Living Large in a Small Space, Part V

Whether you’re a college student living in the dorms or a boomer considering downsizing to a smaller dwelling, the need for a functional yet minimal living space is ever more important. The small space movement, fortunately, is catching on. Here are three keys to living large in a small space.

Dividing Spaces

For a dorm room, a viable option might be to divide the room into two sides or to choose bunk beds which provide more communal space.

Curtains, screens, and book shelves are optimal ways to either divide a room between roommates or to section off sleeping and living areas. A creative dorm room idea is a hanging garden room divider made from a curtain and faux flowers. A raised floor can also subtly divide sleeping and living areas; this is a common practice used by many all-suite hotels and, guess what, it works.

Furniture is often limited to a bed, desk, and closet area. Personalizing your desk and walls with pictures and momentos adds customization to the small space.

Go Vertical

When space is tight, go vertical.  Use your wall space and your air space economically.  Express and organize yourself in the choices you make for shelving and storage bins to arrange books, decorative items, and belongings. In addition to traditional shelving, there are a wide variety of floating shelves on the market, especially for small spaces and corners.  For imaginative ideas, take a few minutes and visit Pinterest’s listing of floating shelves. These shelves creatively display and organize your items.

Other ways to optimize vertically include mounting your flat screen TV on a wall, suspending your bike from the ceiling, or even hanging dining or folding chairs on a wall. To create the illusion of more space, the addition of a large mirror on a wall does the trick. Just make sure to securely fasten shelves, mirrors, and other heavy objects, anchor them into a wall stud by using a stud finder, such as the Zircon MultiScanner™ i520 OneStep®.

Multipurpose Functionality

When downsizing to a smaller living space, the reduced square footage limits floor and storage space and infringes on privacy. For tiny apartment dwellers, the Murphy bed is a viable option as is the Domino Loft System. It has a sleeping area, work area, room for storage and a guest room (a Murphy bed), all built into one unit.

A smaller space may not necessarily require smaller furniture –  an improved furniture arrangement and an eye for functionality can be the solution.  The nooks and crannies that are often overlooked in a larger home now become valuable real estate for functional furniture or storage.  Furniture can also be repurposed.  A dresser can be transformed into a TV stand in the living room and, in addition to holding dishes and serving platters, a sideboard can serve a dual role as a food pantry.

What ways have you creatively solved your small space challenges? Share your ideas and photos with us on Facebook. Tweet home décor and DIY ideas using #decortrends or @zircontools. For more small space living ideas read more blogs here.

References:

https://makespace.com/blog/posts/create-personal-space/

http://www.mydomaine.com/small-apartment-decorating-tips

https://www.zircon.com/tools/multiscanner-i520-onestep/

https://makespace.com/blog/posts/domino-loft-system/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ideas/201611_idde01a/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ideas/201744_idde03a/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/a-design-bloggers-rental-advice-for-small-space-dwellers/2015/10/19/4ae55be8-7377-11e5-8248-98e0f5a2e830_story.html

Sharon is our marketing guru. She develops and executes strategies, solutions and programs that ignite success for hardware and tool companies around the world.