Carina Claassens
Here are six great ways to make the most of compact spaces. Follow this small space living guide.
1. Decorate with mirror
Although not a new idea, mirror is one of the easiest ways to visually expand a small room. You can mirror the whole wall or hang a window pane version that creates interesting reflections. And contrary to popular belief, small spaces don’t have to be painted in light colours. Here a deep blue makes the walls recede. Decor by Liza Scholtz, photographed on location at Steyn City.
2. Add stripes
Children’s rooms are notoriously cramped. To stretch this boy’s room visually, Couch + Interiors painted broad horizontal stripes on the wall and instead of a bedside table they installed a floating shelf.
3. Going up
This is a trick that works well in all small rooms. Keep window treatments simple and hang curtains from ceiling height. The vertical pattern on the wallpaper, custom-designed by Clinton Friedman, also draws the eye upward in this bathroom. Also keep in mind that a freestanding bath takes up less room than a built-in one. Decor by Christian Bense of Union 3.
4. Add a tall headboard
A headboard that soars to the ceiling is a clever way to create an illusion of space. In addition to this, Andrew Draper and Corne Ecksteen of Durban introduced pendant lights which free up space on the bedside pedestals and tall, narrow mirrors on either side which draw the eye upward.
5. Use open shelves
To prevent a small kitchen from feeling top heavy, use open shelves rather than wall cabinets. Make up for the loss of storage space by installing lots of drawers in the lower section. Kitchen design by Timeless Timbre.
6. Add floating furniture
As you can see underneath it right to the corners of the floor, floating furniture is an excellent way to create the illusion of space. In this powder room, two floating shelves take the place of a vanity while a glass splashback protects the wallpaper. Decor by Odette Uys of Eye Candy Interiors.
