How should small spaces be designed?

Whether it’s to cope with soaring property prices per square metre, to invest in a rental property or to adopt a minimalist approach, more and more of us are turning to small living spaces. But how can we make the most of them and save space?

In this article, we give you some interior design techniques and tips. Follow our advice to make your home both functional and cosy. You’ll no longer feel cramped!

The basic techniques for saving space and square metres

Whether you want to convert a 20 m² studio, a Tiny House, a small rental flat or just a narrow room in your home, you need to free up the floor as much as possible to gain space. That way, you’ll avoid that permanent feeling of clutter.

To do this, you’ll need to optimise your interior layout by using all the other available surfaces to make your home flow more smoothly. Door frames, attic corners, staircases, high ceilings… Make the most of all these unused spaces!

Install storage furniture too. For example, a headboard for decorative purposes, but which can also be used as a shelf for books, jewellery, alarm clocks, etc. Choose furniture that is the right size and proportionate to the room: in a hallway, shallow storage is preferable.

In a small space even more than elsewhere, it’s important to adopt a systematic sorting and tidying reflex to avoid being overwhelmed by objects. And for the more rigorous (or maniacal ), you can take the mission even further by taking inspiration from Marie Kondo’s millimetre folding techniques, to maximise the space in your dressing room! Finally, another technique for gaining m², if you can, is to carry out major works such as knocking down a wall or creating a mezzanine.

Using the space under the stairs

Often neglected, it’s a wasted space that can save you a lot of space! It’s the ideal place to create a storage area, relaxation area, dressing room or bicycle garage, and why not partition it off to install your WC!

Organising a small office area

A period of confinement apart (article written in March 2020), teleworking is becoming increasingly popular. But reconciling a personal space with a professional office can sometimes be difficult.

Your homeworking space should not be neglected, however, because it needs to be welcoming enough to make your day-to-day work easier. It should be a source of motivation so that you enjoy working there, even if you don’t have colleagues or a manager to give you a boost.

But in a small home, it’s hard to know where to set up your workspace with all the storage space you need.

Use an unused corner between a window and a cupboard, for example, or even under a window. Use a simple plank cut to the desired length and width for your made-to-measure desk, or why not simply use a faded old door or shutter you’ve found at a junk shop!

Furnish your office to make you feel at home, and think about increasing the number of storage solutions (shelves, shelves, jumble board) to remove as much clutter as possible and make it easier to move around the room.

Designing a small living room

In a small home, think about your layout with a view to organisation and efficient circulation. There’s no point, for example, in cluttering up your space with a coffee table if you already have a bar/table area for your meals. Instead, opt for small pieces of multi-purpose furniture that are easy to move around, such as a wooden chest, a stool or a piece of sofa. Your living room furniture should be able to adapt to the surface area of your room and provide intelligent storage. So choose a sofa that converts or has a storage box so you can use it as you need it! When it comes to decorating, make the most of your living room with a beautiful rug to make it airy but cosy and welcoming.

Designing a small bathroom

The aim when designing a small shower room is to make it as pleasant as possible despite its small surface area. Install space-saving furniture with built-in storage, and opt for a shower to make the most of the space.

To make the most of this cocooning corner, opt for well-placed splashes of colour, trendy tiling and space-saving decorative accessories. You can also add style to your bathroom by repainting your bath or choosing original taps.

Equipping a small kitchen

This is the place where you can optimise everything to save as much space as possible! By using furniture dedicated to storage and appliances adapted to the surface area of your kitchenette.

Install storage cupboards high up to store your utensils and appliances, of course, but also other items such as administrative papers, medicines, DIY tools, etc. if you need to.

You can use modular furniture such as a trolley on wheels or a folding dining area to organise your kitchen to suit your needs.

There are also a number of appliances specially designed for small spaces: from mini-cookers to mini-dishwashers, you can count on them to optimise your kitchen area.

Finally, as you will have understood, in the kitchen as in other rooms, adopt the decluttering reflex by freeing up as much space as possible on the worktop, thus making the space more airy and functional straight away.

Want to find out more about our small space design plans? Check them out here or get in touch with the Casakub team