It is surprising how much under-utilised or hidden space can be found in your home if you really look for it. Our 11 ways to create smart spaces will help make your home feel more spacious and less cluttered. Planning ahead is key to ensuring all your architectural requirements are included at the start of the project.
1. Secret Pantry
When it comes to the storage of food and surplus kitchen pots and pans, there is a growing trend for walk-in pantries in preference to kitchen cupboards. Having a large pantry gives you increased storage capacity with easy access leading to better organisation and freeing up your kitchen/dining area for entertaining guests. We love the idea of creating a secret pantry behind a sliding or pivoting kitchen wall to fully hide any kitchen clutter from view.
2. Clever Staircase Storage
If you take a look under the steps of your staircase, you can find hidden spaces just waiting for a creative touch.
Make the most of this forgotten space and install shelves, drawers to create innovative storage space or sneak in a a guest WC in your home.
You may also find additional space behind the wall of your staircase, perfect for bookcases or even a cosy spot for reading and relaxing.
3. Storage Benches
Have you ever noticed how many underused corners and wall spaces there are beneath the windows in your home?
Transform your house with cleverly designed storage boxes that double up as casual seating: window seats or benches.
They are an efficient and aesthetically pleasing way to create smart storage solutions in your home.
4. Annexe a closet
If you find yourself with more cupboards or wardrobes than you need, why not repurpose one?
You can easily remove any hanging rails and racks from a closet to clear out a decent sized space for a home office corner or a dressing room.
Annexing a closet can allow you to relocate hobby or work clutter or create a quiet space away from the noise of the rest of the house.
5. Up, Up and Away
Creating a well-designed loft room is a great solution to balance out your home and make extra living or sleeping space.
Use the whole space to design a luxury top floor master bedroom with dressing room and en-suite or divide the space into guest quarters: bedroom, shower room and office, so the space is still useful when the guests leave! You can optimise the space in smaller loft conversions by creating a lofted bed on a wall with space below for a workstation or a comfy chair.
6. Muddy Boots
Adding an area near the main or back entrance to your home specifically for outerwear, dog leashes, shoes, school bags etc is the perfect solution for hiding mess and keeping mud out of the house.
To further minimise clutter, and make your home feel more organised, why not add individual hooks and compartments for each member of your household.
7. Take the Indoors Outdoors
Using screens, you can convert your underused outdoor areas such as decks and patios into outdoor rooms.
Creating a weatherproof outdoor area filled with comfy chairs, tables, lamps, and other furniture usually found indoors, allows you to enjoy being outdoors in any weather, at any time of year.
In Scotland we call this type of structure a ‘sit-oot-erie’!
8. Replace Doors with Sliding Walls
Converting multiple rooms into one large room with sliding walls or pocket doors instead can give you more space to breathe.
This is a stylish and modern way to enhance your home, improving the functionality of your space as well as making it feel larger.
9. Clever Use of Room Dividers
Separating spaces with bespoke glass room dividers is a great alternative to using sliding walls and can give you the same flexibility of space.
Stylish versatile glass room dividers help organise your living space, creating a light, open and contemporary solution that doesn’t compromise on privacy.
10. Split-Level Living
If you have high ceilings, a mezzanine can be the perfect addition to your home to ensure that every inch of space is used.
There is something undeniably novel about a mezzanine as not only do they provide extra living space, but they add architectural interest and can be the saviour of small spaces, without the need for new foundations or planning permission.
11. Hide Rooms, Storage and More
Accent walls with panelled wood add a modern feel to your home and are also perfect for hiding doors within their vertical lines which can open into hidden rooms – the ultimate smart spaces! Doors can also be hidden in or behind bookcases – the perfect concealed entrance to a home office or practical storage solution.
Make a big impact with smart spaces, from hidden offices and sliding walls to split level living and built in storage solutions, and maximise the square footage of your house by making it look bigger and less cluttered.
Whether you are looking to rebuild, extend or renovate your home, we pride ourselves on finding clever ways to optimise the space you have or are looking to add.
If you need help reimagining your space, please do get in touch to talk through your requirements. Fill out our ‘Contact’ form and Keith will get back to you to arrange a free consultation.
