many individuals to seek out creative and effective interior design solutions to make the most of their smaller homes. When designing a small space, it's essential to go beyond aesthetics and ensure that your space aligns with your daily habits and routines. While other designs might appear stunning on social media or in glossy magazines, the key is to craft a home that is uniquely yours—functional, comfortable, and a true reflection of your personality. In this blog, we share five design tips for small living spaces that will help you maximize your space without sacrificing style or comfort. 

Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

1. Avoid visual line breaks

Whether you decide to opt for a bright and airy room with whites or neutrals, or go big with a bold colour palette, avoid visual line breaks on the interior walls of the space. A visual line break is any separation or disruption to the design elements of the room. It is important to avoid these line breaks in smaller spaces because it can make a room feel confined or cluttered. 



Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

To do this, try painting the trim, walls and doors in the same colour, and if using an area rug, choose a colour that is similar to the colour of the flooring. This creates a cohesive flowy feeling to the room, allowing for certain furniture pieces to shine, easily becoming focal points in the room without any visual distractions.


2. Utilize vertical space

When designing a room or home with minimal square footage, a simple way to expand the area is to utilize vertical space. 

In the kitchen, a few great uses of vertical space could be:

  • Adding shelving to bare walls or underneath cabinets

  • Installing a magnetic strip to the backsplash for knives and spices

  • Hanging pots and pans above a kitchen island or on the wall



Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

In a living room or bedroom, use open shelving to display books and trinkets. You can also utilize the space on your walls to bring the outside in with house plants. Lastly, hanging a wall mirror can create the illusion of an open, spacious room. Choose a mirror with a smaller frame (remember, the less visual line breaks on the walls, the better) and ideally place it opposite of an outside window to reflect natural light. 


3. Choose furniture wisely

Selecting pieces that reflect your aesthetic is a great way to bring character into your home . Whether you’re choosing calming neutrals, or making a statement with colourful fabrics and finishes, the size of the furniture is most important. Always measure your space before purchasing any furniture, and draw up a diagram of the room you are furnishing. Create multiple layout options to find the best layout for your interiors, being mindful to leave enough space around each piece so that they don’t touch each other or the walls – another hack to make a room feel larger than it is. 



Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

Opting for low profile furniture will contribute to a sense of openness in the room. Furniture that is closer to the ground can give a room an airer feel. Finally, getting playful with colours and textures is a great way to bring big personality into a small space. Selecting unique fabrics and finishes can turn an ordinary piece of furniture into art or at the very least, a conversation piece. 


4. Be smart about lighting

Being intentional with the lighting you choose to adorn your petite abode with can make or break the overall feel of your space. Create a focal point in a room with a pendant light or semi-flush fixture. There are many options available to suit your style, from simple and modern to industrial or even vintage.If you don’t have room for end tables or nightstands, adding surface lamps will be difficult. Instead, choose a floor lamp where space allows, or add wall sconces or hanging lights.

Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

Bonus tip: Add dimmer switches to your lights to easily adjust the mood without the use of multiple light fixtures.


5. Implement storage solutions

In a compact living environment, creating storage solutions is essential to maximize space and create order in your home. Adequate storage allows for every square inch of space to be used efficiently, allowing for a more functional, usable home. Making the most out of vertical space is a great place to start. 

Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces
Maximize Style and Function: 5 Design Tips for Small Living Spaces

Here are a few other space-saving storage solutions for your kitchen, bedroom, living room and other areas of your home: 

  • Add hooks, shelving and drawers to the inside of existing cabinets 

  • Explore multi-functional pieces when selecting furniture, like sofas or bed frames with drawers underneath, benches with hidden storage, or wall-mounted desks or tables that fold down when not in use

  • Select stylish storage containers and bins that match the aesthetic of your home to be placed on shelves or under coffee tables 


Creating a comfortable and stylish small space is all about strategic planning and thoughtful design choices. By avoiding visual line breaks, utilizing vertical space, choosing the right furniture, and embracing unique textures and colors, you can transform even the coziest home into an inviting and practical haven. Remember, it’s not just about how your space looks—it’s about how it makes you feel. With these tips, you can design a living space that not only looks great but also fits seamlessly into your lifestyle.


Find your dream home and enjoy the best of both urban living and nature. Contact us today to learn more about available real estate near me, realty near me, and land for sale near me. Let us help you find the perfect homes for sale near me to suit your lifestyle and connect you!



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