Living in a swanky, spacious home is everyone’s dream, but a reality for only some. However, anyone can magnify their squeezed spaces with a little tact and creativity, reckons Vineeta Mittal.

Less is beautiful, and it certainly stands true for houses in urban areas, where space is a major constraint. Managing space in the most efficient manner in smaller homes is no small feat. You’ve got to have a minimalistic approach to make your home look elegant and spacious.

Space management comes only with trial and error and a little creativity. With that, anybody can start excelling in home organisation and space optimisation. Here are some tips that might help:

Dump unnecessary things

Some people may think that things which are not in use right now may come handy in the future. While this may happen once in a blue moon, most things that have not been in use for a few months in a row, will never come in use.

It is important to take stock of such things and do away with them. So if you find any corner table, chair, or a book rack occupying space without serving any purpose, dispose of it. Doing this will
create room for other important items and give your house a breathing space.

Choose colours diligently

To create a sense of vastness, it is advisable to paint walls with light colours rather than dark ones. Hues with soft shades reflect more light and help the room look more spacious. Due to non-reflection of light, spaces with darker shades around automatically start looking confined. White, creamy and icy blue colours help a tiny room look bigger. While light and bright shades reflect natural light, dark hues absorb it and make a space appear even tinier!

Innovative space saving

One of the best ways to optimise space at home is to look for innovative space-saving solutions or products which help you utilise vertical space of the walls or empty air space which cannot be used for anything else.

This way you can utilise the 3 dimensional space to create additional area over and above the carpet area of your house.  The other important aspect is to organise things in a proper way and in their respective allocated places. Also, keeping stuff in closed storage reduces clutter around the house.

Smart utility products

There are many products which can help you optimise space in your house. They help create usable space above your washing machine area, which otherwise goes waste.

Similarly, there are dryers, which use the vertical wall space of your balconies and bathrooms to create additional space for drying clothes. Desk organisers and folding wardrobes, too create space and make your house more organised and clutter-free.

Innovative furniture

Exchange your low platform beds and sofas, for those that have drawers built in them and cabinets at their foundation. You can then put all your seasonal clothes, keep-sake gifts and the like in such spaces. Make sure you swipe your cards only for utility furniture, next time.

Foldaway beds and couches are gaining popularity over traditional furniture. As the name suggests, such type of furniture can be reduced to smaller forms and can be stored in the wardrobe, cupboard, or attic.

You can use them whenever you want. If you just buy an ordinary bed to serve your guests who may visit you once or twice a year, it's not a wise investment.

Add more shelves to your wardrobes, and if you want to store it and show it, then, add glass doors. All your exclusive crockery that you earned as your diwali gifts can be showcased in a layered
structure of shelves.

Cupboards with box-like enclosures and compartments can automatically clean-up up your child’s otherwise cluttered room.

Use mirrors to create space illusion. They reflect light and illuminate the surface, which makes the area appear large and spacious. To give an impression of larger room, use mirrors on an entire wall. It’s a unique style statement, too.

(The writer is brand director, Bonita)