In the conditions of limited area of a small apartment, every square meter is important for creating a comfortable and functional environment. And modern design solutions allow you to use even the smallest spaces as efficiently as possible, making them spacious and comfortable to live in. Let’s consider various methods and innovative approaches that will help create space and visually expand the space in a small apartment.
Buying multifunctional furniture
Let’s start with an essential attribute of any living space – furniture. One of the main principles of space optimization in small apartments is the use of multifunctional room furnishings. Today, manufacturers offer a wide range of transformable furniture: wardrobe beds and sofa beds, folding tables, wall-mounted folding tables, etc. Such furniture allows you to save space in everyday life, providing the necessary functionality without wasting space.
Vertical use of space
An effective way to increase the usable area in a small studio apartment or apartment is to make maximum use of vertical space.
Advice from our expert Yuriy Merenkov
Place shelves, cabinets and other storage elements on the walls up to the ceiling, and also use hanging organizers for household items, dishes, personal items, clothing, and office supplies.
This approach allows you to make maximum use of storage space in a small apartment, freeing up the table and work surfaces from unnecessary items.
Optimization of the workplace
In the conditions of modern life, it is also important to properly organize the space for work, creativity and everyday activities. Compact tables and folding functional surfaces help to optimize the workplace in a small apartment. Also, to save space, you can organize a work corner in an unexpected place, for example, on an insulated balcony or in the kitchen.
Playing with light to visually enlarge the space
Lots of light is another important aspect in creating space and comfort.
Please note! Light shades in the interior, multi-level lighting, uncluttered windows, reflective surfaces help to expand the space of even the smallest apartment.
Mirrors can be used to create interesting optical effects, for example by placing them opposite window openings or in narrow passages.
It is also worth giving up bulky multi-layer curtains and heavy drapes, replacing them with roller blinds or glued tulle on the windows. This will not only improve the lighting of the rooms, but also save space next to the window. And if you have a wide windowsill, you will additionally get another work surface.
Thanks to the modern market, you don’t have to think about what to stick on your windows instead of curtains, even on the sunny side.
Please note! When the window openings and balcony face south, an alternative to thick floor-length curtains is sun protection film, which prevents the scorching rays from penetrating the apartment.
It is not difficult to figure out how to stick the film on the window – as a rule, it is fixed on wet glass or has a self-adhesive base.
We hide unsightly communications and close niches
Visual noise seriously “eats up” the space of the apartment, so it is important to take care of aesthetics – use closed shelves and racks, refuse numerous decorative items, and, of course, hide all sorts of pipes-valves-meters-pumps-boilers, as well as non-functional niches. This can be done with the help of boxes and screens made of plasterboard, having previously equipped them with an inspection hole.
The Praktika hatches are an excellent tool for optimizing the space of an apartment, especially for small and cramped spaces – kitchens and bathrooms. They help make engineering systems invisible, but do not block access to them. A plumbing box for a sewer riser, an installation or a screen under a bathtub equipped with inspection hatches is not only beautiful, but also practical: communications are reliably protected from mechanical impacts, dust does not accumulate in the niches and regular cleaning is not required.
Please note! The hidden hatch can be hinged, sliding or even removable – it all depends on your preferences and the possibilities of the room.
Installing an inspection hatch has many advantages:
- no damage to the design – the door can be made invisible by tiling it or, on the contrary, it can be given an accent role in the interior;
Advice from our expert
If it is not possible to use the same tiles as for the entire room, experiment with contrasting finishing of the box. It is not necessary to select tiles of a similar format or texture – create bold combinations and try different laying patterns. Do not forget to correctly calculate the number of tiles, leaving a small reserve.
- harmonious appearance, order and space – all the unaesthetic elements that overload the space will be hidden behind the hatch;
- ease of cleaning – masking boxes with hatches make it easier to clean the premises, since they do not require frequent maintenance and do not attract dust and dirt, like open utility lines.
Conclusion
Modern solutions for creating a spacious environment in a small apartment offer a wide range of innovative approaches and technologies. Multifunctional furniture, lighting design tools, hidden plumbing cabinets and boxes with inspection hatches – all these elements together allow you to use even the most compact areas as efficiently as possible, creating a comfortable and functional environment for living and working.