How to Easily Create More Living Space at Home

A modern minimalist Japandi-style living room in neutral colours feature natural materials.

SS24 Minimaluxe Living from Dunelm

How many times have you wished you could easily create more living space at home? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? If you’re anything like me it will be a frequent thought. I hate not having enough room at home and it can end up feeling like a live-action game of Tetris trying to find a suitable home for everything. Every piece, whether it’s a sofa, bookshelf, or even the cat’s litter box, needs to fit just right.

But what happens when life throws you a few more blocks than expected? If you’ve recently had kids you will know exactly what I am talking about. Kids have so much stuff. You just can’t imagine how much more stuff you will acquire when you become a parent or the extent to which kids will scatter all that stuff around your home. It can be utterly overwhelming.

But we can’t all afford to keep moving into bigger homes. We need other strategies to help us create more living space at home. That’s why I am here to share some expert tips with you. Some of them I have successfully implemented, others I haven’t quite managed yet.

Declutter Regularly

A neutral living room with floaty fabrics on the windows billowing in the wind, a white linen sofa and a beige marble coffee table

I wanted to start by saying that decluttering your home is the easiest way to create more living space at home. But actually I do not think that is the case. Decluttering is hard for all sorts of reasons, that I won’t go into here, a lot of them are personal to each individual.

Data from property platform, Boomin, found that 73% of UK homeowners admit to having filled at least half of their home with clutter. When it comes to the most common causes of clutter, homeowners are overfilling their homes with furniture, clothing and kids toys. In fact, nearly a third of the possessions in a typical UK home are unused according to a survey, commissioned by local sharing app, Olio.

But decluttering is the best place to start. Nothing else you do will have the desired impact if your home is jam-packed with belongings you do not need, want or use. So, start by regularly sorting through your belongings and removing what you can. Try not to let your emotions have too much influence here. Get help from a supportive friend who can give you some perspective and body double if necessary.

Open Up Your Floor Plan

An family in a open-plan kitchen/dining/living room

GoodHome Interiors – the open plan living space, B&Q

Now that all that clutter is gone, we can think about the actual space we have available at home. Ideally, we want the space to feel as open, large and connected as possible. One way to achieve this is to open up the floor plan. This can be achieved by removing non-structural walls to create an open-plan living space.

But before you make such big changes to your home, think about how you use the space. Many people who were working from home during the pandemic found that open-plan living really wasn’t working for them as there were not enough private spaces for all family members. So make sure you think hard about whether this is the best option for your home.

Create Defined Zones

A sofa with black and white cushions on a white Berber rug with a small desk in nook beside

Baltimore Sofa And Riva Chair from Furniture and Choice

If you decide that open-plan living is for you, it is advisable that you create defined zones within those larger spaces. You should split your larger rooms into multiple areas, with each area having a distinctive function. So if you have an open-plan living-dining room, you could create clear zones for watching TV, reading, eating and entertaining.

You can create zones by strategically positioning the furniture, using area rugs, or by using furniture or plants to create partitions to divide the space.

Zoning will help to organise and utilise the space more efficiently. This will in turn make the space feel larger.

Create Multi-Purpose Rooms

Bed in a Bun foldaway guest bed by Loaf

When thinking about the zones, it also helps to think about how you can make your rooms fulfil more than one purpose. If you can’t add more rooms, you will need to make them work harder. For example, a guest room can double up as a study or a playroom when you don’t have guests.

The magic lies in choosing furniture that’s as flexible. Think Murphy beds, extendable dining tables, sofa beds and ottomans with storage and hideaway home offices. These are not just pieces of furniture; they are secret weapons in the battle for space.

Choose Multi-Functional Furniture

An open blue ottoman bed in a bedroom

Ottoman bed from Bedstar

We’ve talked about multi-purpose rooms and the easiest way to create a room that fulfils many purposes is to use multi-functional furniture. When furniture can perform more than one task, you need less furniture which will free up your floor space making the room feel larger.

Use ottoman beds with storage, benches with hidden compartments, shelving that converts into a dining table, and coffee tables with lift-top storage to keep items out of sight but easily accessible.

Opt for Wall-Mounted Furniture

a minimalist wall mounted desk

Minimalist wall-mounted desk from Lozi

Cutting down on furniture will allow you to free up floor space. But so will wall-mounted furniture. Consider wall-mounted desks, fold-down tables, and floating shelves to free up floor space and create a more open feel. It’s also easier to hoover when furniture is wall-mounted.

Utilize Vertical Space

A reading nook with cosy chair and small black side tables under the roof eaves. A tall bookcase full of books is against the wall behind the chair.

Brick slips from The Brick Tile Company

This leads me to the next point which is to make the most of your wall space. Install shelves, tall bookcases, and cabinets to take advantage of vertical space. This helps keep floors clear and provides more storage.

Use Light Colors and Mirrors

A large mirror leans against the wall with a plant on the right and a sideboard on the left

Leaner mirror from Melodie Maison

Depending on the layout and orientation of your room and the quality of light it gets, choosing to decorate with light colours may help make the room feel larger.

You can also strategically hang mirrors to reflect light around the room and make it feel and appear larger and brighter.

Install Sliding Doors

Built-in wardrobes with sliding doors in a loft space

Built-in wardrobes with sliding doors in a bedroom by Sharps

Traditional swing doors can take up a lot of space in a room as you need to leave plenty of clearance room so they can be opened fully without obstruction. You can replace swing doors with sliding or pocket doors to save space and create a seamless transition between rooms.

You can also choose wardrobes with sliding doors to save space in the bedroom. We did this because we don’t have a lot of space to navigate around our bed and sliding doors really helped to save some space.

Maximize Underutilized Spaces

Armadio Bigfoot by Protek

While we are trying to create more space, don’t forget to audit your home and look for any underutilized spaces. Convert under-stair areas, corners, or awkward nooks into functional spaces like reading corners, small offices, or extra storage.

We need to make every square inch work overtime. Think about the space above your doors. This is prime real estate for a shelf. And don’t forget the space under the bed. Even if you don’t have an ottoman bed, if your bed has legs you can store belongings underneath. This is a great place to store your winter wardrobe during the summer months. Let’s not forget the stairs, with some clever carpentry, each step could be turned into a drawer.

Install Built-In Storage

A living room with a navy blue feature wall. The wall has alcoves built into it for storage.

Baltimore Sofa Set from Furniture and Choice

Custom-built storage solutions like built-in wardrobes, cabinetry, and benches can provide ample storage while seamlessly integrating with the room’s design. This is a great way to make sure you maximise every quirky alcove and difficult-to-use space.

Use Outdoor Spaces

A patio garden with outdoor kitchen is illuminated at night

Illuminated outdoor kitchen by Grillo

But let’s not forget, we’re not limited to the interior of our home. If you are lucky enough to have a garden you can also create more living space by turning your garden into an outdoor room. Functional outdoor spaces such as patios, decks, or balconies can be decked out with comfortable furniture and weather-resistant decor.

If you live somewhere less wet than the UK you could consider installing an outdoor kitchen so that you can dine al fresco. With the right setup—think covered patios, durable furniture, and outdoor heaters—your outdoor space can become a go-to living area for at least three seasons. Hosting movie nights under the stars? What a treat. Suddenly your living space feels so much bigger when you are no longer limited to indoors.

Extend Your Home

A kitchen extension with bespoke flat roof lights from Velux

Bespoke flat roof windows by Velux

If after doing all this, you still feel like you need more space, this is where home extensions come in. Whether it’s extending the kitchen to fit a breakfast nook or an entirely new level for extra bedrooms, extending your physical home can give you all the extra space you need.

It’s a commitment in terms of budget and time, but the payoff is huge. Suddenly, you have room for that big dining table or an extra bathroom that ends the morning queue.

Expanding your living space as your family grows doesn’t require a magic wand, just a bit of creativity and planning. From multi-use furniture and smart storage solutions to considering an outdoor living area or even a full-on home extension, there are numerous ways to make your existing home feel like a new one. And remember, each square foot you reclaim is more than just extra space—it’s a new opportunity to create memories with your loved ones.

So, whether you’re planning a major renovation or just rethinking your current space, keep in mind that every nook and cranny has potential. It’s about finding what works best for your family’s lifestyle and making your home the perfect fit.

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