Photo: Apartment Therapy

When it comes to having room for everything and everyone in your home, space can become a premium. While it is a nicety to have a man cave or spa-like retreat for the ladies, sometimes it’s just not possible to have a place to call all your own. Most families live in much smaller homes than our parents did, and we need to make due with the space we have. Especially in recent economic times, making the most of our space has become a priority for people who are planning on staying in their current homes for a while. Here are some ways to magically transform your small space so that everyone will feel comfortable in their home.

Consider Multi-purpose Rooms

Photo: Domino Magazine

It is no longer realistic for families to have one room for everything: living, eating, sleeping, work, exercise, storage, laundry. Sometimes, we have to compromise on our space and make the most of what we have. A common way to buddy up on room space is to create a guest/office room. This room serves as a place for guests to stay the few weeks a year someone stays with you, but the rest of the time it can function perfectly well as an extra storage closet and home office.

Storage and Laundry

Recently, my family and I are giving our laundry room a makeover and wanted to create a separate space for laundry in favor of those beautiful Pinterest-like laundry rooms. In reality, we needed all the storage space we could get for kids athletic wear and holiday decorations so we opted to make the laundry room bigger so we could use it as storage space. There’s no need to have a tranquil laundry room anyway – who even wants to spend time in a laundry room? You can view a range of Stanley tools on this website – that’s the brand of tools we use to do our home renovations.

Cut the Fat

Photo: Home Decor Ideas BNC

When it comes to determining shared space, everyone is going to have to make sacrifices. Decide what you are going to keep and what has to go – either into the trash or the charity bin – and invest in some dual purpose furniture like a cedar chest to act as seating in a room as well as storage space for when you need to clean up quickly. Getting rid of things you no longer use or desire will make it easier for a family to share in their space together. Noone’s stuff is overrunning any room in the house, and everyone feels more comfortable because of it.

Be Respectful of Each Other

Photo: Style at Home

When you live in a small space, family members need to be respectful of one another, and the time they want to spend alone. While it is nice to sit and watch a movie together, most people like their space some of the time to be alone. Just remember that you can share the space some of the time and make the most of it while you are together, and then allow the family to have time on their own as well. It makes everyone feel more comfortable in their homes.

Photo: LoomBrand

1. Wet rooms

These may be a little impractical for full-size family bathrooms, but they’re fantastic additions to any ensuites in your home. Having a wet room maximizes on whatever space you have, but it also cuts down massively on the amount of maintenance the room requires. It’s far easier to be kept spotless too, as every surface can be wiped clean after each use.

2. Wall-mounted toilets

If you’re dealing with quite a narrow space, wall-mounted units and toilets are must-have fixtures and fittings. They conceal sink pipework and toilet cisterns behind the wall, freeing up much more floor space. In the case of sink units, it means you can also make use of the space beneath for storage purposes.

Photo: Lagerlings.se

3. Shower and bath combos

If you’re not able to have a separate bath and shower cubicle, there’s no reason you can’t combine the two. This used to be a very limiting choice, but these days there are huge online retailers with hundreds of options, such as Better Bathrooms. You’ll be able to pick from a variety of different shower heads and glass guard options, so that you achieve exactly the look you wanted.

4. Corner units

It used to be the case that you could only get small corner baths, but if you were to take a look around the best brands on the market these days, you’d find many baths, toilets, sinks units and so on that can all be fitted into a corner section. It’s all about turning a smaller piece of furniture into a style statement, so don’t disregard the corner options.

Photo: SmallDesignIdeas.com

5. Tear-drop sinks

This is one bathroom decorating idea that will make a huge splash in you decor! A good way to help free up space is the tear-drop sink. Opting for an oval shaped bowl means that, rather than having a full rectangular unit around it, you can go for a sweeping curve that makes it seem as though the sink is emerging from the wall. Just make sure you use matching tiles on the unit itself to complete the illusion – this is perfect for those wanting to achieve a unique, contemporary look.

6. Sliding doors

An instant fix for anyone tight on floor-space, opt for a sliding door rather than one that needs an internal allowance and you’ll have more room for furniture as if my magic! This is particularly effective if you go for frosted, opaque glass and sleek, modern lines with monochrome colouring.

Photo: shonee from Hawthorne and Main

7. Tailored shelving

Finally, make the most of every nook and cranny in your bathroom with tailored shelving options. Most specialists will be able to make units that fit into any space, and for very affordable prices. Plus, try to think more creatively about how you can turn your walls into storage, with hanging baskets or alternative radiators.