Create more usable space at home by incorporating storage furniture like this velvet storage footstool from The Footstool Workshop
This is the story of my life. I am constantly trying to create more usable space in our home. Some people are lucky enough to live in homes that have more space than they know what to do with. That is sadly not me. No, I am continually battling with the spatial limitations of our small two-bedroom flat. With two daughters who share a room, our home has started to feel too small. As the children get bigger, this is increasingly becoming an issue. Moving isn’t really an option, or all that desirable actually, so trying to create more usable space in our home is the plan for now.
Now I’m not talking about huge plans in this post, like converting the loft into another bedroom, or getting an extension, or installing a garden room. Those projects cost many tens of thousands of pounds and sometimes we just don’t have the budget for such large-scale renovation projects. If you do have a larger budget you may want to look for ideas in my other post about creating more living space at home.
What I am talking about in this post is ways to add more usable space to your home that don’t cost the earth. So let’s take a look at some budget-friendly ideas that don’t require any structural work.
Make Better Use of the Garage
Smartstore Classic storage solutions from Orthex
According to research carried out by RAC Home Insurance, more than half (5.7m) of the UK’s estimated 11m garages are not used to park cars in them. The reason for this is that they are too full of household junk. If you have a garage full of household junk, odds are that you have just filled the space up with no strategy or system to keep things organised. You’re not alone there. Garages quickly become a dumping ground for many people.
But if you need to create more usable space at home, you will need to have a good clear out. Get rid of things you haven’t used in the past year, because if it’s been that long you probably don’t need it. Once you have decluttered your garage, you can look into getting some proper storage racking to bring some organisation to the chaos. This means you will know where everything is and be able to find it more easily when you do need it.
With a little time and effort, you can transform your garage into a more organised space that is actually usable. If you make full use of all that wall space or even the space in the roof of the garage, you may have enough floor space to be able to add a running machine or any other piece of fitness machinery that you want to use allowing you to also save money on your gym membership. What a win!
Use the Vertical Space Better
There is a lot of wasted space in our homes that is not being used to its full potential. We tend to use every spare inch of floor space which can lead to our homes feeling very full. But we often miss that extra space that can be found on the walls and especially up near the ceiling.
Our kitchen is extremely small and when we did our kitchen makeover, we made sure that we capitalised on that space up near the ceiling. We moved our kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling and installed open shelving below. That space above the cabinets was a dust magnet and was completely unused. It was a total waste. Now we make use of that space and have created additional storage.
We did the same in the bathroom makeover actually. Our bathroom is super small and there is literally no floor space for any kind of storage furniture other than the combined, space-saving vanity/toilet unit. So again we decided to go up. By installing shelving above the bathroom window we made sure that we didn’t block out any light and used space that was otherwise wasted.
Add Window Seating
Window seat created using Annie Sloan fabric (Affiliate) and paint
Wall space probably isn’t the only unused space in your home. If you take a good look around your home I am sure that you might spot other opportunities to create more usable space. One smart way to create additional hangout spots for example is to add a window seat. This will allow one or more people to sit, read, and enjoy the view outside. Window seats are relatively affordable to install and if you go about it the right way you could combine it with some additional storage. Consider a bench seat where the lid opens to reveal hidden storage. This will also help you to create more storage at home.
Get Rid Of Your Guest Room
NOCTURNE pull-down bed from Gautier
OK, we’re not saying you should get rid of your guest room entirely, but you might want to rethink whether you should have a permanent place set up for visitors. If you don’t have that many people visiting (say, only a few a year), then the room will serve you better if it’s used for something else. One smart idea is to install a wall bed, so you can simply turn the room into a guest room whenever needed. In the meantime, it can be a space that you actually use for other things like a home office, a second living room, a kid’s playroom or whatever else you need at the moment.
So those a just a few ways to create more usable space at home that will help you to create a home that you love living in. If you have any other ideas please do drop them in the comments below
good suggestions