Have you looked around your home and felt a little claustrophobic? It turns out there are a lot of affordable ways to make space in your home without having to go through the hassle of building an extension on your home. Take a look at our ideas and see which ones are for you.
Use vertical space
There is a lot of space up our walls that isn’t getting put to good use. Sure, there’s a great piece of artwork on that wall, but there could also be a lot of shelves for your books, leaving room for a desk underneath. Or there could be a tall cabinet, hiding all your clutter. There could even be a loft bed there.
Loft beds have advanced greatly over the past few years. No longer just for kids, they come in double and king size with enough room underneath to put either another form of storage under there, or a desk or sofa for another nook.
Have a clear out
It can be refreshing to have a clear out. Think of it less like throwing out stuff, but more like making space in your home. But if you’re someone who finds it hard to let go, you’ll need to be ruthless. If you don’t need it and don’t have any special attachment to it, get rid of it.
And that goes for furniture. Has that chair been relegated to the spare room because it’s in too good a condition to throw out? Then contact the British Heart Foundation or Shelter. Both of them pick up discarded furniture for free, and there are a few other charities that trade in furniture and decorative items. That painting you hate that was a wedding gift? Someone will love it when they see it in the furniture charity store.
Store your seasonal items
If you simply cannot get rid of everything, you can look into renting out a storage unit. There are Safestore storage units dotted around the country at major cities. If you are looking for storage in Bristol, you can put away anything you have no immediate use for and have access to it whenever you want.
Put away your Christmas tree and decorations, your winter clothes, your music equipment, any bulky equipment, your baby’s crib, and anything else you don’t immediately need and enjoy access to it whenever you feel like it.
Renovate your attic or basement
Maybe you don’t fancy an extension, but you can think about some more affordable renovation ideas. There is probably a lot of unused space in your attic, and/or basement. With a little insulation and plaster boarding you could have a space where you could even add another bedroom. Fill it with a bed and storage furniture and even if it’s used as a guest bedroom, you can keep all your things in there and still have it be presentable.
Other renovations
Other ideas would be to knock a wall down in your living room and create a more open plan space that will give you lots of room to work with. Let your home smoothly transition from the living room/guest space to the hall, or from the dining room to the kitchen, or the living room to the kitchen. There’ll be less side stepping around furniture and appliances that way for a breezy open space.
And of course, you could use the power of light to your advantage. Natural light gives the illusion of space, and works better with white paint, so a few smaller changes can make a lasting impact. Paint the walls a bright colour and swap out the blackout curtains for light mesh.
