Small spaces? Think big

Published 11:36 am Monday, January 21, 2008

Love where you live but hate the small space? There are several ways that you can create a roomy feel for your home. Some have to do with organization. Others involve using lost space, making furniture pull double duty or just plain illusion. Combine these tactics to make your small home feel spacious.

Three words to remember when trying to maximize space are organize, utilize and optimize. The best way to begin to organize is to de-clutter. Recycle old newspapers and magazines and shred old documents. Copy old photos and videotapes to DVD disks. You don’t have to do this yourself. There are several services that can do this for you. You are legally allowed one transfer of commercial recordings.

Be ruthless in the closet. If you haven’t worn it in a year, or if it’s something you’ve been saving until you lose 10 pounds, donate it to charity. Go through kitchen cupboards and dispose of those odd-shaped pans and cheap gadgets that you never use. This is also a great time to cull all of those useless gifts you’ve been given. You don’t need to feel guilty if you donate them to charity. They’ll be sold in a good cause to someone who really wants them.

Now it’s time to organize what you have left and store it. Any totes, tubs and storage boxes that you buy should either be stackable or made to fit under a bed. Make sure that you don’t put anything inside of them that could be recycled, donated or disposed of.

Next, make sure to utilize all of the possible storage space in your home. A good way to find unused space is to look up. Is there space for additional shelving inside cupboards or closets? Add a shelf above your washer and drier. In the kitchen, add pot racks. Plate rails can hold the knickknacks that you can’t bear to part with. Ceiling-mounted storage organizers are available for the garage.

Closet organizing systems are pricy but can be well worth it if correctly configured. The trick is to get one that uses all of your available closet space, including up by the ceiling. It should also accommodate all styles of clothes, from floor-length gowns to socks. If you want your storage system to be attractive as well as functional, a company such as Organized Spaces in Kirkland can help. It designs and installs storage systems unique to each need.

The final step to maximizing your living area is to optimize it with appropriate furniture and décor. Properly chosen and scaled furniture can be used to create an illusion of space. Open shelving is a good way to make a room seem larger. So are glass doors, or even no doors, on your cabinets or cupboards.

“If you can, try to find furniture that doubles as storage,” suggested Adrian Wade, owner of Serendipity Home Décor in Marysville.

Ottomans that have storage space and can also be used as a coffee table are popular right now. There are also multifunctional accent pieces that can store CDs, DVDs and other media in their depths. Office desks are available that start out small but open out into a full-size desk as needed.

Longtime salesperson Isbell of Erickson Furniture of Everett suggests the use of apartment-size or other smaller furniture.

“Apartment-size sofas are six feet long instead of seven feet,” she said. “So they’re bigger than a love seat but not as big as a regular sofa.”

Mirrors can also create an illusion of space. Add decorative mirrors to living rooms and hallways. If you have sliding closet doors, consider replacing them with mirrored versions.

Window treatments should be kept light and open. Glass doors leading out to a balcony or patio should be kept clear of furniture or BBQs that can block the light.

Finally, when you need to upgrade your electronics, take advantage of new space-saving technology. The need for space is an excellent reason to invest in that flat-screen wall-mounted TV you’ve had your eye on. Replace bulky desktop computers with sleek powerful laptops, and turn that ancient stereo system into a space-saving MP3 player with a docking station.

It may seem an extravagance at the time, but the space you save makes up for it in the end.