Real Estate: Making Small Spaces Home Places

Designing the rooms in a small house or apartment has more choices then you might think. Making your house or apartment into a home can be easy and affordable. Following a few simple steps can have your home looking and feeling like a Manson.

Hang curtains from the highest possible point on the wall just under the molding. Hanging the curtains high gives the fabric a chance to flow freely and tugs the eye upward.

Include built-ins storage spaces or bookcases. Taking up very little floor space and giving you much needed storage. Both perfect characteristics for a small house. Give built ins double duties to not only holds books and display items they could also serve as a mini-bar. A small mirror next to the built-in will give the appearance of doubling the number of pretty glasses in view. Most every home owner wishes for more storage and by adding built-ins to your small place makes that wish come true.

It is important to clearly define separate spaces. However some openness between adjoining rooms makes them feel bigger. Creating a large pass-through that connects two spaces together or by adding French doors between doors will allow them to share the same light and views. Separate one room from another without choosing completely different wall colors or flooring. You might try using a checkerboard pattern on the floor of one room and have carpeting in the adjoining room.

Differentiate each room use a painting technique for the walls of the adjoining room. Similar tones will give unification to each room while the texture in each space is unique. One law of color is that pale tones advance, thus expanding a room, while dark colors recede and shrinking a space. Crown molding painted crisp white defines the ceiling while striped wallpaper also stretches the height of the walls. Also consider adding a chair rail, set about two-thirds of the way up the wall. These are pieces of trim that run vertically to the floor.

Large windows bring in sunlight to bounce off the walls and brighten even the dreariest room. If possible stretch your space into the outdoors. A patio, deck, or screen porch goes a long way toward increasing usable space. A porch gives all the comforts of an interior room that will be inviting and add for relaxing lounging.

The old saying that less is more is especially when dealing with a small house. You want to have furniture will work hard for you without taking up a lot of space. You don't want rooms to be crowded and pieces that work hard are especially important in a small space.

Figure out how much seating you need and buy enough furniture to suit that amount. Otherwise, you will end up with a cramped space that's not comfortable.

In your small home you don't want to have fabrics that are over bearing with pattern. These will draw attention to themselves and away from a carefully thought-out room design. Pick simple treatments that filter the sun and provide privacy from the neighbors while blending with your furnishings.

Your small home needs to work hard for you not against you. Ever inch of space, even the closets should work hard. One way to make the closets work harder for you is by installing extra closet shelving to store shoes and other necessities. Sorting through your possessions every now and again to keep clutter to a minimum will allow you to better maximize the space you have.

Making your small house a home couldn't be easier once you know some of the little things you can do. Finding the right mix of color, furniture and patterns will give you and your guest many hours of enjoyable memories each and every day.