When you’re living in a tiny space, whether that’s just your room or your whole house, it’s easy to feel like you’re just living in a little box full of stuff; but there are small changes you can make so it becomes a box you actually want to be stuck in.
Currently living in (what my friends endearing named) a cupboard in uni means I’ve had to be smart about using my space, and have had to think about how to make this little place my own.
White
White opens up spaces, so if you have the choice of changing your wall colours, opt for a lighter one, as rooms always feel much bigger with lighter colours. If not, just changing your bedding colours from something dark to white or a pastel shade can really make your room look bigger.
This is especially true if there’s a limited amount of natural light coming into your tiny space, because white is reflective and can make the room seem so much brighter and welcoming.
Light
Another thing that makes a room feel so much bigger and nicer to be in, is having sufficient light – perhaps even having different kinds of light. If you’re able to, infest in a new light fixture or bulbs to make sure that your room is actually lit fully, especially if it’s a place you have to do work in.
It also helps to have an extra light or two that give a different vibe. When I don’t want to be bathed in bright light, having a lava lamp and fairy lights in my room means that when I want to chill and watch a movie in bed, I can feel really cosy.
Personalised touches
Just because a space has some of your stuff in it, doesn’t mean it feels like yours. Adding personal touches can really start to make you think “yep, this is definitely my little piece of the world.”
Things like posters, pictures and photos can all be used to make your mark; though with small spaces, it’s not the best idea to cover all of the walls with pictures and posters – this can make the space feel smaller and enclosed. There’s a balance to find here.
Covered storage
You may think that adding more furniture to your room is going to make your space look smaller – if you have a tonne of storage and it’s all covered this is definitely the case – but having all of your stuff on shelves on display makes it very easy to feel like you’re living in something that’s more like a storage room than your home.
Having cupboard shelving instead of open ones can hide some of your belongings away, leaving more of an empty looking space; even if you’re actually taking up a little bit more room by adding it in.
De-clutter
This is probably the easiest one of the suggestions I’ve made. You don’t have to buy anything, or really do much at all but get rid of some of your stuff! There must be some of it you don’t need, and afterwards your space feels so much nicer. Plus, you can do a lot with your old things; sell it to make a little bit of extra cash, donate it to charity, help a friend in need – two awesome things at once.
When a room is full to bursting with stuff, it’s hard to feel at home, but simply de-cluttering can make it feel brand new. Just make sure you’re not tempted to fill the space by shopping straight after you’ve cleared stuff out (I know I’m guilty of this.)
I used to hate spending too much time in my room at my parent’s house. It was purple, with dark bedding, mismatched furniture, a bad choice of wall decoration and a low amount of light. Even when it was clean it felt messy. But (of course) just before I moved out, it had a revamp; the whole room was white and grey, better lights were put in, so even at night it was bright, the furniture matched and a lot more of the storage was covered. I ended up wanting to take it with my when I moved to uni because it was such a nice place to be. I liked sitting down at my desk to do work with the sun shining in, I liked lying in bed on a rainy day watching movies, and I loved lounging around in bed on a Sunday morning. It makes a really big difference.
So if you’re living in a tiny space, I hope you can own it and make it a space you want to spend time in – I mean, even if you’re not in a tiny space, this is still important. Let me know in the comments if there’s anything you’ve done to your space to really own it!
