Small homes have a great deal to recommend them. They are cosy, easier to keep warm and simpler to care for, and across Britain compact flats and terraced houses make wonderful homes. The one challenge is space, or the feeling of it, and this is where furniture makes all the difference. The right choices can make a modest room feel open and airy, while the wrong ones leave it cramped and cluttered. Making a small home feel bigger is far more about clever furniture than about knocking down walls.<\/p>\n
The principles are straightforward once you know them. Choose pieces that suit the scale of the room, keep sightlines open, use light and reflection to your advantage, and make every item work hard. In this guide we set out how to apply each of these ideas so a compact home feels generous rather than tight. To browse pieces well suited to smaller spaces, take a look at the range at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n The most important step is choosing furniture in proportion to the space. Oversized pieces swallow a small room and leave little space to move, while suitably scaled furniture lets the room breathe. This does not mean everything must be tiny, but a slim armed sofa or a compact table will always suit a small room better than a bulky alternative. Look for designs with a lighter visual footprint, raised on legs so the floor remains visible beneath. Our 2 seater fabric sofas UK<\/a> range offers neat seating ideal for compact living rooms.<\/p>\n Furniture raised on legs is a small trick with a big effect. Seeing the floor continue beneath a piece makes a room feel more open, because the eye reads the uninterrupted space as larger. Solid pieces that sit flat to the floor, by contrast, can make a room feel boxed in.<\/p>\n The further your eye can travel across a room, the larger it feels, so keeping sightlines clear is essential in a small home. Low furniture helps, since it does not block the view across the space, and arranging pieces to leave clear paths through the room reinforces the sense of openness. Glass furniture is especially useful, because light and the surfaces beyond pass straight through it, so it takes up almost no visual space. Browse our glass side tables UK sale<\/a> range for pieces that add function without visual weight.<\/p>\n Avoid crowding a small room with too many items, however useful each may seem. A few well chosen pieces with space around them feel far more generous than a room packed to the edges. Restraint is one of the most powerful tools for making a compact space feel larger.<\/p>\n Mirrors are a long standing trick for enlarging a space, and for good reason. A well placed mirror reflects light and the view of the room, effectively doubling what the eye takes in and making the space feel considerably bigger. Positioned opposite a window, a mirror bounces daylight deep into the room and lifts the whole atmosphere. Our wall mirrors UK<\/a> range includes designs that add both light and style to a small room.<\/p>\n Beyond mirrors, keep the room bright wherever you can. Light colours on furniture and walls reflect rather than absorb light, so a pale scheme feels more open than a dark one. Layered lighting, with a mix of sources rather than a single overhead bulb, also helps a small room feel warm and spacious after dark.<\/p>\n In a small home, furniture that serves more than one purpose is invaluable. A storage footstool offers a footrest, extra seating and a place to tuck things away all in one. A nest of tables provides several surfaces that separate when needed and tuck neatly together when not. Choosing pieces that do double duty means you need fewer of them, which keeps the room clear. Explore our nest of tables UK<\/a> range for flexible surfaces that suit compact living.<\/p>\n Storage that hides within everyday furniture is particularly valuable, since it removes the need for separate units that would take up precious floor space. The fewer individual pieces a small room needs, the more open and calm it will feel.<\/p>\nScale your furniture to the room<\/h3>\n
Keep sightlines open<\/h3>\n
Use mirrors and light to your advantage<\/h3>\n
Make every piece multitask<\/h3>\n
Choose vertical storage<\/h3>\n