Making a small home feel more spacious and properly liveable isn’t the easiest of challenges. That’s not to say that it’s impossible though as there are a wealth of tips and tricks every small home dweller can employ to make the space aesthetically pleasing and elegant.

Small is of course a matter of perspective and sometimes a seemingly small space just needs a fresh pair of eyes to maximise its true potential. With that in mind, below are four tips to keep handy for when you need some fresh ideas for your small home.

Declutter

Decluttering is an evergreen piece of advice, relevant for homes of any size, but bijou spaces need to hear it again and again. Everyone owns far too many things, methodically evaluating all those possessions and putting things that you haven’t used in the last year into one pile will start to paint a picture of just how much clutter can be removed.

Things usually come with an emotional attachment but holding on to something that has no use in a small space is just bad business. Collect and give away unused items to friends and charity shops whilst making notes of things that need replacing or are missing. For example, your kitchen might have a few separate tools that would work better if replaced with a food processor.

Double Up

Looking for furniture pieces that have different functions is not only going to save space but maximise whatever is already there. Furniture designers have created many solutions to the this very modern issues.

Furniture that extends, like dining and coffee tables, transform a room quickly without compromising on style. Sofa beds have also come a long way in the style stakes to make hosting easy and pleasing to the eye, the one from Dwell have the kind of minimalist aesthetic that’s easy to style no matter what your interiors tastes are.

Conceal

Small spaces often feel extra claustrophobic when everything is on show. The life of total minimalism isn’t for everyone, if this is you then consider furniture with built in storage. Why get a regular footstool when you can get a footstool with storage?

Be careful with open shelving, it’s great for not making the room look closed in but can overwhelm small spaces with business that distract the eye. Instead, look for shelves that with doors on the bottom half and open shelving at the top, this will create the same effect as fully open shelves and provide the option to hide anything you don’t want on display.

Reflect

It’s an old design trick that always works to open up small spaces and bring light into any room. We’re talking about mirrors of course. Having even one well positioned mirror can really change the look of a dark and small space.

Mirrors can also double up as art pieces, performing double duty of brightening up your living space and making it more aesthetically pleasing. Think outside the box when it comes to positioning your mirror(s), finding walls that naturally face the light.