One of the challenges I found myself in when moving from a flat to a house was the difference in space. You may think that moving from a flat into a house gives you more room, but this entirely depends on what kind of flat you're leaving, and what kind of house you're moving into.
For me and Spud, our flat was home, it wasn't the home we wanted, but it was a home we soon come to love and it had plenty of space. We had a very large living room boasting three lots of windows alone - it was large enough for a table and six chairs, two very large sofa's and all the rest of our lounge furniture. Our bathroom was a moderate size, as was our kitchen but our bedrooms weren't very big, we did however have a walk in wardrobe, a playroom (a very large cupboard housing the electrics that got boxed in) and an attic that covered the whole of our flat.
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Moving to the house was a dream come true, but it meant we had to have a good sort out to fit our personal belongings into our new home. The large comfortable leather recliner sofas we loved to snuggle up on had to go, replacing them with modern small leather sofas that don't recline and aren't very comfortable, but what could we do? The living room here is smaller than the flat, as is the kitchen and bathroom however we do have decent size bedrooms and a huge back garden for our new family member (Zeppi our dog) to run around in, so we can't complain.
Maximising little spaces can be difficult, however taking it step by step and finding what's right for you sure does help make your home that little bit bigger - or so the eye will see. When you have a small house, like me and Spud, it's best to avoid dark colours, so the whole house once decorated is going to be light themed, the only real colour thats going onto the walls is going to be in Spud's room, and that's going to be a pale blue. Blue is his favourite colour, but painting the walls dark blue isn't going to give the rooms size any justice so we've stuck to a lighter shade. By picking up a dark blue paint and adding white paint into it, I was able to create a lovely pale blue colour for a fraction of the cost.
Another way to bring more light into the home is by investing in folding doors, they're making their way back to the interior design scene and are a great way to not only bring in more natural light during the warmer months, but they'll also give you that little bit of extra space that can be much needed, you can pick up cheap bifold doors online which saves you having to leave the house and have a struggle trying to get the doors to fit into your car.
Accessorising without maximising is one of my favourite space savers, I wanted a wardrobe that housed a full length mirror when I had a room makeover early this year, however I didn't want the big bulky wardrobes I'd found in shops. Instead I asked my dad to get his tools out and help me with a DIY project. We used an electric sander to sand down the wardrobe I already had, my dad glossed it white (previously it was a natural oak colour) and drilled a mirror in a frame onto one of the wardrobe doors for me. Another accessorising without maximising hack is to add jewelry and cosmetic items into the inside of your wardrobe doors as seen here on Pinterest, seriously have a look around the web and you'll find loads of wardrobe space saving ideas - that closet can do much more than you think!
Measure everything before you buy anything..... It's one of the motto's I now live by. It's easy to go shopping for items, but will they look good in your home, and more importantly will they fit into your home? Don't impulse buy, unless the product is a right bargain, and you happen to know it'll fit into the small space you have. Don't be afraid to ask for discount, and if it has even the smallest of imperfections ask to speak to a manager to get a price discount.
Check out local emporiums, craft makers and even local colleges for unique but affordable home buys that will suit the space you have. Contracting a local crafter will be cheaper than hiring a company, and whats more the craftsman can make sure the design is unique and the perfect size for your home, alternatively enquire at your local colleges carpentry department, when I done a construction course which covered carpentry, we would have people asking us to make them a design and once sold the money went into our Christmas party pot, not only will you be helping yourself, but you'll also be helping students too.
By following the easy steps in this post, you'll not only save space, but you'll also save money, so everyone's a winner.
Jada x
