Maximizing Space in a Smaller Home

Recently, I had the pleasure of touring a wonderful log home in Telluride, Colorado. I

was particularly fond of it because in addition to its rugged charm, the living space was very well

organized. When the real estate agent told me the square footage of the home, I was surprised.

The place felt much larger than it was because the designer had used every inch of space so

effectively.

 

With efficient planning and some proven design principles, you can maximize your

home’s space too. And when you’re done, the home not only will feel larger, but it will “act”

larger. Here are 10 ideas to help you create an open, expansive feel.

 

1) Make Every Inch Count

 

Having lived in small cottages, I know it can be wonderful to inhabit a compact, well-

designed space. Everything has a logical place and you can live and work easily within the given

area.

 

To design a small home successfully you need to examine carefully how you live and

what you live with. Ask yourself which rooms you spend the most time in. Move beyond simply

thinking, “What would I like?” to “What do I need?” and “How can I use this space more

effectively?” The answers to these questions will help you create workspaces, kitchens and

bathrooms that are compact and efficient. For example, to create more space in a small kitchen,

you might extend the cabinets to the ceiling and store rarely used items up high. And to

maximize space elsewhere, you might limit the size of your bedrooms. They need not be small

but they should not be gratuitously large either.

 

2) Eliminate Hallways

 

Perhaps the simplest way to create more usable space is to reduce the number of hallways

in your home. You can do this by grouping central entry areas, stairwells and rooms around a

central core. This way, you merge isolated living spaces into a cohesive whole. If a hallway is

unavoidable, maximize the usable space by designing in a recessed alcove or a built-in bookcase.

 

3) Add Built-ins

 

The creative use of built-ins can save space normally occupied by furniture and closets.

and take advantage of areas that are otherwise unusable because their size or shape makes

furniture placement awkward.

Nooks and crannies can serve functional and attractive purposes. For example, a number

of years ago while designing a very small kitchen space, I was given the challenge of displaying

a large collection of knick-knacks. As a solution I removed the drywall between the partitions

and recessed mirror-backed glass shelving within the stud spaces. It worked perfectly. You can

create storage in even the smallest areas, including beneath stairs, above a stairwell, alongside

the hearth or behind a false wall.

 

Custom built-in cabinetry is highly desirable but usually expensive. Fortun-ately there are

a number of high-quality, off-the-shelf cabinet systems that use decorative finishing trim to

achieve the look and feel of custom cabinetry at far less cost. Contractors can even use a

combination of mass-produced and custom built-in units to truly accommodate your storage

needs.

 

4) Create Intimate Spaces

 

Even people who have large homes gravitate toward small cozy spaces. Intimate spaces

meet the need for security and give more and varied spaces in which to live, without using

valuable floor area. To create a cozy place in your home, consider an alcove for a bed or for

reading, or a window seat off the kitchen so that guests can spend time with the chef without

getting in the way.

 

This principle also extends beyond nooks, alcoves and bays to the primary rooms. For

example, do you need a formal dining room if you only use it on holidays? Instead, you could

design a more intimate eating area that can be expanded to accommodate infrequent large

gatherings. Then you won’t have an extra, often vacant room to furnish and dust.

 

5) Borrow Space

 

With careful planning and proper room relationships, each space can borrow from the one

next to it. In the simplest example, you could design an open space that houses the dining room

and living room. They’ll still serve separate purposes, but each will appear larger than it would if

there were a solid partition between them.

 

Room orientation and furniture placement can take this concept a step further. You might

arrange the furniture to extend your dining table into the living room for large gatherings or,

conversely, expand the living room into the dining room for entertaining.

 

6) Integrate Your Outdoor Spaces

 

Outdoor areas are less expensive to build than rooms inside your home; yet, if properly

planned, they can serve as extensions of indoor spaces, giving you more bang for the buck. To

integrate the outdoor spaces with the rest of your home, treat them as living spaces without

exterior walls. Include several points of entry between indoors and outdoors and choose

materials, furniture, colors and lighting that complement the interior spaces and give each its

own character.

 

7) Create Transparency

 

When you can see from one end of your home to the other, it creates visual interest and

makes your home seem larger than it actually is. In design terms, you organize your floorplan so

that it has a linear view or “axis,” which can dramatically increase the feeling of space without

adding extra square footage. This is called “creating transparency.”

 

The sense of transparency begins with your home’s entryway. Design your entry so you

can see beyond it, rather than breaking your line of sight with a wall. If you’d like to have some

sense of separation between your entry and your main living area, you can incorporate half walls

or interior portals and openings. For the ultimate in transparency, extend your line of sight

toward an outdoor living space and a picturesque view.

 

8) Vary Ceiling Height

 

Varying or raising your home’s ceiling height will increase the perceived space by

increasing visual interest. Simply raising the ceiling height by 1 foot can give a very different

atmosphere to a room. In open spaces, such as central living areas, you can raise the ceiling even

higher. Consider using some of this vaulted space for display shelving or lighting.

 

9) Vary Scale

 

If every element in your home’s design is of a similar scale, the space can become

monotonous to the eye and can seem to shrink visually. Juxtaposing some different scale

elements, such as a low ceiling in your entry and a soaring cathedral ceiling in your great room,

can make the space far more interesting and more expansive. However, this concept must be

used with caution and subtlety. For example, using a huge amount of windows inappropriately

may take the room out of balance and create the opposite of the desired effect—it could make

your room look smaller rather than larger.

 

The same theory holds true when furnishing your home. By placing small details against

larger elements, you will add visual interest and evoke a perceived increase in space. When

working with furnishings, contrasting sizes can help avoid the monotony that sometimes affects

small homes. Several prominent pieces make a room seem more spacious; clusters of small items

create clutter and discord.

 

10) Make the Most of Décor

 

Once you have a plan that incorporates the above principles, finish your rooms in ways

that maximize the perceived space. Adding accents, such as lighting and trim details, will make

your home feel more alive. As your eye follows continuous design elements, such as flooring,

columns, wall panels or built-ins, every space appears larger.

 

Subtle details will animate your space too. A room without depth or shadow feels lifeless

and smaller than it actually is. Add some color and that feeling changes. For example, light

colors tend to expand a space, whereas dark colors can provide depth and contrast. To achieve

the greatest result, choose a variety of natural, complementary textures for your flooring and

walls, as well as your furniture and window coverings.

 

With trim, colors and textures as a backdrop, thoughtful lighting strategies complete the

picture. Accent lighting creates a contrast of light and shadow orienting your eye to specific

areas while creating movement. Natural light can play an important role in defining and

highlighting spaces and framing views. It can create visual interest and increased expansiveness.

A smaller home with quality space planning, features and detailing can be a warmer, more

intimate home at considerably less cost. Using simple techniques to increase space, both real and

perceived, can maximize space and create a warm and cozy home for you and your family.

Murray Arnott designs custom log homes throughout North America and serves as a director of

the International Log Builders’ Association. If you have a question for Murray, write him in care

of Log Home Living.